Yes, it definitely is one of the coolest looking amps ever.
Naim Nait 50
- Thread starter stuwils
- Start date
Yes, it definitely is one of the coolest looking amps ever.
Yes but could you run a streaming unit off the Nait two?
Tony L
Administrator
You can plug a streamer into any line input. There is no magic. The word ‘streaming’ above a input on the facia is just a word. It has no electrical meaning.
S-Man
StrivingON
I only listened to the last 30 seconds, where they seemed to say they preferred the Nait 1.
Tony L
Administrator
I watched the first 20 minutes or so (Roxy, For Your Pleasure) and based on what they were saying I’m pretty sure I’d prefer the Nait 1 too!
PS I’ve got a near mint UK Island 1st press, so I win.
Pinky
In suspense, not compressed
Well I suppose you are streaming off the airwaves!
domfjbrown
pfm Member
This is precisely why I hankered after a NAC72 from around 1989 (14 year old lol!). I finally got one in 2005 and it's not going anywhere.
A tactile delight!
Exactly !
The Nait 2 was unique ,the early ones that is . It had chrome surround , backlit green Naim logo and ' Fisher Price' low profile Naim Tractor Tyre control knobs . I know the Nait one is iconic but the two is so good looking .
mr sneff
pfm Member
I had a Sonos plugged into a Nait 2 for a while. IMO better than a UnitiQute.
I thought different inputs had different boards or some such thing.
So on that basis you could buy a Nait 5 rather than a Nait 3.
Tony L
Administrator
A line input is a line input, it doesn’t matter if you plug a CD player, DAC, tuner, tape deck, mixer or whatever you like into it. It is just a standard input regardless of front panel labelling. The only input that is different is the phono input as that contains specific gain, loading and equalisation (RIAA) for either a MM or MC cartridge. The rest can accept any line level (typically 2V peak to peak) signal.
Whaleblue
Southbound
But worth mentioning that modern line level (the 2V you mention) is not the same as old (not sure of years??) line level which expected considerably lower level input (50-200mv typically?). Modern 2V CDPs, streamed/DACs tend to overload those older inputs, best fixed by adding an attenuator between source component and amp.
Ptah
pfm Member
This one probably, but not all first UK Island pressings are the best.
Example - I had the first UK pink Island pressing (1969) of Liege and Lief for many years, sounded great with a few pops and clicks. Quite recently I came across a 1971-ish pressing with the pink rim/palm tree - wiped the floor with the earlier one. Reason? Porky.
Tony L
Administrator
Yes, some real vintage stuff can have issues, especially if an input was tailored to that brand’s own tuner (e.g. Quad 33), but open reel tape decks have been capable of very high output voltages forever. IIRC a high speed ReVox can kick out 3.5V peak to peak or more, and some studio tape machines anything up to 10V. It has been a problem though, especially for UK and EU kit based around the obsolete DIN standards (the I/O standard, not the plug). I never had any problem connecting any line level kit to any Naim amp I owned, IIRC they actually prided themselves on high input headroom.
Agreed, Island are very variable across all eras. To be honest I think the best, certainly consistency wise, was probably mid to late-70s to early-80s, stuff like Bob Marley, The Slits Cut, B52’s debut, Marianne Faithful Broken English, the classic Grace Jones albums etc. That period was really well cut onto nice quiet vinyl and served up in pretty decent sleeves. The ‘pink i’ and ‘palm tree’ stuff was pressed at various plants with various quality and can be very hard to find a good quiet one. Late-80s Island vinyl is arguably the worst ever produced in the UK (maybe a tie with Virgin), again often great cuts, but crappy thin likely recycled vinyl without the ‘groove guard’ contour (raised run-in and label) so always destroyed by card inners etc. Again some great sounding stuff here, e.g. ZTT (FGTH, Propaganda, Slave To The Rhythm etc), but try finding a clean copy now if the original buyer didn’t immediately stick the record in a poly-inner. I’ve seen so much Island stuff of this era with bits of label or other crap stamped into the playing surface, hence my suspicion they were using recycled vinyl. A shame as there are a lot of good titles that have never sounded as good digitally and are now very hard to find decent copies of.
Rana
pfm Member
Agree and although I never owned them at the same time, I still miss my CB Nait 2 even 20 years after selling it but never think back so fondly of my Nait 1 (or the other "Naits" that I've had), nice as it was. But would love to have a Nait 50 in the future.
Thanks for posting that, a sensible and balanced review. The comments section reads like some of the mindless drivel spouted on here about how a company with increasing turnover and profit is failing... stupidity knows no bounds it seems
Last edited: