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Life after Naim

I would urge anyone with a good CD collection to take a serious look at the Innuos Zen range. Even the lowly mini is as good of not better than any CD player I’ve had at home. Previously had a CDX/XPS2.

Funnily enough. Fell out of love with my CDX2/XPS2after 20 years of joy. Could be ears, age or whatever. Still got a 202/200 etc. but moved in a different direction source wise and now have an Innuos Zenlth into a Chord Hugo TT2. Next step likely to be to bin the amps in favour of something like a Decware or ampsandsounds.
 
Funnily enough. Fell out of love with my CDX2/XPS2after 20 years of joy. Could be ears, age or whatever. Still got a 202/200 etc. but moved in a different direction source wise and now have an Innuos Zenlth into a Chord Hugo TT2. Next step likely to be to bin the amps in favour of something like a Decware or ampsandsounds.
I didn’t stop liking it (in terms of sound) but just became tired of the power supply hum. To be honest my ATC CDA2 sounds as good to my ears as the multibox offering from naim.
 
I have to say that I don’t “get” what is the purpose of this thread?

Some sort of reverse willie waving perhaps, or maybe posters believe they will gain some sort of “street credibility”……..

perhaps someone would care to explain it to me.
It is interesting to hear how people who have been in the hobby for years and years have evolved their thinking. I went to a NAD M3 from a 52 Scap 250 because the Naim stuff just wasn’t powerful enough to drive Obs and the 500 was out of reach. It taught me that expense is no guarantee of sound quality and that complex electronics are awkward and difficult to fix. The NAD’s led display is failing but if I could find a boxed new one I’d buy it in a flash. Then it’s probably more sensible to just go the One dimensional holiness route as linked above.
 
I bought my 72/Hicap/140 Naim combo in the '90 years. I found them s/h for a price so low than I couldn't not buy them. I never thought convenient to trade up this combo for more expensive gear in the Naim range. I own others preamps that overperforms the Nac72 but, after some mods, it closed a part of the gap. The Hicap stays unused because replaced by a PSU I did myself. Few months ago, a DIY amp has taken the place of the NAP140. What little is left of my Naim combo has never sounded so good before.
 
Given the recent Naim price hikes interested to know who owned Naim and has since moved onto other manufacturers. I’ve had a Nait XS for 12 years and am looking at alternatives due to its age. Quite frankly I love it, so had looked at a supernait as a replacement, anything higher up the Naim chain is out of my reach so just wondered where others may have gone.

I have to say that I don’t “get” what is the purpose of this thread?



perhaps someone would care to explain it to me.

Pretty simple really if you would take the time to actually read the opening post of the thread.
 
I have to say that I don’t “get” what is the purpose of this thread?

Some sort of reverse willie waving perhaps, or maybe posters believe they will gain some sort of “street credibility”……..

perhaps someone would care to explain it to me.

It's the Naim thing again, they've got two going atm, must be some sort of withdrawal thing as they have been quiet recently ;)
 
No rational explanation about that.
Those Linn/Naim threads are a British thing. None of that in the rest of the world – which is pretty vast.
Someone should perhaps write a book about it.

The core issue here in the UK is that the hifi press and certain dealers spent years telling people Naim were the best thing ever and some people bought their products on the back of this rather than using their own ears to decide if it was to their liking or not (or often in spite of their own ears telling them otherwise). Now they blame Naim as of course admitting that the failings were in fact theirs is not something people ever like to admit to. As with modern society it's always someone else's fault.
 
Erm @tiggers maybe you should actually read the opening post of the thread ? Seems a pretty straightforward question ?

Given the recent Naim price hikes interested to know who owned Naim and has since moved onto other manufacturers. I’ve had a Nait XS for 12 years and am looking at alternatives due to its age. Quite frankly I love it, so had looked at a supernait as a replacement, anything higher up the Naim chain is out of my reach so just wondered where others may have gone.
 
Given the recent Naim price hikes interested to know who owned Naim and has since moved onto other manufacturers. I’ve had a Nait XS for 12 years and am looking at alternatives due to its age. Quite frankly I love it, so had looked at a supernait as a replacement, anything higher up the Naim chain is out of my reach so just wondered where others may have gone.
Not read the whole thread so sorry if someone’s already suggested it but why not just get your XS serviced since you must like what it does after owning it for 12 years?
 
The core issue here in the UK is that the hifi press and certain dealers spent years telling people Naim were the best thing ever and some people bought their products on the back of this rather than using their own ears to decide if it was to their liking or not (or often in spite of their own ears telling them otherwise). Now they blame Naim as of course admitting that the failings were in fact theirs is not something people ever like to admit to. As with modern society it's always someone else's fault.
Yup that’s exactly how it was. I spent upwards of twenty grand after carefully auditioning a range of components and deciding that, even though my own ears told me otherwise, I would buy Naim. I just didn’t realise this was the case until I read your post.
 
I have to say that I don’t “get” what is the purpose of this thread?

Some sort of reverse willie waving perhaps, or maybe posters believe they will gain some sort of “street credibility”……..

perhaps someone would care to explain it to me.

How Linn/Naim managed to thrive by switching to a strong and unusual for the time marketing-lead approach when worsening trading conditions in the 70s all but wiped out the UK's independent home audio industry is one of the most interesting home audio stories of my lifetime. Even for those of us with a technical background it is still fascinating to see how a high value could be created for some with a non-technical background. And that high value was strong and real as demonstrated by the passion some even today still hold for the brand. As times have changed what created and maintained that high value for the brand has slowly eroded. This thread is about how that value has fallen for some, likely most, and where their interest has now moved. For some of us it is one of the most interesting threads to read at the moment.
 
Well if you read that far into the thread then maybe Willie waggling is your thang?

As others have said, it’s a journey (apologies for the cliche) based on experience. Rather refreshing compared to other forums where some posters give absolute statements about stuff they’ve never even heard/played etc. Or where anything they buy trumps everything else. Buy hey that’s just me.
 


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