Naim or not
- Thread starter mikebh50
- Start date
per flemming
Registered User
Dear Alco
I have, with great pleasure, used all the Rega Brio range amplifiers since the first one came out (I think complete range was four until now, included the -r and the clamshell beeing the very first one)
Indeed they are great value for music lovers, maybe not for headbangers.
I have mainly used the amplication on easier, more upfront speakers, like Rega, Royd, Heybrook, etc..
Mainly or only on Rega sources, some compromises to rethink before fully recommendation into OP's setup.
Best wishes
Per
Well, if it suits you then that's all that counts!
As they don't say, chacun a son pastry and as you say YMMV. If it works, it works. I don't know the Xerxes, I've had a few Linns, most of the Thorens range, Garrard and Lenco. I know I don't get on with the Naim I've heard and some here call me a Naim-knocker. The truth is that I listened to a few, didn't like them, then heard better (to me) for less, so at that point I said "sod it" and went down that road. The door remains open for Naim gear if it ever butters my muffin, but I'm not holding my breath or regarding it as a grail. That's why I said to the OP "by all means go this way but give it a good listen before you buy". I did, to a few models, thought "hmm, I don't much like that" and have happily lived with other stuff ever since.Hi Mike
I have been using naim for a number of years. If I was in your position I would consider:
1. Buy second hand or search out dealer demos. I have most of mine new at 15-40% discount. They do retain value but just in case you don't like it the hit will be small but this applies to any manufacturer.
2. Digital system - I would look at DAC v1 and nap200 and add a wyred 4 sound remedy to the sonos. Cost wise you do this for circa £2k less any proceeds from your amp and DAC.
3. Budget amp I would look at a nait xs integrated. Nice sound and cost only £5-600 second hand.
4. Mid amp. Supernait2 plus w4s remedy. Cost around £2.3k.
Hope that helps.
I have been using naim for a number of years. If I was in your position I would consider:
1. Buy second hand or search out dealer demos. I have most of mine new at 15-40% discount. They do retain value but just in case you don't like it the hit will be small but this applies to any manufacturer.
2. Digital system - I would look at DAC v1 and nap200 and add a wyred 4 sound remedy to the sonos. Cost wise you do this for circa £2k less any proceeds from your amp and DAC.
3. Budget amp I would look at a nait xs integrated. Nice sound and cost only £5-600 second hand.
4. Mid amp. Supernait2 plus w4s remedy. Cost around £2.3k.
Hope that helps.
Second the second hand purchase route.
As far as the second hand NaitXS suggestion goes, I think it's a good buy at the prices quoted above. I've been using one in my second system for a few years - I've just replaced it with a Supernait 2 - and TBH there are some things the XS did that I preferred over its much more expensive sibling.
What it would sound like with the Quads though I have no idea
Foot Tapper
Enjoy the music, not the format or kit
Thanks for the clarification Steve. It was this part of your post that I was responding to.
Scalford was an absolute eye opener for me this year. I heard so many different ways of reproducing music. Many were a bit so-so, probably due to the difficulty of speaker-room interactions. Yet others were outstanding. The Sony/Royd room shone out in this respect, as did a couple of modest valve-based systems and small system with the active Linn speakers. If ever we needed a reminder that there are many ways of successfully reproducing music, then Scalford was it.
Some Naim systems that I've heard sounded soporific, others downright harsh, yet others sounded outstandingly engaging, musical and enjoyable.
So many thanks for your subsequent post, which makes a great deal of good sense.
Best regards, FT
That's a fair comment, I do find listening with Naim like watching a movie because you find yourself not talking and listening to the music. Sometimes this is amazing other times disappointing and over an extended period it can sound fatiquing. I am in my mid 40's and know that the hang on to your seet sonic signature of Naim has found me looking elsewhere. Go and have a listen, the other issue is that you will get unlimited advice on what you need to add to your current Naim set up to achieve your listening goal.
P.S. Have a read of the Teddy Pardon thread......
There is a 202 on an auction site for 695 with napsc. Add a 200 for about 900 and you have a decent system pretty cheap.
In fact 2 mins searching I found one for 750. That is a decent naim system for relative peanuts.
mikebh50
pfm Member
Hi
Thanks for all the advice I think I really need to try and have a listen to some different naim stuff as it seems I may be more suited to the older models.but you know who keeps a tight grip of the purse strings I certainly won't have £2000 to spend . So maybe it's an itch that will have to wait. Is my Marantz classed as half decent or would it be easy to in prove on as I have Ben out of the loop for a while. I use to have a hafler DH101 pre amp and a I think DH200 power amp now loved the sound of that maybe a bit heavy on the bass but do prefer a smooth sound.
Thanks for all the advice I think I really need to try and have a listen to some different naim stuff as it seems I may be more suited to the older models.but you know who keeps a tight grip of the purse strings I certainly won't have £2000 to spend . So maybe it's an itch that will have to wait. Is my Marantz classed as half decent or would it be easy to in prove on as I have Ben out of the loop for a while. I use to have a hafler DH101 pre amp and a I think DH200 power amp now loved the sound of that maybe a bit heavy on the bass but do prefer a smooth sound.
With that kind of limit you won't be going very far at all on the newer stuff. Older gear, maybe, if you can live without a remote.
I'd say so. $1000 Marantz has never been poor.
Doubt it. You might prefer a different character (Naim definitely has character, as plenty will concur) but easily improved? I'd say not. Amplifiers haven't gone far in 20 or even 30 years, that's why the quality designs of the 70s and 80s are still good.
suzywong
Wot, no electrons?
Krescendo Hifi have a NAC32-SNAPS-NAP250, chrome bumper, on ebay for BiN of £1200. Back in the day, it was considered to be the bee's knees, mutt's nutts, etc etc
There's also a chrome NAC32.5-NAP110 in an auction. It should go for around half of the other one.
Both would give you a flavour of what Naim is about.
There's also a chrome NAC32.5-NAP110 in an auction. It should go for around half of the other one.
Both would give you a flavour of what Naim is about.
That's what I have and it is what the Naim house sound is all about. As others have said buy it, try it and see it all if it doesn't suit. The C.B. gear can be a bit rough with digital front ends though, the myriad of after market cards that go in the pre amp can help with this.
One of the better demos in Munich was Marantz gear with Triton speakers.
(a) NAIM has its own signature sound and that automatically triggers a heavily biased personal value judgement to the listener
(b) Its appeal (up or down) will be further influenced by its supporting cast of which speakers, cables and source you pair it up with
(c) add to it the unique characteristics of your particular listening environment
and you now have a resulting alchemy as to whether you "like it" or not.
I've heard NAIM kit that was a truly "aha" / "Jesus" moment.
Conversely I've heard NAIM systems that were smoked by competing kit and even to the point of peeling your ears off.
your takeaway: it depends ..... full stop.
(b) Its appeal (up or down) will be further influenced by its supporting cast of which speakers, cables and source you pair it up with
(c) add to it the unique characteristics of your particular listening environment
and you now have a resulting alchemy as to whether you "like it" or not.
I've heard NAIM kit that was a truly "aha" / "Jesus" moment.
Conversely I've heard NAIM systems that were smoked by competing kit and even to the point of peeling your ears off.
your takeaway: it depends ..... full stop.
clownfish
It's all in the details
What kit did you hear that smoked Naim gear?
I'm thinking, maybe even planning, on acquiring a SuperUniti in not too distant future. Is there something I should be looking at instead?
It will be used to drive decent quality but modestly sized floorstanders - exact model to be determined but I do like the Neat sound.
Really interested to hear what's possible. Not least because when I plugged an old but decent CD player into my rega dac the CD sounded marginally better than the Sonos. In both cases I used the same cable into the same slot on the Rega Dac which feeds my CB amps. So for me at least the transport does have an impact on SQ and I would like my purchase to sound better or equal to an old Technics CD player not worse.
This is not supposed to be a thread bomb just a request for more non Naim gear to listen too as per OP request.
Very true. I've never heard any I much like but the door's open.
Bearing in mind the comments above, loads. In about 95 I decided to stop up from my £200-a-box system, so I went looking at integrated amps around £500-750. The Linn Intek was a no-no, the Audiolab too, a Roksan was ho-hum, the Nait hurt my ears (see above) and an Exposure (2010?) was better than the Nait by a good deal. Still we were talking a piece of money and they weren't *that* much better than my Pioneer A400, which was the magazines' darling at the time. Then a mate came round with a Quad 33/303. Well, it's an old piece of junk but it always sounded good at his place on his Garrard/Quad/Celestion Ditton 44 system, so let's plug it in. WTF? It was fantastic. A few weeks later I had the same and over the next couple of years off I went down the secondhand route. 44/405, Meridian 101/105, modified Quads, AVI S2000. All will smoke the Naim I have heard. YMMV, of course.
Not sure on alternative brands but yes, you should certainly shop around. A lot of people here rate the AVI Lab Series integrated, not heard it myself but you can get them cheap (~£300?) and I'd give one a try. There is LOADS of really competent gear out there, Naim is certainly not the only game in town. If you like Naim, great, fill your boots, but try what else is out there first, you might get a surprise when you see what a few hundred will get you in non-Naim land. Some of it will very definitely leave comparable Naim and stuff quite well up the range for dead.
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Owning a 32.5 HICAP NAP250 and a Nait 2 and a Nait XS. I can say that the 32.5/250 and the Nait do share the same sonic signature, the Nait XS is quite a bit different.
The Nait XS in isolation always sounds nice. Compared with the Nait2 it is more mellow and slightly less dynamic although it has more bass, resolution, features and no annoying low level channel balance issues.
I guess you need to try them in your system, with your own ears.
Simon