Naim Nait 5i - any good?

[Martinh]

Hi all,

Anyone got anything to say about the Naim Nait 5i integrated amp?

Is it a good thing?

Cheers,

Martin

[hifi_dave]

Very good.

Can't you plug it in and hear for yourself ?

[chelsea]

I preferred the 5.
Not sure how it would sound with MA speakers though.

[Martinh]

Very good.

Can't you plug it in and hear for yourself ?

Hi Dave,

No, I'm putting together a short list of amps to try in my system.

Unfortunately, my local naim dealer, PJ in Guildford doesn't offer home demos, so it's all a bit of a shot in the dark.

They recommend the nait or exposure 1010 or 2010 and can dem them in the shop, but not at home...

Maybe I need to travel further afield to find another dealer or is this common?

Martin

[Martinh]

I preferred the 5.
Not sure how it would sound with MA speakers though.

I have some Neat Motive 2s on their way and the consensus seems to be that the nait is the perfect match for these speakers. The MAs are going on eBay next week :thumbsup:

Martin

[Yomanze]

I have some Neat Motive 2s on their way and the consensus seems to be that the nait is the perfect match for these speakers. The MAs are going on eBay next week :thumbsup:

Martin

The Exposure 2010S is a far better amp than the Naim Nait 5i & will also be a great match.

It has all the pace and drive of the Nait but with much more naturalness & superior imaging. It's a fun and musical amp, sweet and rocking at the same time, and great with all types of music. :)

EDIT: just found this: http://www.sonicflare.com/archives/he2006-neat-motive-2-and-exposure-2010-s-series-take-the-cake.php

and this: http://www.bluebirdmusic.com/ultimate_budget.htm

[chelsea]

I have some Neat Motive 2s on their way and the consensus seems to be that the nait is the perfect match for these speakers. The MAs are going on eBay next week :thumbsup:

Martin

Yes i used naim and exposure with neat.
Both worked very well.

[Martinh]

The Exposure 2010S is a far better amp than the Naim Nait 5i & will also be a great match.

It has all the pace and drive of the Nait but with much more naturalness. It's a fun and musical amp. :)

I heard the Neats with the exposure 1010 and it sounded fabulous.

What's the difference between the 2010s2 and the series 1. The series 1 units go for a song on eBay - around £250 and the series 2 for about twice that.

Cheers, Martin

[Yomanze]

I heard the Neats with the exposure 1010 and it sounded fabulous.

What's the difference between the 2010s2 and the series 1. The series 1 units go for a song on eBay - around £250 and the series 2 for about twice that.

Cheers, Martin

I haven't heard the 1010, but they look to be a budget version with less power. I would definitely go for the 2010 series...

The difference between the 2010 and 2010S is an extra 25W power. The S2 version has relay-based switching instead of a rotary switch, which will likely give a touch more tranparency.

[wee tee cee]

Martin,
I had one for a couple of years and traded it about a year ago. It never lived up to my expectations sonically, I found it overly bright and very flat imaging wise. I tried numerous cables and configurations to try to get it to work but got converted to t amps.
I couldn't fault it for driving hard without getting flustered, it looked fabulous and was built like a bank vault, I was over the moon at having finally owned some top notch hi-fi BUT in the end it wasn't very enjoyable to listen to. I kept blaming recordings as being the problem....it couldn't be the amp!
Musically the mini t/ temple audio bantum original/gold and mono blocks will provide a vastly more enjoyable experience.
One of our members GAZJAM gave it a whirl in his set up against his bantum gold
he wrote up an excellent review of the comparison, the bantum came out ahead.
I haven't mentioned price. You could do a lot worse than trying a mini t....you will be surprised.
Regards Tony.

[Martinh]

I haven't heard the 1010, but they look to be a budget version with less power. I would definitely go for the 2010 series...

The difference between the 2010 and 2010S is an extra 25W power. The S2 version has relay-based switching instead of a rotary switch, which will likely give a touch more tranparency.

Thanks for that - I guess that the non-relay switching versions don't have remote control source selection then? This is a must-have for my family.

Martin

[Martinh]

The Exposure 2010S is a far better amp than the Naim Nait 5i & will also be a great match.

It has all the pace and drive of the Nait but with much more naturalness & superior imaging. It's a fun and musical amp, sweet and rocking at the same time, and great with all types of music. :)

EDIT: just found this: http://www.sonicflare.com/archives/he2006-neat-motive-2-and-exposure-2010-s-series-take-the-cake.php

and this: http://www.bluebirdmusic.com/ultimate_budget.htm

Thanks for the links Neil. Sounds like the Nait 5i and Exposure 2010 should be on the short list.

As I can't afford either of these new, its going to be a bit of a shot in the dark.

I'm not the sort of person who would waste a dealers time demoing the two and then buy a used one on ebay :rolleyes:

I also like the look of one of these XTZ amps with built-in DAC - the reviews look good and they offer a 3 week home dem.
http://www.audiosanctum.co.uk/Integrated-Amplifiers/XTZ-Class-A-100-D3-Integrated-Stereo-Amplifier-Black.html

and reviewed here http://www.xtz.se/public/file.php?REF=2823f4797102ce1a1aec05359cc16dd9&art=746&FILE_ID=20100507131633_1_12.pdf

Anyone tried one?

Cheers,

martin

[DSJR]

HiFi Dave can't say, so I shall :)

MODERN Naim amps lack the harshness of the old CB models and the bass on most is very good - powerful, punchy and "tuneful," whatever you take that to mean. The mid at lower levels is very good too, but the treble, in comparison with the brand's peers, can sound rather flat, "grey" and grainy, for want of a better word. This I reckon, is one reason why the recommended Neats and Kudos speakers have a toppy balance in an attempt to match....

When I recently heard a Nait 5i, into some Kudos floor-standers, the sound was great until a singer "sang out.." This amp clips HARD and not gracefully like some others do at similar prices (I find the Croft integrated does this too compared to the pre and power combination).

My recommendation is to use sensitive speakers so the amp can be used well within it's "power envelope" and to use a source that doesn't sound rough, "HiFi" or grainy in the treble.

At the present time, Naim is a pretty fair bet, as used residuals are very high indeed and there's still very much a "cachet" to the brand. Many of their dealers lack a proper range with which to compare them with, so lack the expertise with other competing brands - thank heavens for the internet, since blinkered dealer strangleholds have all but dissipated.

In Guildford, there used to be a very good Sevenoaks branch which didn't toe the party line and had some good product for sale. Have you ventured in there for an eyeful. AudioFlair, which I don't think is too far away, do Croft amongst other things and a Micro 25 and Series 7 is only £1400 and SO capable............... It'll be interesting to see what Rega come up with at around a grand as well, since the little Brio R is something of a giant killer, in my opinion of course. I believe the Elicit at £1500 is no more, which is a shame, but maybe the price point wasn't right for it?

[hifi_dave]

Hi Dave,

No, I'm putting together a short list of amps to try in my system.

Unfortunately, my local naim dealer, PJ in Guildford doesn't offer home demos, so it's all a bit of a shot in the dark.

They recommend the nait or exposure 1010 or 2010 and can dem them in the shop, but not at home...

Maybe I need to travel further afield to find another dealer or is this common?

Martin

You're probably too far from me but if you came here and liked an amp, you could borrow it.

Naim is always a good bet because it is great sounding (definitely not bright), built like a tank, reliable and holds it's value like nothing else. A good basis for your system.

[seoirse2002]

Took the words right out of my mouth...have been looking around myself at the very same!...Ill be watching this(and all the advice) with interest
GT

[Welder]

I’ve had a few Exposure amps over the years. :)
They seem to be one of those companies that consistently build competently designed amplifiers that are very speaker tolerant but rarely get the “rave of the month” audiophile reviews. :scratch:
I personally prefer the older Exposure amps, not because they sound noticeably different from their more recent offerings but because I like the look of them…..:eyebrows:

The Exposure amps I own at the moment (25RC, 21RC and Super 18) certainly outperform any of the T Class amplifiers I’ve heard in my system and have performed equally as well as many of the more esoteric and more expensive amplifiers I’ve heard including the Naim 5i.
The most noticeable difference between the Exposures and the T Class was in the bass department, the T Class just couldn’t muster enough power for deep sustained bass.

As for all this amplifier tone stuff, well when I’ve sat down and discussed this at depth with my speakers they say they hadn’t actually noticed that electrical current had “tone”. ;)

[Marco]

Hi John,


As for all this amplifier tone stuff, well when I’ve sat down and discussed this at depth with my speakers they say they hadn’t actually noticed that electrical current had “tone”.


It's simply a matter of semantics... All audio equipment has a 'sonic signature' or 'house sound' of some description, which is a by-product of the assorted distortions imparted on said equipment, by the components used, electronic or otherwise, but particularly by power supplies.

Therefore, replace "tone" with "sonic signature", and you have the same thing - simples! :)

Marco.

[StanleyB]

Hasn't AC mains current got a tonal frequency of 50Hz in the UK?

[Welder]

Semantics are never simple; especially when it comes to audio. :eyebrows:

Okay, sonic signature then. This would be the electrical characteristics of the amp as you point out, dependant on its topology and components. So the leccy struggles through all those components and at the blunt end, heads off to the speaker crossover.

Lets say the leccy leaves the amp singing the amps sonic characteristics, in tune and in time; then it arrives at the crossover and whoa….loadsa wire to spin around, and capacitated at every junction, resisted at others, and finally to add insult to injury it’s made to convert itself into heat and mechanical energy……….just can’t see it still singing quite the same tune it was when it left the amp somehow. :scratch:

So, let me rephrase then, the Exposures I’ve either owned, or borrowed, tend not to have a noticeable sonic signature so when the leccy gets to the sqeakers, its pretty much oblivious to all that pissing about at the crossover and leccy to motion interface……..an that’s wots good about them innit (?) they jest send Watts and leave all that tuneful singing bit to the speakers. :D


Indeed Stan but by the time all dem leccy bits have expanded and squashed it, converted and mashed it about, I cant see it still being there when the sound comes out of the box.

[Yomanze]

Thanks for that - I guess that the non-relay switching versions don't have remote control source selection then? This is a must-have for my family.

Martin

The non-relay ones have remote input selectors still. :)

[Martinh]

The non-relay ones have remote input selectors still. :)

Cheers Neil.

My Neats will arrive tomorrow, so will see how my marantz amp fares before deciding on a new amp.

Just listening to music on the marantz/MAs and it sounds really good - I hope the Neats don't disappoint :rolleyes:

Martin