Naim -- Fatiguing?

Interesting topic. I have a 42.5/Hicap/110 purchased new in the 80's. These pieces have served me well with no problems. Pluses: nearly all sources agree that you don't have to go on the tweak parade with cables because the Naim pieces are as good as it gets; set up properly with a good source and they sing and do not cause fatigue; sturdy construction and simplicity of design; and the DIN connections are IMHO superior. Negatives: not easily integrated with non-Naim products; not enough inputs; very critical of source material; Naim (world-wide) has a bit of an attitude toward other manufacturers; seriously over priced.
Having given my honest opinion above I offer the following suggestions. If you have the time and live in an area where you can audition many different products you "may" get better sound for the money. Be advised though, that the search for the best listening one can find (and afford) leads down a long and difficult path. We often get caught up in deciding on this piece and then looking for another to compliment that one and so on. The Naim components are all a part of a system as are Linn and others. These "system" manufacturers do a pretty good job and sure make shopping shorter. I live in the boondocks of Idaho and don't even know anyone else with a turntable so the prospects of listening to quality sound reproduction outside my home are slim. If you are lucky enough to live in a large metropolitan area and have a group of friends with like interests you will be able to enjoy many combinations of equipment. Pay great attention to source components whether they be analog or digital and put a boatload of money there. Whenever you hear music reproduced that can captivate you for a long time with a variety of material take special note of the speakers you are listening to and their efficiency. The speakers and the source components will dictate the pre-amp and power-amp to a large extent. I believe that if you have a great source and the Naim gear is compatable with the speakers of your choice you won't go wrong. There is that magic combination of components out there and they fit right in your budget. The challenge is to find them. Good luck.

Lugnut, does Naim gear use 5 pin DIN's like some of the older Quad gear ? I sure hope not, as those are some of the worst connectors known to man. With all of the "hoopla" about "German Engineering", i can't believe that they found those things acceptable for ANY type of a low resistance connection. Sean
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German engineering? Naim is British.

Sean, My only experience is with my gear. The Hicap is the only piece that uses a 5 pin DIN. I certainly don't claim to be an expert with much in audio but I clearly remember auditioning a 42/Snaps/110 for a week and then the 42.5/Hicap/110 for a week. My ears told me to purchase the system I own. For what it's worth, I personally don't like the interconnects on the Naim pieces because it, 1) either forces you to buy other Naim gear, or 2) by integrating other manufacturers pieces one ends up buying interconnects that you forever question. I'm going to add one last comment which may NOT be worth noting because it's based on logic and not listening. British hifi in general is claimed by many to be overly bright and fatiguing. I believe that since my purchases predated the popularity of the digital source more care was taken in selecting the tt, arm and cartridge back then. The source is the key to enjoyment. This is not to say that folks don't pay particular attention to selecting source components today. They do...more than ever! The problems I found associated with listener fatigue was the CDP. Digital has come a long way and is quite nice now...not on a par with vinyl yet...but quite nice.

I recently ugraded all my electronics with non-Naim gear. If you recall my comment about living in the boondocks you will appreciate how difficult this decision was. I'm happy with the convience the new gear provides and it sounds very good. I am considering selling everything but my turntable and trying to court a friendship with some of the forum members, allowing their wisdom to do the selection for me. Albert Porter and yourself come to mind.

At this point I can't bring myself to part with my Naim gear even though it is safely packed away and very unused. It wouldn't bring much money on the used market. Before packing it away I hooked it up to our $179 Sony dvd player with Radio Shack interconnects, drug my Heresy's out of the garage and watched a few movies with my wife to see if we were interested in HT. Since we were comfortable in the living room after the flicks I popped an audio cd in the Sony and cranked it up. What a joy! Fatigue? Nope. And this is listening to horn loaded speakers that aren't noted for being overly musical. Laugh if you will but I can't put this stuff in the garage even though I spend a LOT of time there working on my hot rods. I wouldn't get much work done if I did. Besides, I would look pretty foolish dancing around the cars and singing off-key all the time. Life can be good, even in the boondocks. Patrick

Buying a used 72/HiCap/140 & a matching pr. of new Credos was the best audio decision I ever made. Very affordable & completely trouble free I've enjoyed the Naim sound since the mid 90's. Only recently have I 'upgraded' w/a pr. of Neat Vito speakers purchased here on AG. I'll be looking to upgrade my Rega 3 & Toshiba SD9200 digital sources soon. The Neats laid back, extended, & articulate presentation really match well w/Naim electronics. That said, I am having trouble 'letting go' of the Credos, they are honest, grooving, rythym machines; uncolored & dynamic I like em a lot.

Naim North America, NANA, located in Chicago has a reputation as some of the best mfg. support service in the world. The Naim website forums are very informative, active, & helpfull; more so than others, & where else can you get such a sense of the 'British' sense of humor? ;-)

http://www.naim-audio.com/

Regis