Has anyone heard or tried the new Naim Dac?

$3500 USD

"I thought it was somewhat bright sounding, with a definite digital sound. It was detailed though, and if your system would sound better with a detailed, bright sound then maybe you would like it."

I'm listening to the Naim DAC right now via USB stick with WAV files. Very analog sounding . . definitely leans to the dark side. It has a tonally rich quality & flow to it that's quite addictive. The biggest compliment I can give it is that I forget I'm listening to digital.

I bought it thinking it would be similar to the Naim CDS2/XPS that I owned and admired c 2000-03. It's very good and even better when fed with a high res file. I found the 44.1 sound to be typical Naim, a bi forward and opaque in imaging ie. you hear all the voices out in front and seeming to be on the same plane. This quality was diminished when playing an HRX track via USB. The comparison was for 44.1 was between the Naim and my Boulder DAC. My relative, whose system the Naim was intended, felt the Naim to be a bit bright; we went with an Accuphase DC801 in the end in their system.

Classicjazz, I agree with you on the imaging, though I don't have the Naim sitting on an isolation stand. With my previous DAC, Chord QBD76, you could pick out a layer of music and follow along. Depending on your viewpoint, some people may call this detailed.

The Naim has an analog flow to it, and I find I forget I'm listening to digital and can just kick back and enjoy the music.