This year Naim celebrate their 40th anniversary – no mean feat for a Hi-Fi manufacturer – there are only a handful of other manufactures that have or will reach this milestone!
Julian Vereker officially incorporated Naim Audio in 1973. Vereker, an entrepreneur and forward thinker, was unhappy with the professional recording equipment of the time and decided to design his own power amplifier. Prior to this, in 1969, he had already designed a sound to light box capable of switching 30kW of lighting on and off to music, as well as the NAIM 502 – an active loudspeaker designed to be used by Capital Radio – one wonders if this speaker still exists somewhere!
From the amplifier design in the 502, the NAP 200 power amplifier was born. This was Naim’s first consumer power amplifier directed at the home user and was shortly followed by the NAC 12 – Naim’s first Preamp. Both of the products where widely accepted as an absolute reference and groundbreaking at the time. From these beginnings further developments brought about improvements such as the NAP 250 power amplifier.
In 1983, Naim introduced their first integrated amplifier, the NAIT; with fantastic looks, compact size and undeniable sound quality it was a true winner. So much so that the NAIT range continues to this day and this year has been redesigned.
Naim were always a manufacturer who did their own thing – their philosophy is simple: build products that matter, second best will not do. This can be seen in Naim’s attitude towards CD players: when the first players appeared, affordable and widely available ones anyway in around 1982. Naim did not go on to produce their CD player until the early nineties. Quite simply CD players and the associated media was not at the required level to be considered “Naim”.
Up to the present day Naim continue to pioneer amplifier design and innovate in new areas, this can be seen in their network players and all in one systems. One key thing to remember is that through this innovation they have never lost their original philosophy.
Let take a look at some of the fantastic products we are pleased to be able to offer to you:
Naim Uniti 2 All-In-One System
Naim’s all-in-one solution is all you would ever need for a complete system – just add speakers! Featuring CD player, DAB, iDevice input and Ethernet capability. Ethernet capability is a great feature allowing you to plug into a network – which in turn gives you access to Internet radio and shared music: be that from Network Attached Storage (NAS) or shared files from a computer. This flexibility sets it apart from other simpler all-in-one systems. Build quality, as you would expect from Naim, is sublime and the menus are simple, effective and unique.
Rated at 70w per channel, the Uniti 2 has adequate power to drive a variety of loudspeakers, but if you require a little more why not combine with a power amp such as the NAP 200?
We keep a Uniti 2 on permanent demo in store – sound quality is second to none and quite unbelievable considering it is a one-box solution!
Priced at £2795.00 with a wide range of payment options available.
Naim Uniti Serve Hard Disk Player / Server
By now many audiophiles and music lovers have large collections of CDs. This a great, but also takes up large amounts of space and can have a negative effect on the acoustics of the room. This in mind, Naim have created the Naim Uniti Serve Hard Disk Player / Server: it is simplicity, a one box ripper you insert a disc into and that is it! It is designed to rip your music bit perfect into an uncompressed format – this makes a huge difference on playback and I can honestly say that I have not heard another ripper that sounds as magical as this – Naim really have done this right. Featuring a Digital output you can plug this straight into a DAC (the V1 below for example) it can then be controlled with an “app” (iDevice, android.) Hi-Fi products and apps may seem like a difficult combination, but I am pleased to say the interface is by a long way the most user friendly I have used (n-Serve on app store)
Priced at £2150.00 with a wide range of payment options available.
Naim DAC-V1 + NAP 100 Package
Sometimes the sum of the parts makes more than the individual components – this can be said for the V1 and NAP 100 package. Utilising a pre/power combination can be seen as the ultimate, each component has it own PSU and electrical components – higher end Naim products will always feature a separate box for a specific job.
The system is ideal as a computer based solution, we see increasing numbers of customers wanting to access music on their computer such as WAV/FLAC files or through programs such as Spotify. Ample inputs are available to the user such as Optical, Coxial and USB – the USB is Asynchronous which offers guaranteed benefits over non-asynchronous.
We have this system set up instore with the KEF LS50 loudspeaker – we left it running over night for a few days to settle in and were significantly impressed with the results when we came back for a listen, taking out the inadequacies of your computer soundcard and letting the raw data stream be decoded by the V1 can be seen as an ultimate expression of your digital music collection.
Both the V1 and NAP 100 are available independently of each other, and both will work well in any separates system but a combination of the two is a sure winner.
Priced at £1900.00 for the V1 and NAP 100
£1250.00 for the DAC V1
£650.00 for the NAP 100 with a wide range of payment options available.
Naim NAP 200 Power Amplifier
Power amplifier design is where it all began for Naim, and coincidently the first power amplifier they produced was under the same name. This offering can be seen as a combination of cutting edge research, over-engineering and audio alchemy. One thing we really appreciate about the NAP 200 is its price point VS performance, priced at £1750.00 what you get for your money is unrivalled elsewhere as far as sheer weight and sound quality is concerned – we have personally used this amp to drive such wonder speakers as KEF reference 205/2 and ProAc D40R – both of these far outweigh the NAP 200’s price this said it showed no sign of being lost or confused.
Priced at £1750.00 with a wide range of payment options available.
Naim NAC 252 Pre Amplifier
No power amplifier would be complete without an equally high quality preamplifier – enter the NAC 252. A good preamp in honesty does little more than allow the amplifier to be fed with as natural signal as possible and allow switching between devices, there are some issues with this though: components need to be of the highest quality throughout, the 252 succeeds here – for example “Precision rotary potentiometers with precious metal wipers are used to preserve music integrity and ensure long-term stability.” The 252 needs to be used in conjunction with the Supercap (see below) Power Supply Unit (PSU) basically the onboard PSU illuminates the lights on the front and anything related to output (sound) is handled by the Supercap. The response is fantastic: musicality is retained to the finest detail, imaging is defined and dynamics are natural, akin to live performance.
Priced at £5530.00 with a wide range of payment options available.
Naim SuperCap Power Supply
As mentioned above, the Supercap is a power supply designed to augment the sound quality of your existing kit (as well as kit that requires it for operation) – it will improve timing and clarity. Using power supplies to improve systems has been at the heart of Naim’s philosophy for the last 25 years and when you listen you will see why.
We have a Supercap in store, usually plugged into our 252 but we have connected it to a Supernait and the results turned out to be striking: Vocals came from the inky black soundscape, instruments’ placement and decay was even more evident, a great improvement indeed.
Priced at £3795.00 with a wide range of payment options available.
Naim Uniti Qute 2 All-In-One System
The second of Naim’s all in one systems we are going to mention, we just could not leave the Uniti Qute system out! (Remember, you just add speakers – call us for some great options). It can be seen as similar to the Uniti 2 but in a compact form – therefore ideal for smaller rooms or an office system for example. It may be small but it still packs a significant punch, networking ability is still a key feature and the flexible iDevice input is retained. The onboard DAC will decode at 32bit/192kHz meaning all you digital music is catered for in the finest quality!
Most surprisingly for its size is the full “Naim Sound”: muscular, defined and sweet – it may be smaller in scale than some of the big systems but it is undeniably Naim!
Priced at £1150.00 with a wide range of payment options available.
From High End to Super High End
One thing we really like about Naim is that they do high quality products from the bottom up – there are not many manufacturers who are able to do this. Wherever you are comfortable in the range there is a product for you – if we take their all in one systems as an example: starting with the UnitiQute at £1150.00, a great product and in honesty a bargain based on the features you get – this is a great place to start and opens the door for practically everyone who’s interested – however if you are looking for something higher end then there is the Super Uniti, it has pretty much the same functions but does it with a lot more class!
Naim also offer a super high end, absolute reference products, in one form it is great for one reason in particular: the technology filters down improving other products but those looking for the best need to go for the 500 Series:
Every product in the 500 range reflects the forefront of Naim’s cutting edge technology and R&D. Nothing is left to chance – each component part per unit is there for a reason and painstakingly tested to ensure an absolute reference level. This really is the ultimate expression of reproducing the recording arts and needs to be heard to be believed!
Constant development
Naim’s engineers seem unable to sit still – which is no bad thing. Constant development means we get the most out of their products! Recently the Nait range has undergone some improvements. Lets take a look what Naim say about them:
NAIT 5si is the ideal introduction to the Naim sound. It features an improved power supply (over the original 5i), delivers 60 Watts per channel (into 8ohms) and features a new 1/4″ (6.35mm front panel headphone output. Improved components throughout and a revised electronic design result in significantly enhanced performance. Despite its entry-level status the NAIT 5si packs a heavyweight punch when it comes to sound quality.
NAIT XS 2 features a 70 Watts per channel (into 8ohms) power amplifier. Like the NAIT 5si it features upgraded components throughout, a revised electronic design and a new 1/4″ (6.35mm) front panel headphone output. It has a full Naim preamplifier section which doubles as a Class-A headphone amplifier.
SUPERNAIT 2 also features an improved power supply, revised electronic design, upgraded components and a new 1/4″ (6.35mm) front panel headphone output. At 80W per channel it remains powerful enough to drive even the most demanding loudspeakers. Its full Naim preamplifier section doubles as a Class-A headphone amplifier and is further improved with the introduction of Naim DR (Discrete Regulator) technology. Its input sockets are now all individually decoupled and hand-wired to maximise fidelity and take integrated amplifier performance to new heights.
The specs look great and given their heritage I am in no doubt they will be future award winners and a delight on our ears for many years to come!
Getting your Naim down
As previously mentioned there are a wide range of payment options available to you, from the usual cash and card payment to PayPal and bank transfer. We also offer 0% finance on items over a thousand pounds – this is a great option as it allows you to purchase multiple or expensive single items and spread the cost out, lets look at an example on 36 months 0%:
The Naim Uniti 2 with Nap 200 Power amplifier and ProAc D28 Loudspeakers, including NAC A5 speaker cables! (4m Pair).
Total Cost £8174.00
Deposit (20%) £1634.80
Over 36 Months £181.64
This system will offer you all the functionality of the Uniti 2: networking, iDevice, Internet radio and excellent usability with the sheer power and weight of the NAP 200 amplifier driving the D28 loudspeakers. Defined yet delicate with natural depth and insight into whatever you throw at them!
An example on 12 Months 0%
The Naim Uniti Qute + KEF LS50 Loudspeakers and NAC A5 Speaker Cable
Total Cost £1989
Deposit (20%) £397.80
Over 12 Months £132.60
A fantastic office or small listening system offering high fidelity reproduction for a great price, all the networking ability you could ask for – sublime looks, stunning sound and sensational software make this system a real pleaser.
ALL FINANCE IS SUBJECT TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS. FURTHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND HERE: Finance
Conclusion
Naim’s meteoric rise to fame should come as no surprise – quality as always wins out in the end. It is clear to see that right from the beginning a no compromise attitude was undertaken and I am sure I am not alone in thanking Naim for this. Their ability to move with times and technology comes second nature but as per their first CD player they are willing to bide there time and make sure it is to a true Naim level. We are pleased to be able to offer Naim products to our customers, with a wide range of payment options! Any questions please do not hesitate to ask, our friendly and knowledgeable staff are here to assist and as always happy listening!