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New budget Naim.

maxflinn said:
Really? So a £5K PSU is worth it? A rectangular box with a couple of green lights and some copper cabling inside :confused:
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Well, no, the PSU thing does seem to be a bit OTT, so I actually never bought a Naim PSU, I designed and built my own, for me and a couple of other people too. I still have three "Hi-Caps" in stock, as even nicely finished home-made PSUs have no secondhand value. When the original HICAP was launched the ingredients vs the price made some form of sense (I've worked in electronics and retail, so I could do the maths), but the price just kept going up and up, and then things like the Supercap emerged and the maths just didn't work any more. Even factoring in R&D, the effective margins are just bonkers, but:
1. They have survived
2. People do buy the stuff
so, its a strategy that has worked.
 
Markus S said:
Naim's ownership was split between one side willing to up investment in both R&D and manufacturing considerably, and another side not willing to do that (and thus blocking getting the financing required).
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Care to provide a link to that information?

The only information I have seen is provided by Naim via their forum press release, when they stated they merged with focal (with Focal having a major stake) in order to fund further R&D. i.e. they could not carry on without focal.
 
Joe P said:
Max,

I have precisely one Naim product, bought used in 1998. As fans go I kinda suck.

You have this tendency to make grand pronouncements on kit you've neither seen nor heard. Not that it matters, but it strikes me as a bit odd and most definitely as unscientific. Distortion may be the enemy, but empirical data is your friend. :)

Joe
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Fair enough Joe :)
 
JemHayward said:
Well, no, the PSU thing does seem to be a bit OTT, so I actually never bought a Naim PSU, I designed and built my own, for me and a couple of other people too. I still have three "Hi-Caps" in stock, as even nicely finished home-made PSUs have no secondhand value. When the original HICAP was launched the ingredients vs the price made some form of sense (I've worked in electronics and retail, so I could do the maths), but the price just kept going up and up, and then things like the Supercap emerged and the maths just didn't work any more. Even factoring in R&D, the effective margins are just bonkers, but:
1. They have survived
2. People do buy the stuff
so, its a strategy that has worked.
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Absolutely!

I wouldn't mind being a shareholder.
 
maxflinn said:
IMO, value and Naim don't go hand-in-hand.
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IMVHO they do more and more. The new Supernait 2 has proved itself, in my system (begun in earnest with a 42/110 in the mid-80s), to be the most musically enthralling amplifier I've ever owned, and represents fantastic value. I'm sure many happy owners of recent 5 and XS products would be of similar mind.

If the sound produced by the SN2 is the result of trickle-down (or dribble-across), then I'm all for flagship products!
 
Markus S said:
NAC S1 Preamplifier

Inputs: 3 X DIN, 3 X RCA, 2 X Balanced
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hmm, very advanced ...

where are the digital inputs and network support, and integration with screens and handheld controllers and displays?

This seems more like a NAC72 on speed, rather than a 21st century statement amplifier.
 
I wonder how many in the UK have cash from the PPI scandal burning a hole in their pocket and right now placing orders for this brave new kit?
 
Chris M said:
If the sound produced by the SN2 is the result of trickle-down (or dribble-across), then I'm all for flagship products!
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In a recent review I read, it seemed to suggest that the SN2, far from being a 'trickle-down' product, simply eschewed the digital stuff incorporated in SN1

Less is more, as is often the case.
 
Stuart Frazer said:
Is this Naim's first amplifier with balanced input and output?

They were anti-anything other than DINs not so long back.
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That was purely their preference to RCA phonos. I assume the balanced inputs/outputs are fully balanced, and not just a sop, and I s'pose they thought these might be used in the professional arena or with long runs domestically, though I'm not sure the 'any length of speaker cable over 3.5 metres' guideline applies any more (it did on the Olive stuff and before)
 
amazement said:
How do you know this,do you have figures to back this up?
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it's all on their website, matey.

- they're releasing more products each year, and have really gone hard on the streaming media stuff - from entry level to flagship.

- the serial numbers list is on the site. 1980's - around 10,000 items produced each year. 1990's, 11-15,000 per year. 2000's, 13-15,000 per year. the 'teens' - 15-20,000 items per year. They produce to order, JIT - no stockpiling. If the production numbers are up, sales are up.

- the reviews are consistent, and mention of naim products and talk with actual humans (novel concept!) describe new customers rather than hackneyed web forum voices. Naim are bringing new punters to the brand who spend actual money to enjoy music in their home (or Bentley) instead of arguing about it online.

Mick eloquently put it earlier:
Mick P said:
Chaps
EDIT

Paul Stephenson and his colleagues have successfully driven Naim through a recession and the company continues to flourish in an industry which is tottering.

I think they have proven they know how to run a successful hifi company far better than some of the "critics" who have mouthed off here.

EDIT
Mick
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Regards

Rico
 
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