Reply With QuoteVery good indeed.............
Naim audio - any good ?
Very good indeed.............
What are you looking to purchase?
You're such a tease with your original post...
Many HiFi buffs rate Naim very highly. It's reassuringly expensive.
Better can be had for the money also if you go Naim it is hard to not upgrade with them, so you end up only looking at Naim never considering other components.
Budget?
Speakers?
Listen to it. Properly. If you like it then buy it. If not then its not right for you.
No.Originally Posted by eddie1
I've got a Naim system and i like it very much. I'm sure you can get better, some will say much better, for the money but it is all subjective and with Naim offering the whole system right down to cables you know you are getting something good and compatible without the need for endless experimentation. I'm only interested in listening to music not fine tuning a system so it works well for me.
The other good side of Naim ownership is the Rolex like residuals, buy secondhand and you won't loose much.
Love their amps, they can run hard to drive speakers like electrostatics.
Listen to them with your set up if you it, buy it. If you buy the older 'olive' series, when you need to sell it you will most probably get your money back! I did with my pre and power amps.
Not keen on their CD players, bit hard for my ears.
You after a full Naim setup?
My experience with Naim: had to exchange two faulty CD players (stutter issues), amps humming loudly all the time. I spent quite a lot of money on Naim stuff but sold it at a loss. I now have a Sonneteer amp which I rate much higher (less in your face / forward sounding than the Naim).
I'd heard people rave about Naim and was thinking about buying some of the older olive eqpt But its expensive and possibly the name is bigger than the actual sound. Curious to hear what people think of it and what the other options ( e.g sonneter) might be.
Its very well built stuff for the most part, but Naim certainly have set their strength in unified, networked systems. I would be cautious about a long term investment in networked media playback. Its changing very quickly, and is often much more efficient to scrap an old system and start from new, than to upgrade older gear. Component systems make changing out an outdated piece, like a media player, a much easier task.
I would concentrate first, not on a single manufacturer or product in any event. First step is to take a close look at the entertainment space(s), and then the way in which to get the best sound in those given the physical constraints. This will lead to a speaker type, and mounting / housing method, and a few best case candidates might be selected in that way.
1. What do you listen to?
2. Describe the room you will use.
3. Budget.
I'm very happy with my Naim system - network player/pre and power amp. The Naim app was also a refreshing change after 18 months frustration with a Linn Sneaky.
Sounds like my cosy corner, close enough to audio heaven to let me concentrate on my music. NAC-N172XS, NAP200, PMC-GB1is and my phone.
Too bright and forward for my liking. If you buy it don't buy bright speakers.
Rod
ive recently replaced a unision research unico hybrid amp and castle speakers with a naim 5i-2 and art stiletto speakers , both have there merits but i only have enough room for 1 system.
for vocals and classical /acoustic etc you wont beat a valve or valve stage pre amp such as the unico , however put some rock through it and it was not as good as the naim - which is very forward sounding and has tighter bass.
system matching is a must with any set up (amp/speakers) -you need to have a listen and see what type of sound you prefer.
if you like very precise and clinical you will like the naim sound.
I tried Naim, but it's too 'airy' for my tastes and my music.
It really depends on what you like & listen to.
If you really prefer the subtle details over a more 'ballsy' sound it could work for you.
But it's not for me.
z
I have a Supernait amplifier and ND5 XS streamer driving Spendor SA1s, and I love the sound.
Very satisfied customer...........
Chaps
I have two Naim systems, one in the Lounge and the other in the dining room.
Naim has a legion of followers that most companies would sell their wives and daughters for. The reason for this loyalty is that Naim just effortlessly communicates the sound of music like no other marque.
Buying second hand is like buying a second hand Rolex, you will nearly always get your money back, if not more, and when you think about it, you have had hifi for free.
Naim have a service department that will repair any piece of kit, no matter how old, your Naim will always be kept going. Their customer service is legendary and that is why they are still going when a lot of the competition went under.
Best bet is to blag a visit to someones house who has a system and just listen to it.
Regards
Mick
Ditto :-)
Just gone to some Proac speakers. Nice controlled bass.
Also just ordered some 'better' interconnects :-)
I've gone for the Unitqute with the updated board, running a DBM Vortex server & B&W 685 S2 speakers. Love it. Just waiting to get the turntable when I save up a few bob.
Your interconnects & cable are paramount. The dearer the better. You're best spending a good chunk of money on them...
I have the same setup driving Linn Ninkas, if you like the Naim sound then they are very good, if you don't then they aren't! I have been using their electronics in my Hi-Fis since 1987 with no reliability issues, ever. I bought my first Naim amplifer for £500 in 1987 and sold it 17 years later for £450!
I started off with a Nait 2 26 years ago.. Still have Naim at the heart of my system (pre/power/capped) so its worked for me :)
As Mick says, their service side is what sets them apart from virtually everyone else. Anything they've built can be serviced and brought back up to the standard (or better) as the day it was originally built.
If it sounds good to your ears, buy it. If not, there's always something else.
U wot m8?
Obvious troll is obvious.
I`m no expert where hi-fi's concerned, but the one point I`d emphasise is to get a system that suits your room. That's easier said than done, because you don`t know how it'll sound until you get everything set up. For that reason I`d be prepared to deal with one of the few remaining specialist hi-fi dealers and try to get items demonstrated in your home. If you're spending serious money you want to get it right, and I can`t think of a better way. Trying to hunt for the keenest prices is likely to end in disappointment, it's all about getting a system you're really pleased with rather than getting a bargain.....took me a few years to learn that.
As an example, my own Arcam system sounds excellent to my ears, but the sound changed markedly when I took the curtains down in a bay window! Sounds crazy but it's true, it didn`t sound good again till the new curtains went in.
Of all the components to match correctly to the room, the speakers are the most important IMO.
Paul
Coming from a HiFi background as a specialist retailer for longer than I care to remember, that's excellent advice Paul. Decent dealers are a scarce commodity these days.
Rod
I'm not sure exactly what the current perceived best practice is as far as system emphasis. What I mean is, when I started playing with HiFi in the late 70s it was all about 'the source'. I think this was a school of thought perhaps instigated by Linn who, at the time, probably made the best turntable you could buy. So the advice was throw every penny you had at the source and then what ever's left over goes on the amp speakers. To some extent I can see the rational... I mean the rest of the system can't project what's not being delivered to it in the first place. However the flair in the argument is it's all very the source producing lots of detail and balance but if the rest of the system is so crap it just can't play it or worse introduces it's own colourations then that extra money spent was a waste and, IMHO, nothing changes the sound more than the speakers. It's how the sound changes with different speakers that makes the biggest impression. IMHO, unless the speakers and amp are top notch then you just aren't going to hear the changes and subtleties in the source material. I'm not suggesting that you turn things completely on their head, so maximum money on the speakers, then the amp (though, tbh, the amp and speakers really have to be considered as a single item - you need an amp that is up to the job of driving the speakers), and then the source (be that TT or Network Player or...). My opinion is an equal split of the funds so it's all balanced performance wise.
Anyway speakers..... I've gone through 4 sets of speakers in the last three years trying to get ones that suite the musically harsh living room (this is laminate floors, painted walls, no curtains, no wall hangings) so I can 100% agree with Paul's comment - it's the speakers which are the most important. Get the right speakers to match the room.
Last edited by solwisesteve; 30th April 2015 at 08:22.
my mum used to work for them making circuit boards etc. Got to make her own system at massive discount in Salisbury Wiltshire
I never liked it as our lounge wasnt right for the set up so I never fully appreciated the sound. Speakers were huge! Cool looking stuff though!! and dont think they lost any money on it!!
Paul (Walterwerk) is spot on, I tried countless pairs of speakers in the shop, the ones he didn't recommend, I chose, because for me they sounded the best. But the whole sound changed again once I mounted them on shelves up on the walls.
Ah, one of the TZ perennials.U wot m8?
Obvious troll is obvious.
I use depleted uranium cables myself. The radiation can be a challenge but the sound quality is superb.
As a matter of fact, I know someone who once used mercury in plastic tubes as speaker cables. He couldn't get hold of much mercury (thankfully), so they had a fairly high resistance, sounded crap and the mercury started to leak through the plastic. At the time linear crystal cables were in fashion and he reckoned that mercury would effectively give him mono-crystal cables....
I got over cables and all that foo a long time back. Now my cables are picked as they match and look neat.
About the only treatment I go in for is mains, I use a wychwood audionics filter which works wonders.
Now back to Naim... Go listen to something else before you make up your mind, the sound and upgrade 'path' isn't for everyone.
I'd also suggest shopping around.
My second 'real hi-fi' was Naim and I ended up spending an obscene amount of money chasing 'the dream'. I eventually sold the lot and spent half the money on something that sounded just as good if not better in some cases. There is something to be said for a tower of black boxes glowing green in the corner of the room though and I sometimes miss that.
Just remember that...
Speakers and your room are the biggest influence on sound. Try to home demo them if at all possible.
Wires and the like make no difference at all but are a big mark up for a dealer - Maplins is your friend here.
The electronics do make a difference but not as much as you might think.
It's very easy to go way down the rabbit hole with hi-fi.
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