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New Naim S1 pre/power

and when will the flood of traded-in NAC 552 and NAP 500s start??

Traded in 552/500's??? Theres not that many owners left out there, is there?

I thought a lot of em had dumped it for the far superior tube amplification available?
 
Is that the SSSSSSSSSSSSNNNNNXXXXXOOOOOOO GTI Lux Grand Vittesse Super Powerboat Bling Cosmograph Tourbillon Crossover then?
 
Who cares..........................Naim have produced nothing of any note since Julian died and the asset strippers moved in.
 
Out to lunch
I totally agree, just like apple we are in a post Jobs post JV arena now and I for for one wish them the best but both companies will now suffer, like it or not they are vastly different now.
 
This Naim had jumped-the-shark feeling didn't hit me until I saw picture of the back of the Statement.

DSC05584ss.jpg
 
Gentlemen

I had expected the comments to have have started earlier, right after CES so I am surprised it has taken so long. I was fortunate enough to hear the Statement at CES. In my 40 years in the audio hobby I have never heard a more impressive demonstration of the recreation of a musical event than I heard in the Naim room through the Statement and a pair of high-end Focal Utopia speakers. Mind blowingly good and I wasn't the only one who thought so. This was also after having heard many other really impressive systems at the show some, believe it or not, costing much more. No asset stripping on display at CES just a very high level of engineering competence and aerospace quality construction. Coming from a British company I would think you should be proud of what Naim has done.

Like you, I can't come close to paying the sales tax on a Statement but that doesn't mean it isn't impressive and trust me there are customers out there. And frankly, I've heard all of the new very affordable Naim Naits and they are all excellent even if perhaps not everyone's specific cup of tea. I admire Teddy Pardo, Mr. Croft, and Avondale, but do not kid yourself, they and Naim use entirely different business models (not necessarily better or worse just different) and I suspect Naim will be doing well long after these fine gentlemen have taken a well earned retirement. They know where the market is going and they have the engineering and managerial heft to be successful. Enjoy!
 
Gentlemen

I had expected the comments to have have started earlier, right after CES so I am surprised it has taken so long. I was fortunate enough to hear the Statement at CES. In my 40 years in the audio hobby I have never heard a more impressive demonstration of the recreation of a musical event than I heard in the Naim room through the Statement and a pair of high-end Focal Utopia speakers. Mind blowingly good and I wasn't the only one who thought so. This was also after having heard many other really impressive systems at the show some, believe it or not, costing much more. No asset stripping on display at CES just a very high level of engineering competence and aerospace quality construction. Coming from a British company I would think you should be proud of what Naim has done.

Like you, I can't come close to paying the sales tax on a Statement but that doesn't mean it isn't impressive and trust me there are customers out there. And frankly, I've heard all of the new very affordable Naim Naits and they are all excellent even if perhaps not everyone's specific cup of tea. I admire Teddy Pardo, Mr. Croft, and Avondale, but do not kid yourself, they and Naim use entirely different business models (not necessarily better or worse just different) and I suspect Naim will be doing well long after these fine gentlemen have taken a well earned retirement. They know where the market is going and they have the engineering and managerial heft to be successful. Enjoy!

It sounds like they have probably produced a performance close to what most of us non Naim owners already experience on a day to day basis, albeit at an eye watering cost.
I agree with you Clay when you look at Naim from a business perspective it is a sucess, more than likely ripe to be floated along with Focal at some point in the near future, that way all the current top management and investors can get their money back and more.
Now when you start to evaluate their business model into performance per pound, in most arenas they are woefully inadequate IMO.

I believe this forum and a high number of its ( private individual) members is about performance of ones music systems and getting the best at a price reasonable, non -bank busting, price.

Naim can produce such performance at real world prices (comparible to the competition), but IMO can't supply it at real world prices due to their business model.
 
Very interesting IMO and beautifully designed.

Interesting because there is a strong possibility that this thing cannot simply be a 552/500 multiplied by 3.

Gung-ho millionaires from emerging markets aside, buyers at this type of level demand all sorts of things which a 552/500 doesn't even begin to do. So, in a sense, for the S1 to sit comfortably at its pricepoint, Naim must have changed their sound, their ethos and philosophy a little for it to deemed a real alternative to the likes of Vitus, Soulution, Kondo, Dartzeel, Constellation, Wavac etc.

If this is true then it follows that perhaps these new sonic principles will trickle down into their more regular pieces which will be good news because whilst many of Naim's budget products are cracking market leaders, the middle and high ground is less convincing for the money. Here's hoping.
 
Naim must have changed their sound, their ethos and philosophy a little for it to deemed a real alternative to the likes of .............

Is there not the possibility that the pricing is based solely on what they think they can ask a certain type of buyer, at a particular level of the market.
 
Is there not the possibility that the pricing is based solely on what they think they can ask a certain type of buyer, at a particular level of the market.

I would have thought so on this product. I think VFM was not a consideration when designing or pricing this product.

With Naim's other products I think they have to keep a watchful eye on the competition; and although most of it is overpriced IMHO I can see that there is VFM.
 


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