That's not how it was marketed by Frankland et al., though. The NAP 250 has better timing and musicality, which sets it apart, obvs.
Chris Frankland
- Thread starter Patcam
- Start date
That's not how it was marketed by Frankland et al., though. The NAP 250 has better timing and musicality, which sets it apart, obvs.
John
Rack’em Up!
I think most Naim amplifiers are perfectly fine, as is the LP12 in its many forms. They just didn't deserve elevation above other competing kit.
On the other hand things like the Linn Basik cartridge, Index and Kan 1 were just plain poor and easily bettered by a raft of competition.
Things like the Nait 1 were just crazy. People 'want' a cheap Naim, so what shall we do. Oh I know, lets stick this primitive 15w amplifier circuit in a tiny box with shitty controls and flog it to teh audiophiles for a premium. Then they can have a Naim. All they really needed was a £100 Rotel or NAD, which were better.
Nothing wrong sonically with a NAP250 to be fair. Or the rest of the range for that matter.
They were just flat, low distortion power amps like many others.
The Issue is that I'd bet good money that nobody could tell one apart form the JVC AX4 I'm playing at the moment
Not in the many comparisons I did between the two.
Suffolk Tony
Aim low, achieve your goals, avoid disappointment.
I agree with you mostly; in the end it does come down to a matter of taste. I never got to listen to the Naits of the day but some folk seem to like them a lot. Good luck to them, they're right in sticking to their own preferences.I think most Naim amplifiers are perfectly fine, as is the LP12 in its many forms. They just didn't deserve elevation above other competing kit.
On the other hand things like the Linn Basik cartridge, Index and Kan 1 were just plain poor and easily bettered by a raft of competition.
Things like the Nait 1 were just crazy. People 'want' a cheap Naim, so what shall we do. Oh I know, lets stick this primitive 15w amplifier circuit in a tiny box with shitty controls and flog it to teh audiophiles for a premium. Then they can have a Naim.
Nothing wrong sonically with a NAP250 to be fair. Or the rest of the range for that matter.
They were just flat, low distortion power amps like many others.
The Issue is that I'd bet good money that nobody could tell one apart form the JVC AX4 I'm playing at the moment
I do struggle with folks' perception about good value, it's really no good banging on about how one might get "better value" from something that is cheaper or measures better if you happen to prefer an alternative that happens to be more expensive. My only mistake was to believe in the "perfect sound forever" sh*t when CD first emerged. Measured better than vinyl apparently...
Opinion masquerading as fact. As someone who auditioned all of those in 1986 I'd have to say my opinion differs wildly. The Nait1 sounded way better than the Cyrus, NAD and the Rotel. It was also significantly more expensive so required me to delay purchase for 3 months so that I could afford it. BTW I'd barely heard of Naim at the time, the Cyrus was the one I was expecting to buy which I preferred to the NAD.
gary yeowell
pfm Member
Love it
those shitty Naits of the day.
Actually they pissed all over the competition then as far as i'm concerned, and in many ways still do.
Actually they pissed all over the competition then as far as i'm concerned, and in many ways still do.
Companies produced products that did not sell at a profit, should they have been supported or allowed to fail?
Please remember all this took place between 1979 to 1990 when supporting ailing companies may not have been flavour of the decade
RustyB
Registered Ginga
Well actually Rob, Expo pre powers do NOT sound anything like the integrateds.
Even YOU could hear the difference.
Must have been pretty bad competition. I had LP12/Basik + NAD 3020 + AR18s, and was very interested to hear my chum's LP12/Ittok + Nait + Kans. It was awful, so wrong.
I now know the terrible sound was probably mostly the Kans' fault, but these utterly crap overpriced products were being sold as "better", and if you didn't agree, then there was something wrong with you. Probably not listening properly.
The SME 20 sounds considerably better than any LP12, and this is backed up with laboratory measurements. It's also cheaper than the top-spec LP12! It's your money, though.
gary yeowell
pfm Member
Glad you mentioned the Nad and AR18S as i had them both along with a Rega Planar 3, nice little system! When i could eventually afford my first LP12, Nait 1 and Kans however, things were much much better. Simple as that.
gary yeowell
pfm Member
I have heard Kans sound terrible, but that is mainly down to rooms that were very unsuitable. Solid walls and preferably floors too are best. Close to the wall as possible and better still on Sound Org wall brackets.
Spike
pfm Member
What's very interesting is that there was probably only one Naim/Linn dealer in any town, many had none at all. Many of these were way off the beaten path. However, there was a multitude of other dealers in same said town with a plethora of manufacturers. People had more choice then than ever. Indeed Newcastle didn't have a Linn/ Naim dealer at all. I really think its disingenuous to blame Naim/Linn for all the woes. People were encouraged to go out and dem. Remember "if it sounds better it is better".
Progmeister
The Progmeister
I remember reading his rantings avidly. The only piece of kit that i ever agreed with him about was the Inca Tech Claymore amp. i was always suspicious of his agenda and reading the above array of comments i was right to.
Suffolk Tony
Aim low, achieve your goals, avoid disappointment.
Laboratory measurements are so important, aren't they? Wonder why The SMEs sound so dull then? A silly idea I know but just maybe it might be down to what one prefers?
Personally I'd rather pay for what I like.
The SME 20 does not sound "dull". So it's a question based on a false premise.
Suffolk Tony
Aim low, achieve your goals, avoid disappointment.
Oh yes it does...(your turn)
The only reasons why the SMEs might conceivably have a "dull" reputation in people's minds is that they are neutral, and lack the Linn's colourations. Otherwise, they have better timing, lower background noise, better detail retrieval, and a far better dynamic range.
You are welcome to visit and listen to my SME 30 if you don't believe me. I am an ex-LP12 owner, and I do know what I'm talking about.
Rob400
pfm Member
Well said Tony. Measurements are worthless if the sound quality isn't engaging. I have only heard an SME 20 once at a show so can't judge it. I do know that of the dozen or so decks that I have heard if (hypothetically) I couldn't own my WT Versalex or an Amadeus I'd go back to a LP12 with an ARO in a heartbeat.
Measurements are actually important if they debunk the myth that the LP12's strong suit is in its timing. Or that it retrieves more information from the groove. Once these twin pillars are removed, there's nothing else left for it to hide behind, apart from musicality, of course.