I haven't heard any Naim hifi myself but have saw alot of good reviews about them but I don't always trust magazine reviews as I suspect there's money going under the table for exposure, so is Naim any good?
I haven't heard any Naim hifi myself but have saw alot of good reviews about them but I don't always trust magazine reviews as I suspect there's money going under the table for exposure, so is Naim any good?
MY SYSTEM
SOURCES: Marantz cd63 mk2 ki, Marantz cd6000ose
AMPLIFICATION: Albarry m408s mono blocs with ap3 pre
CABLES: Chord company c-line, Monster interlink 400, QED silver speaker cable, Tacima cs947 mains conditioner
SPEAKERS: Mission 752 freedoms, AKG K550 mk2 headphones
Ive bought hifi on reviews alone before and have been very disappointed with some and happy with others, it was more of a throw away comment and not suppose to be aimed at any particular magazine. Giving the large following Naim has I'm pretty sure alot of people love them and some people might tell me otherwise
MY SYSTEM
SOURCES: Marantz cd63 mk2 ki, Marantz cd6000ose
AMPLIFICATION: Albarry m408s mono blocs with ap3 pre
CABLES: Chord company c-line, Monster interlink 400, QED silver speaker cable, Tacima cs947 mains conditioner
SPEAKERS: Mission 752 freedoms, AKG K550 mk2 headphones
Location: Suffolk, UK
Posts: 1,473
I'm Paul.
I think Naim hifi is very well engineered and there is nothing wrong with it per se, it’s just whether you like how it sounds. Last time I heard any Naim gear it was probably around 9 years ago. I wasn’t a fan at that time but it can be hard to tell for sure unless you listen to the music you know and like. I don’t like the plinky plonk audiophile music some dealers play and it affects my judgement on a system.
~Paul~
I'm very happy with my Supernait 2.
Sent by me using an appendage
SME Model 15/V tonearm, Lyra Dorian, EAR Phono Box.
Luxman 509X amp.
PMC 25 23i speakers.
Innuos/Roon/Qobuz/I-Pad. Oppo UDP-205.
Cables by Kimber, Yannis and Audioquest.
Audioquest Niagara. Tube Distinctions Mains power filter. Project RCM. Zerostat.
Location: East Riding of Yorkshire these days
Posts: 4,779
I'm Shaun.
Way way back when I had a Naim pre/power combo with separate PSU and I didn't keep it very long. I found that it just didn't match up to the hype which back then was enormous. I replaced it at the time with a huge output Jap thing made by Trio that was much better suited to my ears. I also ended up with some cash in pocket.
Maybe I should add though that it was extremely well made and the MC phono boards were fantastic. The sound just wasn't for me.
Last edited by Haselsh1; 30-11-2017 at 14:35. Reason: Addition:
Location: London
Posts: 685
I'm James.
Wow, a couple of years back this would have been an incendiary thread on the 'Wam! Now two hours in and no abuse, fantastic
To the OP I actually hated the old' olive' era Naim sound, never could get what was good about it, it made music sound small, shouty, and congested to me, and the upgrade paths had a strong whiff of marketeering about them. Now I read that their new products are far more neutrally voiced and rather engaging, possibly even to my tastes? I haven't heard them though so best taken for what it is, hearsay. Definitely well made stuff though.
Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk
They are well built, reliable, but definitely have a 'house sound' which you may or may not like. I wouldn't describe them as neutral.
Barry
It's a bit pricey for what your getting. Especially the add-on power supplies which are verging on a total rip-off. I liked the original Nait integrated, that had some charm to its sound and looked good, as did the range that came after. The stuff with the light up logos is a bit meh in looks and sound though. And scarily expensive.
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.
Naim stuff today does sound different from the older chrome bumper and olive stuff. Both still have great rhythm and timng though, but the older stuff is less neutral and perhaps more "committed". I like both but prefer the older stuff myself.
Naim tends to polarise people because it does some things exceedingly well. If you value its strengths, you will likely be hooked. If not, you'll probably wonder why others love it so much.
I'm not sure where anyone would get the idea of "money under the table " with Exposure gear though. It tends to be the older John Farlowe era kit that is so highly praised. Nothing to gain by hyping that, as the new stuff is completely different and only really shares the brand name.