advertisement


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

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.

I like Naim products - still own Fraim and N-Cent. Enjoyed my other Naim gear but decided/fancied a change.
I like Sony tvs - yes, and Panasonic, Samsung and LG (all existing in my house in different sizes and rooms)
I like lurpack butter - of course - we have the spreadable one - yum.
I like jaguar cars- yup - XFS Portfolio Sportbrake owner. Lovely.
I like TI raspery jam. - don't know this one.
I like Chicken tonight honey mustard - not really, but...
 
Definition: An "Internet troll" or "Forum Troll" is a person who posts messages to bait people to answer. Trolls often delight in sowing discord on the forums. A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion
 
To be fair to Naim, if you don’t want to go through all the upgrade stuff, Muso.

Don’t we all know someone who has a classic car or two that he (always a he?) spends silly amounts of time and money on? Just because he says it has character or something? Or someone who collects stamps? Really? And I’m sure we’ve all shaken our heads at the prices of some postmarked little bits of paper with Liz’s head on them.
 
Definition: An "Internet troll" or "Forum Troll" is a person who posts messages to bait people to answer. Trolls often delight in sowing discord on the forums. A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion

Usually obvious to spot, but lately becoming more surreptitious. I make a concerted effort not to respond If I think its trolling...
 
... however this brand isn't just about music any more than Rolex is about time.
Except that Joe Public knows what a Rolex is. Naim? Not so much.

The main similarities are year-on-year price increases to keep secondhand values up, and well built - if somewhat basic - in-house made underpinnings.
 
It’s becoming very common on PFM these days. Rather than ‘My LP12 sounds poor, help please’ we get ‘Should I ditch the LP12?’

it’s a form of thread marketing in the same way that the Trolls deride Linn and Naim for.

I’m not adverse to a little confrontational sparring but when it gets this boring and predictable, with the same names pasted all over the threads.

Why not be a little more constructive?
 
We all love our own equipment, however well it measures or plays.we love what it does how it communicates. I like Naim. I was the proud owner of an mint 82 and 180 that was found boxed up in a garage. At the time and at such an eRly stage in my music loving journey it was something to aspire to. But it wasn’t an easy ride for me.Though it communicated very well with some music I did find it troublesome in other music, like the Classical that I’m mostly drawn to. In the end it was a financial decision that caused me to sell it on. I admit that I missed it and wondered if I would reach a point where I had equipment that could get near to my wishes. I ended up with a mixture of less expensive new and some second hand gear. By luck and some informed selection I attained a great balance of equipment that satisfies. It’s not as well built as Naim and it doesn’t do PRAT but to be honest I’ve discovered that I don’t really want PRAT. But I will always value Naim as the first equipment I got that gave me that thrill of proud ownership and also that by misfortune it also gave me a gateway into the world of second hand gems and good value new products. As I’ve said previously it has helped me to regain that first flush of excitement I had when I was gifted my first hotchpotch of hifi gear in the 90s. Naim is great and it’s true that there is a kind of Myth or enigma around it that dies permeate discussions but that’s OK. There are Myths all around in the Hi fi World. What we have to remember is that the equipment is a means to an end; to communicate our favourite tunes,And that’s what really matters. For some, Naim will be the way.For others it’s a part of the journey; and for the rest it’s another brand that gets their juices flowing.
 
Anyone buying naim gear knows that they are taking the sound quality level that they paid for out of the shop. That's a simple enough transaction, it either sounded good enough for the money, or it didnt.

That they can be improved by adding better power supply units to them is something that might sway your decision. But then again, down the line you'll try it and choose to part with the cash or not.

Offering step change in smaller bite sizes is a good sales and marketing angle, but it doesnt change the nature of each transaction, these remain simple yes/no value judgements.

Only people considering the structural offering of a sale, as opposed to those making a sound quality value judgement for their own personal music pleasure would ever whinge at this, and maybe those who wish their preferred brand offered a similar path.

Naim kit offers great residuals and unlike many others brands nearly everything they make is still serviceable, cd mechs aside.

Haters gonna hate, fanboys gonna fawn.
 
Anyone buying naim gear knows that they are taking the sound quality level that they paid for out of the shop. That's a simple enough transaction, it either sounded good enough for the money, or it didnt.

That they can be improved by adding better power supply units to them is something that might sway your decision. But then again, down the line you'll try it and choose to part with the cash or not.

Offering step change in smaller bite sizes is a good sales and marketing angle, but it doesnt change the nature of each transaction, these remain simple yes/no value judgements.

Only people considering the structural offering of a sale, as opposed to those making a sound quality value judgement for their own personal music pleasure would ever whinge at this, and maybe those who wish their preferred brand offered a similar path.

Naim kit offers great residuals and unlike many others brands nearly everything they make is still serviceable, cd mechs aside.

Haters gonna hate, fanboys gonna fawn.
Unless it was gifted.
 
But that's crap though isn't it? What's more, even the people that say it know it's crap too! Like it or lump it, Naim’s hierarchical approach to powering a piece of equipment means that you can buy one of their products at a lower price and then buy a better power supply later IF YOU WANT! Where was it written that it won’t work properly unless powered by another product that costs double? I bet there are loads of people out there still using an original snaps or similar psu. Don’t like Naim, don’t buy Naim – simples!
I don't like Naim pricing, both new and second hand for the sonic performance on offer.

Therefore I have never bought Naim.

You're right, it is a simple solution.

So simple that it wouldn't even be worthy to be called one of Baldrick's cunning plans. :D
 
I thought a Troll was a little creatures under a bridge.
Something to do with billy goats.
It’s rather sad how some words from our childhood get changed into something unpleasant on
the Internet.

Were trolls ever considered ‘little creatures’? I seem to remember, from my own childhood, that they were always somewhat monstrous.
 
I don't like Naim pricing, both new and second hand for the sonic performance on offer.

The high 2nd hand prices are one of the advantages of Naim IMHO.

I've never had any of the higher end stuff (never had better than a 32.5 pre-amp or better than a 140 power amp) but I bought into Naim, without knowing much about them at the time, purely based on demo's against other equipment at a similar price point. Given how many years I've been using their stuff for them I can't complain, even if most of that stuff is now mothballed.

I don't miss the old Naim forum though as there was definitely a component of arrogance (i.e. if you didn't have a 52 then you weren't worth talking too). That was only from a small number of posters but they were quite vocal - and in some cases they seemed to me a lot more interested in the hardware than in actually listening to music.
 
The high 2nd hand prices are one of the advantages of Naim IMHO.

I've never had any of the higher end stuff (never had better than a 32.5 pre-amp or better than a 140 power amp) but I bought into Naim, without knowing much about them at the time, purely based on demo's against other equipment at a similar price point. Given how many years I've been using their stuff for them I can't complain, even if most of that stuff is now mothballed.

I don't miss the old Naim forum though as there was definitely a component of arrogance (i.e. if you didn't have a 52 then you weren't worth talking too). That was only from a small number of posters but they were quite vocal - and in some cases they seemed to me a lot more interested in the hardware than in actually listening to music.
I think that is one of the issues. Ownership of certain brands does sometimes bring an arrogance that seems difficult to suppress but it’s the same with some other products as well, especially those from certain eras and those that suffered Mythical Marketing at the time. They’re all good products just not necessarily unique when comparisons are made.
 
It takes a special kind of ignorance to buy a power amp, in 2020, of virtually identical circuitry to vast numbers of music centres, PA amps, guitar and bass amps plus low to mid range hi fi gear... and all circa 1973, and pay >£4000 for it whilst considering you got a fair deal there.. and then double down by paying £2000+ for a transformer in a box with a few 1970's tech LM317's (30p each) in it in an attempt to make the pre amp work properly.
None of it works properly without a power line and snaic.
 


advertisement


Back
Top