Bob Edwards
pfm Member
Aw man, am I glad to be free of this nonsense! 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!
I think that Mr. Pig has hit upon the almost bipolar nature of Naim's customers and products. It IS ludicrous to accept that an expensive product doesn't work 'properly' unless powered by another product that costs double. I'm thinking of the 272, which "works" on its own, but only gives its best if powered by a 555PS, which is, according to the AV Options April 2018 price list, a mere $12,995 USD. While I'm impressed at how much capability is packed into a 272, the times I've heard one it's been . . . ok. For $6500 USD at last retail ($6995 with tuner), it should be better than "ok." And to defend that is to defend the indefensible.
In contrast, a piece that, while older, still held its own at its price point, is the Naim nDAC. I bought a used one, complete with box, manual, power cable, link plug, etc., for $1000 USD; at that price I've not heard anything that is close. At last retail, it was $4395 USD, and and it was still competitive musically/sonically with other DACs I tried in the the $4-6k range. Adding a TeddyXPS made a significant difference for the better, the difference being that the DAC (at least to me) sounded excellent on its own - the TeddyXPS simply allows it to reach even more of its potential. The difference is that a separate power supply is not 'required' for the DAC to work properly and to sound good/competitive. Similarly, the Naim XPS2 was listed at $6595 USD; compared to $1099 USD for a (new) TeddyXPS.
Another product that, to me, shows the disconnect from older to newer is the 252. The original 52, for a long time, was widely regarded as the gold standard (in Naim circles, at least) and the tone of comments around it was often almost reverential. The 252 should have been a significant advance on the 52; the fact that so many debate which is better is powerful evidence that it is not - one must move to the 552 or Statement (gulp) to significantly better it.
I'm reminded of comparing a 202/NAPSC/Hicap to the Exposure 3010S2 preamp - the Exposure sounded better for a fraction of the price. And various people made all sorts of excuses - wrong speakers, wrong CD player, not set up well (ha!), etc. While I can appreciate their enthusiasm, it does serve as a reminder of how many blinders we all have - most of those defending Naim had no idea that I worked in a Naim shop for years, and owned, at one time or another, most every piece through the olive range (save 135s and CDS2).