joe9407
actress/activist
Why the nait 3? Do you rate it higher than the current naim stuff?
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.