Naim Audio - Threat or menace?

I have bought and sold much gaear here on Audiogon in the last 5+ years. The only one I keep coming back to is Naim. There is something about the presentation of music with Naim that just grabs you and keeps you involved. As it has been said, keeps your toes tapping, you cannot help it.

I think the philosophy of the gear serving the music rather than the music serving the gear about sums it up.

As a side note, Naim holds value and is easier to resell than just about any other out there.

Yeah, entry level isn't cheap anymore. I am thinking that if I take the plunge I would do the 202/200 combo. Then a CD5X and hicap? Flatcap2? Dah!

In the shop, I was listening to the Nait5i and CD5X. Then the 112X pre and the 200 amp with the CD5X. Perhaps the pre and the CD had the Flatcap 2 on as well.

As far as the recordings go, I was not familiar with the artists nor do I usually listen to "live" recordings. But what I listened to there reminded me of what I feel like when I go to a concert in an auditorium. Like when the University music society hosts your favorite tabla player or Afrofunk group from Senegal. I just saw Stereolab in Detroit a couple weekends ago, and these are the type of shows were I catch myself thinking,"It sounds better on my stereo.) I am aging rapidly.

Anyway, the sensation of being there...I just don't get that sensation very much listening to studio recorded music. I'm not trying to say which one is better, because the vast majority of recorded music I listen to(and love)is from a studio. But I think this feeling of being there defines the few Naim recordings I listened to. Ken would probably explain that "true stereo" recordings have preserved phase relationships that you just cannot acheive with multi michrophone recordings. Especially on the drum kit.

Any Ayre fans out there want to pipe in?

Cult gear if their ever was.One of the "one brand" brands like Audionote,Linnand Rega on cheap side where you can get everything from soup to nuts or at least amps and wires.Many think that beacuse you have this option you can go with gear wheere everything is "voiced togther".I think if you find a daler who has it you are going to laso have other gear to match it up to.I think that like some of those one brtand names i mentioned you can be payinmg na premium but for some it's worth it.I know a guy who liked concept so much even whgen he needed to downsize he went from very expensive Audio Note to very Modest Rega and felt whole systems where everything was thier best and biuilt to be used together he got a great sound.But compare it to others.If into vinyl and like tubes I would have added highly rated Aesthetix gear to that above list.Listen for the Naim and get sense of how you would use it either one piece say amp or as system and then compare it with other brands you like.
I have become very intrigued with TACT and now DEQX and mention them in lmost every post I answer.The NHT Xd system with it's little satelites blew away everybody at CES and won best of show many places because of technology gotten beter from both digital amps and digital speaker and room correction.Digital used to sound very bad but now I think think they finally sound good wioth names like PS Audio and Bel Canto or analgue Nuforce folks have ben raving about which has class D like high speed switching.Supposed to have major bang for buck.The little NHT used digital amps but more important it used tech from a company called DEQX.I know buddy who used DEQX to make crummy 20 year old Dahlquist 20's sound as good as to a pair of Stereopile class A $10K speakers he had on hand.The DEQX is like $3,600 and has speaker corection,room correction (no more tube traps and foam tiles for this guy) and can be ordered with or without pre-amp.I am a tube and LP guy but think just like CD's finally started to sound good (players and software) about 10 years ago these products I mentioned are the beginning of the future and will be ubiquitous in the future.It's another wrinkle to add to the story.But again go listen to Naim.Not my cup of tea for the buck involved but look at devotee's in earlier posts.Like a pod born alien you may be one of them.
Chazzbo

Sun Ra was from Saturn I think.