The (almost) bi-polar nature of Naim's products and customers . . .

[lencotweaker]

Literally any piece of audio gear will perform much better if you feed it with a much better power supply. It’s just that most gear is cost optimised to its price point and it’s in built PSU reflects that. Nothing wrong with Naim creating the upgrade paths they have with progressively better power supplies. It just brings the consumer more choice.

I absolutely don’t get Naim bashing. Fine if you don’t like the house sound, not everyone is going to and there will always be a man in a shed with an angry keyboard warrior attitude that can do better for less (and you’ll probably get some bonus fag ash and bits of an old cheese sarnie in your generic Maplin case too) but we really should celebrate a successful British company.

 

[jobseeker]

All cars do the same job. They are just built differently, priced differently and marketed differently. You like and can afford one or not. Nothing to see here IMHO

 

[wylton]

Nothing to see here IMHO

I quite agree, and what is worse, is that it's going to be another twenty-pager!

 

[badger748]

Don’t most people who buy Naim know that there’s upgrade routes available with psu’s and the like? As ever they make the choice to buy Naim in the first place knowing this, and then decide whether to buy more.
No one is being forced as most/all their stuff works without having to buy the extra bits.
As said on this thread, nothing new here and it’s been covered endlessly.
I used to have Naim - moved on - but have massive respect for what they do and what they make. Damn I wish I’d done it - a very successful company. If your in business, what’s not to like about their success ?!

 

[Tony L]

As stated countless times I have a lot of time for Naim. It’s well-regarded well-made kit that sounds great, lasts for decades, and if you buy second hand in mint/boxed condition you can actually own it for free as you get your full investment back when you sell, maybe even turn a small profit. That is the way to do audio IMHO. Guitars etc too. Avoid the fly-by-night flavour of the month stuff, avoid the untested extremes of new technology, avoid devaluing kit with bodges etc and you can have truly great hi-fi for free!

PS I do rather wish I’d kept my mint, boxed and factory serviced CD Nait 2. It was the last piece of Naim kit I owned and I’d certainly dig it out for a run now and again if I still had it. A lovely little amp IMHO.

 

[JoeJoe]

Don’t most people who buy Naim know that there’s upgrade routes available with psu’s and the like? As ever they make the choice to buy Naim in the first place knowing this, and then decide whether to buy more.
No one is being forced as most/all their stuff works without having to buy the extra bits.
As said on this thread, nothing new here and it’s been covered endlessly.
I used to have Naim - moved on - but have massive respect for what they do and what they make. Damn I wish I’d done it - a very successful company. If your in business, what’s not to like about their success ?!

....I actually like the fact there’s the option of a Naim upgrade path built in to most of their components. But their forum don’t half prattle on about your need to spend extra £1000’s so you can experience some said forum members idea of “audio-nirvana”, too. It’s such tosh.

Take a look at their forum and it’s littered with elation about a new piece of kit followed shortly by a subsequent post about bass not being as good as initially experienced and then some Naim forum “repeat-offender” advising the addition of a 555PS will take you to where they thought you should have been in the first place!
Naim are a great company but the culture surrounding their devotees is worrying....

 

[wylton]

....I actually like the fact there’s the option of a Naim upgrade path built in to most of their components. But their forum don’t half prattle on about your need to spend extra £1000’....

I must admit, I rarely visit the Naim forum, but there are obviously a lot of people there with extremely deep pockets!

 

[Caledon1297]

I quite agree, and what is worse, is that it's going to be another twenty-pager!

Now, be fair, while low-level Naim bashing seems a pretty much daily occurrence, it's been a while since we had a 20+ pager!

May as well get the popcorn, in readiness for what's to come...

Alternatively, we could just read one or more of the previous (quick consultation with Priti Patel) 300000, 34, 974000 previous Naim bashing threads instead!

 

[Miss Ariel]

Last time I took a look at their Forum a couple of years ago - A superb self promotion platform IMO.Can't remember the thread but there was some devotee who actually said he preferred his system to real live music....WTF !
Fair enough it's his ears.But surely there's nothing better than a gig as your getting the performance,atmosphere,seeing the artist in the flesh,expectation of the gig,excitement,beers,something to remember.
I know what I would take every time.
Have heard Statement with Focal speakers at shows many times a match made in hell - with the usual souless audiophile music and heard better sound upstairs at my local pub with some tribute band with a p.a which cost about £ 3000.
Not knocking Naim BTW.If you like it's sound that's all that matters.
But I do think Rega are miles better VFM.If Naim made say an Osaris CD player it would probably cost 20 K +
It's a very costly brand at retail but an excellent 2nd hand buy.

 

[Miss Ariel]

Sorry I was replying to Joe Joe but as I am new here I got the quote from his post wrong on posting the above.

 

[JoeJoe]

.....Ariel, it’s also a great buy on flog-off, dealers panic-selling when a new model is imminent. But at full retail, you’re right, too costly for what it is.

 

[TimF]

Value for money can be a difficult thing to pin down though, based on several things, but certainly have to give the nod to Rega on that one, unless one doesn’t like Rega “sound”.

I do pop into the Naim forum every now and again, certainly very self promoting, as well as some sheer lunacy. Then again, we have some of that here too, just not necessarily promoting one single brand. Hats off to them for being successful and still rolling along. I still own a few of their pieces, probably always will. It just isn’t the total dogs penis and balls for me, but I still like it.

So many choices, buy what you like, and like what you buy, but more so, love the music!

 

[dspatterson]

Since when was it acceptable to label someone over their free choice of purchasing a particular brand.
I like Naim products
I like Sony tvs
I like lurpack butter
I like jaguar cars
I like TI raspery jam.
I like Chicken tonight honey mustard.

Most likely cheaper better alternatives are available, but I choose what I want. Its my my money my choice my enjoyment.

Jeez stop this criticising people for preferences or likes, it's a free world

Enjoy your gear whatever it is however much it cost you.

Stay safe
Stay sanitised.

 

[stevec67]

Circuitry

It's the only thing that matters!

Well, alongside layout, construction, and assembly quality, anyway. Oh and component choice.

 

[stevec67]

Oh, and if anyone is damn fool enough to lob 13k USD at a 500 or 1000 VA power supply in a nice box, more fool them but good luck to them. It's not my money, so I don't really give a toss. I get better sound for a fraction of that, after all.

however this brand isn't just about music any more than Rolex is about time. If I want to know the time a Casio does a better job. But a Casio won't do the rest of it.

 

[joe9407]

I quite agree, and what is worse, is that it's going to be another twenty-pager!

I say let 'er rip -- it's not like we have anything else to do!

I find myself agreeing with nearly every assertion made so far:

1. The 272 does sound kinda "meh"
2. $13,000 to power a $6,000 component is... strange
3. Naim probably isn't at the technological cutting edge
4. It sounds good, though! (I like my 282/250.2 very much.)
5. I bought the 282 on here and could sell it on at no loss
6. I'd like a CB Nait 2, too

Popcorn-thread fodder: Naim bashing and the Naim forum are two sides of the same coin.

 

[Del monaco]

I do sometimes wonder if we ought to have a separate I HATE LINN AND NAIM room, so people can rant and rave in there as much as they like.

Or a We love Naim and Linn thread..

 

[stevec67]

Literally any piece of audio gear will perform much better if you feed it with a much better power supply.

Not necessarily. Some gear has a good PSU, on board regulation and good PSRR built in.

It’s just that most gear is cost optimised to its price point and it’s in built PSU reflects that. Nothing wrong with Naim creating the upgrade paths they have with progressively better power supplies. It just brings the consumer more choice.

Just a company milking its market.

I absolutely don’t get Naim bashing. Fine if you don’t like the house sound, but we really should celebrate a successful British company.

I don't like the house sound, so I buy elsewhere. They absolutely outrageously take the mick on pricing but that's the market they have created and they do manufacture manufacture very well finished products. The acolytes will tell you "it's just about the music" but it's not any more, if it ever was. That's a cop out. It's a shiny expensive toy. I get it, we all want new toys. The bigger, shinier and more expensive the better.

 

[IanRB]

Naim acolytes on their forum are not actually a very rational, friendly bunch. Any slight critique is usually met with a barrage of indignant abuse, so yes, I think Naim-bashing is acceptable from that perspective.

The addition of power-supplies and subsequent insistence from their forum members that your newly acquired piece of Naim kit is only “half way there” is predictable and tedious. I’ve never seen anything quite like this unquestioning devotion.....

Never been on a Porsche forum?

 

[adamdea]

The main objection to naim on this thread seems to be that it is an electronics manufacturer which has decided to integrate (I'm not sure whether this is vertical or horizontal) into the bullshit aftermarket.
"Only Naim sheep could think it acceptable that a product costing three grand doesn't work properly until you power it with another box costing six!"
well clearly not, but perhaps Naim sheep are amongst the few that will take this nonsense from the manufacturer of the orginal box, rather than from someone else. Well for the integration to work you just have to be sure that "the rubbing your nose in it" effect doesn't outweigh the additional revenue. And it today's market it probably won't.