Naim gear: anybody listened to it?

Norm Apter

Lately, I've been reading some praise for Naim gear elsewhere. I did a search here at CP but it didn't turn up too many threads.

I understand that is British made. Is it carried in any hi-fi shops in the States?

If you've heard it, what is your opinion? Its my understanding that British gear tends to sound more forward, in general. Is that true of Naim stuff as well?

organ

I heard a complete Naim system driving a pair of Totem towers. Very good, but imo you can do much better with less $$$ with tube gear/high eff speaks. At least that's what came to mind when I listened. When I saw the prices, I couldn't help but think of all the tube set ups I"ve heard that sounded better to me for a lot less money. Sorry I can't really remember how forward or laid back the sound was. That was a few years ago.
You should audition if you can. Only you can find out if it's right for you.

I'm pretty sure hifi shops in the states should carry Naim. I heard it here in Canada.

dorokusai

I've owned a few pieces and they're very nice but a tad overpriced. Be careful as you need to pay attention to the rear end and spec's as they use some proprietary cabling on some, if not all of their pre-amps. I found that out the hard way and it wasn't cheap to get it squared away.

HB27

Ovation here in Indy carries Naim.
I listened to the new Ovator speaker at $10,600 a couple of months ago along with a killer music server from Naim.
The Ovator speakers were good. $10K good? No but still a better buy than the big Klipsch Paladium at $20K which they also carry.
Wilson, Theil, Focal, BAT, Mac, etc. Many big $/name brands.

cstmar01

HB27 wrote: »

Ovation here in Indy carries Naim.
I listened to the new Ovator speaker at $10,600 a couple of months ago along with a killer music server from Naim.
The Ovator speakers were good. $10K good? No but still a better buy than the big Klipsch Paladium at $20K which they also carry.
Wilson, Theil, Focal, BAT, Mac, etc. Many big $/name brands.

I've heard this unit over there as well and so did Ben (concealer). At the time the music server unit was hooked up to some Thiel speakers and the other set up was an intergrated hooked up to some ProAc speakers. Good sound for what it was, and the music server was nice, was a pretty penny though.

HB27

cstmar01 wrote: »

I've heard this unit over there as well and so did Ben (concealer). At the time the music server unit was hooked up to some Thiel speakers and the other set up was an intergrated hooked up to some ProAc speakers. Good sound for what it was, and the music server was nice, was a pretty penny though.

The big integrated was the Electrocompanet. It was a decent amp on the Naim but not in the league of the BAT tube amp and preamp.
The Naim server was almost $9K and did everything you could want any piece of electronic gear to do. Heads above any other server I've heard. (not more than 5 or 6 high end servers though)
No doubt about the Naim being quality audio components.
Maybe it's just my shallow pockets but I'm not seeing the $ worth of these high end components compared to the quality of reproduction.
There's a lot of nice gear around for considerable less money IMHO.
I will admit that it's very nice to check out this stuff though.

cstmar01

HB27 wrote: »

The big integrated was the Electrocompanet. It was a decent amp on the Naim but not in the league of the BAT tube amp and preamp.
The Naim server was almost $9K and did everything you could want any piece of electronic gear to do. Heads above any other server I've heard. (not more than 5 or 6 high end servers though)
No doubt about the Naim being quality audio components.
Maybe it's just my shallow pockets but I'm not seeing the $ worth of these high end components compared to the quality of reproduction.
There's a lot of nice gear around for considerable less money IMHO.
I will admit that it's very nice to check out this stuff though.

hmm I don't remember seeing the Electrocompanet integrated at all when I was there, however that was months ago when we went. They did have some Electro products hooked up to Wilson's though however we did not hear those when we went but instead heard the BAT system instead. They have a lot of great gear in there, even the less expensive Focal line with cambridge or the Rega stuff we heard was great sounding and the whole system could be had for less than some of the amps or pres in the store. Nice people though and more than willing to show off what they have even if you are not going to drop 50K on a pair of speakers that day.

HB27

Didn't you buy that Golden tube there that day?

cstmar01

HB27 wrote: »

Didn't you buy that Golden tube there that day?

yep lol thats where I picked that up from.

concealer404

Yep, i was REALLY impressed with the server they had running. But on the other hand, i think i'd rather just have a nice CDP and a couple thousand new CDs instead.

But it sure did sound nice.

Norm Apter

Zero wrote: »

I’ve yet to run into a Naim component that wasn’t built well. Naim is a unique company, and lots of people dig the way that their stuff makes music. As a whole, the Naim sound could be classified as highly colored and a bit forward by nature. Of the Naim gear that I’ve had, my favorite pieces come from the new XS series. Not only do I prefer the darker and softer sound of the XS gear, I also feel that the value proposition of that line is pretty decent as well.

There are many dealers that carry Naim in the US. To see if there is a dealer near you, visit http://www.naiminc.com/wp-en/

Thanks for the link.

By the way, have you (or anybody whose heard Naim gear) heard the Naim CD555 (CD Player)? This is one of the pieces that has in particular garnered a fair amount of praise.

[Deleted User]

I'd like about two hours alone with their "Supercap" power supply, a sheet of paper and a pencil. And maybe my camera.

[Deleted User]

That'd be cool...! That would sound great as an A77 power supply. Me thinks.

lakesailor

The Naim sound is fairly unique…it has excellent speed and attack, some interpret that as being forward but what is unique about the Naim is that it has excellent control….the highs never get away and become harsh or bright sounding. Good detailed presentation and very musical. It has a wide soundstage and more often then not you find your toes tapping and you are simply enjoying the music. I think that is what makes a Naim unique, how well they really draw you into the music but not in an analytical way.