I was running Naim 552 and 300 and demoed a few amps including Vitus RI-100 and wrote a review here
https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/thr...demo-naim-v-luxman-v-devialet-v-vitus.212299/
I loved the sound of the Vitus amp, so much so that in fact I went for the SIA025 which is the next integrated up from the RI101 as it is a wonderful Class A amp, sounding sublime. And 4 boxes of Naim down to a single Vitus was another benefit.
Sound comparison-
In my experience the Naim of my 552/300 was
- fast, leading edge driven, exciting sound.
- could be a tad aggressive-sounding especially on poorer recordings,
- the music was delivered with small 3D depth, largely being flat with the speaker plane and into the room forward of the speaker with some vocals.
- some of the instruments or vocals on some recordings could sound too distinct from the whole - not as one piece of music. This wasn't down to detail retrieval but seemed the way the Naim presented the sound - as distinct elements rather than a musical whole. I only realised this when I had heard the Vitus in my room, as that does it different...
The Vitus by comparison is:
- more neutral.
- to use Hi-Fi journo-speak it sounds more 'musical' and 'organic' like you are hearing a complete performance rather than the sum of individual parts.
- enormous depth going from the speaker plane and way way back. And more width. So more 'room filling' in sound than the Naim.
- the upper mid and above is smoother than the Naim - not quite valve territory but certainly heading that way. I think this is why the sound is not fatiguing at all over extended listening, something I would find Naim to be, particularly on poorer recordings. With the 552/300 I would be turning the volume down after a while. With the Vitus I’d be turning it up.
And then there is one box instead of four. And cost. A 500 series is £40k. An RI is just over £10k, the SIA025 is £20k and the SIA030 is £30k. So all are less than the Naim combo. And the sound quality of the Vitus goes up considerably through each of these. The SIA030 is on another level again. In Munich 2019 the room where that amp launched was often quoted as one of the best at the show, where it competes with a lot more expensive electronics.
I think the two brands get compared as they share a similar sound but Vitus presents, if you like, a more sophisticated version of that sound signature. It maintains most of the foot tapping nature of Naim and adds a more neutral, richer, holographic and 'musical' structure. And both are characterised by minimalistic, beautiful, almost industrial, design. Furthermore, many Naim owners get to the point where they want to reduce box count. And an integrated amp is the ultimate realisation of that desire. And in the world of Integrated amps, among the top of the league is Vitus.