View Full Version : Help/advice buying Naim
I’m thinking of dipping my toes into the minefield of Naim gear but boy there is way too many options, been frantically looking since yesterday morning, it’s giving me a headache and I’m close to forgetting about the brand altogether.
I did narrow it down to a nac 82 and nap 250 but then I discovered that I’d need a hicap too which puts it out of my budget and it scares the shite out of me to spend over £2k without knowing if I’ll even like the sound .
Or should I look elsewhere?
I’m currently really enjoying the HD audio pre and monoblocks with my Ruark crusader 2’s , so I’d like something with more power but the same sweet sound that the HD gear produces .
What would you buy if not the Naim gear ?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Had enough of looking at/for naim .
Please delete this mods if you see it [emoji120]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have done the same thing looking for a new DAC, to realise what I have now is perfectly good enough, so I have stopped looking.
I have done the same thing looking for a new DAC, to realise what I have now is perfectly good enough, so I have stopped looking.
Same as mate , it’s just not worth the stress . Especially as buying hifi is usually a real pleasure.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Naim sound been described as a lot of things over the years but never seen it classified as 'sweet'.
Naim sound been described as a lot of things over the years but never seen it classified as 'sweet'.
Just as well I’ve given up on it then .
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I was put right off the Naim "sound" when attending shows in the 80s. At one particular show they had all the gear being fed to a pair of SBLs. It was horrendous and surprised it didn't strip the paint off the walls.
I was put right off the Naim "sound" when attending shows in the 80s. At one particular show they had all the gear being fed to a pair of SBLs. It was horrendous and surprised it didn't strip the paint off the walls.
Then I’ve made the correct decision for a change [emoji1787]
Sitting hear listening to the HD audio and Ruarks it sounds bloody lovely , I just think it’d benefit from more power for the Ruarks .
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
hifinutt
24-09-2023, 09:08
really like the naim supernait 2 which is quite cheap s/h . well worth trying . very muscular with great imaging . if you can find the right speakers they are great
really like the naim supernait 2 which is quite cheap s/h . well worth trying . very muscular with great imaging . if you can find the right speakers they are great
A few people recommend that amp. [emoji1303]
Thanks Phil . Hope you are well.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
only had two experiences with Naim, oddly at either end of the spectrum
Original Nait into some little Rogers speakers. Vinyl. That was good within the limits of speakers and available power (think it is 15 watts or near).
Full six pack amplification into some very big speakers, possibly Kudos. Vinyl again LP12. Not a bad sound at all, but it was a bit edgy and I couldn't relax. Might not have been the amps as a totally unfamiliar system.
For me an amp needs to have enough power that it isn't clipping, no noise, distortion or hum, and be able to maintain voltage into whatever speaker it's hooked to.
It's the recording's job to have a 'sound', not the amplification's.
walpurgis
24-09-2023, 09:49
I had a mate who got into the Linn/Naim thing, spent a fortune and stuck with it for years, I was never convinced or impressed. Later, after a brief(ish) flirtation with AVI, he ended up with a Mark Levinson front end and huge active ATC speakers. Much, much better! (and even more expensive :))
It’s so much easier to buy hifi when you’ve only got a few hundred quid .
Think I need to go fishing
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
or go over to cans :D
I hope I never have to do that mate , no offence.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I hope I never have to do that mate , no offence.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
like most thigs audio, its just a matter of gettig used to the different presentation. was a day when i felt same...
like most thigs audio, its just a matter of gettig used to the different presentation. was a day when i felt same...
Don’t get me wrong , it’s just that it would mean going down another rabbit hole that I nothing about , I’d then spend and spend only to find that what I once had was better [emoji1787]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It’s so much easier to buy hifi when you’ve only got a few hundred quid .
So true.
Mikeandvan
24-09-2023, 20:28
What I hate about Naim is all the power supply bollocks, pure fucking salesmanship.
I was not keen on the system making the music choices for me, when I had initially a 72 into a 145 and later an 82 into a pair of 135 monoblocks plus the associated hicap bollocks.
sanchezxxx
03-10-2023, 11:39
I've always wanted a Nait 2 to go with ESL or my Neat Iotas. Not too crazy and seem easy to flip if not your thing. Outside of that just buy some modern active speakers and be done with it..
Beobloke
03-10-2023, 12:02
You can't go wrong with a Supernait of any generation - fab amps.
As to the PSU upgrade thing, you can either do it or not - no-one's forcing you. In my experience, they always make a difference but it's not necessarily an improvement every time. As an example, I was told a Hi-Cap would transform my own Supernait and it did - into something i didn't really like as much! On the other hand, once I'd tried a Flatcap on a CD5XS CD player, I couldn't go back.
I’m very happy with what I bought instead of naim (exposure amps ) .
Not sure if I can hear any difference with the current 2 psu’s or none [emoji2369]but as I have them I might as well use them .
I am still trying to understand why 1 dual psu isn’t sufficient ( as designed) for 1 dual pre ? Surely Mr Farlowe built the psu with sufficient power to do what it was designed to do ?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2026 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.