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Rega vs Naim

Allaboutmusic said:
Why the nait 3? Do you rate it higher than the current naim stuff?
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i do, yes. i've had a Nait 5, a Supernait, and now a 282, 250.2, and an Avondale TPR4-equipped CB Hicap. i felt that the Supernait, while a bit better than the Nait 5, was not really money well spent. the pre-power combo is another story altogether, but way more dough.

i've heard the Nait 3 on several occasions and have never been anything less than delighted. it's a bit of a no-brainer for the 200-300 GBP they usually seem to command. there have also been a couple Nait 5s for sale here on PFM (one, i think, was recently serviced, even) which are a great deal, as well. the Nait 5 is a little more refined than the 3, but they're both excellent, in my view.

[i hate to be a luddite moaning about progress or whatever, but the new Naim DR stuff has never sounded right to me. the cynic in me suggests that the new kit has been voiced so that it's simultaneously brighter and more boring, all the better to appeal to an aging fanbase.]

getting a nice older Nait would allow you to direct more of the budget to the turntable, along with a better phono stage than what's in the new Naits.
 
The 3 is a minor classic of the stripped down Brit-Fi genre, and it is excellent vfm at the moment; especially when matched with (for example) a P3 and a pair of Regas. If I had to have a stripped down system, that would be near the top of the list.

However, as I've said before, it is distinctly coloured. The bass is almost artificially deep, and the mids have a very recognisable nasal quality which most Naim owners who upgraded to a 72/140 would recognise in retrospect.

Having gone from a SN2 to an 82/HCDR/250DR combination, the difference (while even s/h is not financially insignificant) is not subtle.
 
OP could just buy any second hand Nait as they loose little by resell
Early XS will provide a fine base to compare against his allready fine Brio
The Motives will be happy with added power
A Elex/R is good value too and might be all he need plus a Neo
 
Woodface said:
Nait 3 was excellent in its day, you may be able to get a 92/90 for cheap as well.
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I had a 92R/90.3 for a few years and enjoyed it until it got replaced with a 32.5/SNAPS/140. The Nait 3 can be had very cheap so I keep one as a spare amp - think I paid under £200 for it and it's a bargain at that price.
 
I had a Rega DAC r into a 552/500/NBL system for a while and it worked surprisingly well (fed from a Core via an Belden 4794R cable, a Chord Clearway made it sound boring). I’ve heard an Isis into a 282/SC/250 system and didn’t think it worked particularly, a Cdx2/555ps into an Osiris was a better match. Before the 282/250 I had Rega Cursa/Maia and a CD5x worked well with those, I preferred it to the Saturn. The 5x made my Rock/RB300/17D2/iso sound grey in comparison, I’d never heard about the earth mod for the 300. The Cursa/Maia replaced a Nait 5 which I had for all of a month during which time I grew to dislike it for a slightly processed quality that I started noticing. That may have been a run in thing but the dealer was offering a no loss trade in within a month if upgrading so I didn’t wait it out. I later heard the same character from a Supernait (original), a 202/200 didn’t have it and came as a relief. I’ve not heard a Supernait 2, 5i or XS of any sort.
Audition the Nait XS3 or Supernait 3 against a Rega amp of comparable price, the Rega may come as a relief or a disappointment, then you’ll know.
 
Thanks everyone for all the advice.

I was listening to my system last night and it really does sound excellent but I am keen to improve where I can.

Think I will do the following:

1. Get the Neo PSU
2. Take my rega dac r to my dealer and demo the XS3 vs Elicit R and Elex R and see how they compare to my Brio. My dealer still stocks my speakers so will get a pretty good demo. If I think they add to the overall sound then I'll purchase. If I do like what the naim adds I might demo the SN3.
3. In the interim I will keep an eye out for a nait 3 or 5 with a phono stage and move on when I upgrade or just keep if I like the sound

Will report back on how I get on.

If anyone had any other suggestions please continue to post.

Thanks
 
Allaboutmusic said:
Thanks everyone for all the advice.

I was listening to my system last night and it really does sound excellent but I am keen to improve where I can.

Think I will do the following:

1. Get the Neo PSU
2. Take my rega dac r to my dealer and demo the XS3 vs Elicit R and Elex R and see how they compare to my Brio. My dealer still stocks my speakers so will get a pretty good demo. If I think they add to the overall sound then I'll purchase. If I do like what the naim adds I might demo the SN3.
3. In the interim I will keep an eye out for a nait 3 or 5 with a phono stage and move on when I upgrade or just keep if I like the sound

Will report back on how I get on.

If anyone had any other suggestions please continue to post.

Thanks
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By all accounts get a home-demo before any purchase of new amp, - should be possible with a good dealer.

A new XS3 is more than double price of Elex/R which is sort of a"grown up" Brio/R
Excellent kit.
 
"I might demo the SN3"
At which point the Aethos come into play, almost as if they had a target in mind.
 
Fretbuzz said:
Does either company have a better track record of supporting their products over time?
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Both excellent
Not sure about early Rega amplifiers

Some CD parts no longer available
I've got my Saturn mk 1 serviced couple of months back.

I've got my 1985 Nap 135 serviced some years back.
Still among the very best amplication imo
 
I believe Rega repairs are not as dear, at least in the UK. My maia packed up a few years ago and I was charged around £60 for the repair, Naim don’t even look at it for that. I’ve never heard of regular recapping of Regas either but someone may correct me on this.
 
10 or so years ago, i had a problem with a Rega RB700 tonearm (i can't remember whether i was at fault or the Rega, which undoubtedly means i was at fault) and Rega rewired it promptly and free of charge. aces!
 
That's good to know that servicing can be had for years to come.

Looking forward to testing the new amps, curios to see how they compare to my Brio and how the naim sound will compare with the rega sound which I'm used to.

Although wondering how my rega dac-r will gel with a naim amp, I understand a lot of naim folk use chord and some naim.

The chord dacs as I understand it are very good but curiously don't have a large power supply or remove jitter so I guess you need a good source to get the best from them.
 
I am used to a Rega DAC but tried a Hugo and 2qute last year.
At first the Chords were better more open detailed, sort of wow effect.
Indeed they are interesting.

The Hugo battery and strange functionality was not for me though.
After some months I went back to my Rega DAC and appreciated its coherence and overall musicality.
Strange experience
 
No-no
I have and have had many setups and much kit
Those items were just used to explain my own experience
 
Recently bought a nait 5 for 200 quid and is a bargain for a second system, or as currently, on loan to family. But as far as naim amps go that’s it for me. Been very high up the ladder and back down. When you can buy an ncore level amp for 500 or so, which beats a nap 500 imo I don’t see any reason to ever look at naim separates again. Many seem to discount that sort of option though and assume cost = performance, found out a good while ago it doesn’t and been much better off since.

Moral is, demo plenty of kit and some options that might not be at the local dealer. Might still prefer a naim/Rega/whatever system and be happy with what they do to the sound, or might save a lot of cash and lengthy upgrade path.
 
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