comments on Naim Audio

I have auditioned a older Naim pre and it was VERY good. Thought it blew away my audible illusions mod3. I would imagine the newer gear would not be a disapointment. Good Luck.

Low-key Naim Audio provokes a lot of controversy among audiophiles. They are either loved or hated by many. Based on a handful of listenings in dealer showrooms, I can say that I like Naim gear. Their CD players are wonderful, no two ways about it. Very detailed, open, and musical -- great toetap factor. I found their amps to be dry and two dimensional, but with other nice qualities like tight bass, realistic portrayal of instruments, and nice pace. This is based on the entry level amp&preamp, and the integrated amp. I haven't heard the more expensive amps, speakers, or tuner. One of the best things about Naim is the upgrade path. All or most units are upgradeable through better power supplies and crossovers. Very well thought out. I think Naim gets a lot of brand loyalty because of this; you can get great equipment for a reasonable amount of money, and upgrade when you need more performance. First time buyers, though, should probably think about whether they like the "Naim sound", because some people just don't like it.

I have Naim,and I think it is fantastic.It doesn't image as well as some other gear,but I find myself bored with that after a few minutes.Naim lets you listen to the music and forget about the equipment,which is what I want,to enjoy the music not the sound. Jim

ALL the followups ring true.The interesting thing about Naim is that you dont have spend insane amounts on interconnects,speaker wire,power cables,line conditioners.The equiptment is designed from the outlet all the way to the speaker(And even farther if you own Naim speakers) I have owned various Naim products for 12 years and NEVER had a problem with any of it.Previously I have owned,Old quads(Miss them),Bedini amps,Electrocompaniet,PS audio,Acoustat reference(custom),Thiels,Bryston,ETC.All were great,But not as musical as the full Naim system I have now.

One important thing, anyone buying this equipment should avoid being a NAIM DROPPER, it could run into money. (Sorry, I remembered Naim's ad's where they did a word play on this very pun). Any company that takes such liberty with their own trademark must be fun loving people, and that's a lot of what music is about. I have not heard this product, but I already like it on principal alone.