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Hypothetical Naim system replacement

The marketing blurb for Vitus is utterly terrible & it would completely put me off, sounds like a car magazine from the 80s. At least the naim marketing from the era had a bit of humour.
 
What did you end up with?

Keith is right: A pair of Kii Threes.
I auditioned them not really expecting to be seriously interested; just to see what the hype was all about. Once I'd heard them, I couldn't do without them and realised quickly that, being active, I could get rid of all the Naim stuff and not have amps cluttering the place up as they have for teh last 40 years. My descision wasn't driven by "downsizing" or "de-cluttering" however. It was purely audio - I heard far, far more with the Kiis. Their simplicity is a bonus AFAIAC. Front end is a simple RPi3 with Digione. I guess I'll upgrade it at some point but everytime I listen to it, I can't imagine anything sounding much better. And the TV is great through them as well.

Having said that, I went to a dem a few months back with my brother-in-law who is a big Naim fan; he was looking for - guess what? - another Naim PSU with which to "upgrade" (to add to the several he has already). That system sounder better than mine at home but we then totted up the damage: Over 60K...
 
I’m not familiar with Naim nomenclature other than wary of the continuous marketing hype of never ending upgrades and beefy power supplies promising greater audio nirvana.
Prefer manufacturers that build something properly in the first instance and stick with it for at least 5 years although that may reduce sales to those who must have latest so called upgrade.
The OP may in the long term benefit from jumping off the hamster wheel.
 
Spend most of it on S/H big active ATC's. Job sorted for power amps and speakers. Plenty of cheaper but good options for the rest such as MDAC and a Bruno Putzeys balanced pre kit. Or DCS if you want to throw money at it.
A good suggestion. If I was starting afresh I’d certainly go for active speakers, possibly the Dutch and Dutch 8c or if DSP puts you off then the new ELAC actives designed by Andrew Jones which use an analogue crossover.

Naim doesn’t make hi fi gear, it sells hype. For far less money you can get something that actually makes music.
 
Keith is right: A pair of Kii Threes.
I auditioned them not really expecting to be seriously interested; just to see what the hype was all about. Once I'd heard them, I couldn't do without them and realised quickly that, being active, I could get rid of all the Naim stuff and not have amps cluttering the place up as they have for teh last 40 years. My descision wasn't driven by "downsizing" or "de-cluttering" however. It was purely audio - I heard far, far more with the Kiis. Their simplicity is a bonus AFAIAC. Front end is a simple RPi3 with Digione. I guess I'll upgrade it at some point but everytime I listen to it, I can't imagine anything sounding much better. And the TV is great through them as well.

Having said that, I went to a dem a few months back with my brother-in-law who is a big Naim fan; he was looking for - guess what? - another Naim PSU with which to "upgrade" (to add to the several he has already). That system sounder better than mine at home but we then totted up the damage: Over 60K...
I believe you would have to hear the Naim £60k system and the Kiis together in he same room and at the same time to have a really valid opinion of their relative merit.
Keith
 
L&N makes a very good point. My turntable is 45 years old and I’m not in a hurry to replace it. In fact I bought a second as a spare in case the first one has a fatal failure (it’s also an excuse for a small second system at some point in the future....).

What I am really saying is don’t overlook vintage equipment. You never know until you listen.......
 
I’m not familiar with Naim nomenclature other than wary of the continuous marketing hype of never ending upgrades and beefy power supplies promising greater audio nirvana.
Prefer manufacturers that build something properly in the first instance and stick with it for at least 5 years although that may reduce sales to those who must have latest so called upgrade.
The OP may in the long term benefit from jumping off the hamster wheel.
They just have an upgrade path, it is not 'marketing hype'. Most hifi companies have a range which you can upgrade through. You may or may not like the naim sound & that is entirely down to personal taste.
 
They just have an upgrade path, it is not 'marketing hype'. Most hifi companies have a range which you can upgrade through. You may or may not like the naim sound & that is entirely down to personal taste.
Just the usual anti-Naim nonsense we have to suffer on Naim threads Mr Woodface, best to just ignore it.
 
At the mo it seems like all system change or rebuild questions result in the same answer - active speakers! I tried ATC 40 actives and whilst they sounded effortless at high volumes, they weren't really my cup of tea esp at low volume.
 
Naim support their old gear (at least the non computer based stuff) and there are good independents who can repair it too. They offer good px for upgrades and there is a thriving used market.
Certainly a contributing factor helping me enjoy music from my black boxes.
 
I have very vague plans to move away from a whole naim system to incorporate ATC speakers & possibly pre-amp.
 
Thanks for all the replies people, some very interesting points raised. Will be interesting to hear some of the newer gear over time. It'll have to be astonishing to prise me away form the Olive sound though.....
 
At the mo it seems like all system change or rebuild questions result in the same answer - active speakers! I tried ATC 40 actives and whilst they sounded effortless at high volumes, they weren't really my cup of tea esp at low volume.

Not all active designs are like that. I have the Dutch & Dutch 8c here. They can be enjoyed at low levels too.
 
Thanks for all the replies people, some very interesting points raised. Will be interesting to hear some of the newer gear over time. It'll have to be astonishing to prise me away form the Olive sound though.....

Please take up Andrew C’s offer. If you enjoy that, give me a call and I will provide you with a home demo like the one he had. If you prefer your Naim system, I won’t be offended, but I expect you’ll find something to like about this set.
 
As others have said it might be worth listening to some classic gear like Redford, Leak or Sugden paired with appropriate speakers.
I have very fond memories off Leak S20 (with point one pre?). Something like this fronted by good digital or a suitable tt(plus stepup?) might be enjoyable.
 


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