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Hi Andrew & Kristi. I first heard Naim in 1981 and steadily built an active audiophile system that makes these look bargain basement. It's vinyl only for me. Like yours, I have no tone controls, no video..... So many people have been round over the years and loved the sound of the system, I don't disclose the price. It's a very specific sound and us fans call it PRAT. It's all about pace, rhythm and timing. It excels with rock, blues, jazz and most music. Do I think Naim is the best? Not really. It's just the best I've heard for me. Thanks for the review.
@@hastingspiper9266 I know, it's hilarious. Agree with you on the old Naim gear. I reached a certain point and decided that the return on $$ was becoming too small. That said, 30 years later the system works and sounds great.
As it happens I've taken advantage of the release of this and the 300 series to upgrade my naim system to the "0ld" classic 282/hcdr/250dr via ex demo stock. Since I can send it off for a service and/or repair when needed this is hopefully going to be my lifetime system. I can totally understand the American price for these making it almost impossible to recommend the new classic series, in the uk they are still out of the range of most people, but at £5700 a box much less insane. Just for your information the 300 series boxes in the uk will be £7900 each I shudder to think what people over your side will be charged. As to your question of the day if I won the lottery I'd theoretically want the 300 series pre amp as I like to keep streamer separate, and that isn't an option with the 200 series, to go with the new 250 power amp. Really enjoyed the review as usual, hope the comments aren't too mean.
I am STUNNED and APPRECIATIVE of your honesty!!! EverSolo and Emotiva bring a MASSIVE bang for buck that not many can rival as well as they do rivaling high end audio!! PERIOD!! Great job and review guys!! HOME-RUN!!
Thank you for thoughtful words and support, ABX! I agree, at least based on my experience, it would appear that they offer an exceptional value As for being stunned...what is surprising to you about our honesty?
@@andrewrobinsonreviews ah, yes, not your honesty personally, just that level of honesty in this industry and from reviewers in general!! Most reviewers will sugar coat the negatives and kind of glance the other way…. It’s just refreshing, and in some ways shocking when you actually see that level of honesty happen in real time. Well done as usual. 😉❤️
You are correct. I wanted something more approachable ($) that had largely that same advertised specs, minus music streaming, and the Eversolo fit the bill. I did not intend on reviewing it but as I've been enjoying it, I feel it deserves its own review.
Great to see you reviewing two channel Hi-Fi gear! That's my focus in the hobby, and although I have a mid-tier home theater set up as well, two channel music is my focus and passion. Thanks again Andrew and Kristi!
Andrew, Naim uses a cheap loud SMPS at idle so they can tout they low power consumption primarily for the EU market. I used an SN3 with my CW IVs and found it to be the most satisfying pairing of all I experimented with. I too was bothered by the noise at idle, at first, but then realized it switches to the LPS when under load and it had a super black background. I decided I cared more about how my Klipsch sounded when playing music than just sitting there. 😊
The current Naim pricing structure I suspect is due to them twice having been bought and sold to private equity firms who are not known for putting sound quality over profit! Your USA importer is also taking a cut as well of course! Naim and Linn are now both “reassuringly expensive” and their devotees will still happily pay the money. Naim will, of course relieve you of more money by offering additional power supplies😂. The speaker sockets are designed to be used with Naim’s own soldered plugs and their own l/s cable (really stiff) so I get why it’s 4mm only. As for the pre amp noise I suspect Naim will say that it’s a product of the preamp design and the improved sonic benefits outweighs the downside of audible hiss which when used with average efficiency speakers is not as much of an issue but that’s a decision ultimately the customer will make.
@@timharbert7145 Our uk inflation is causing a sharp reduction in consumer disposable income at the low to middle price ranges As a result more manufacturers distributor offers & new models at more affordable price points. For example new PMC transmission line speakers only in black using previously developed cones.-Over 40% cheaper yet still manufactured in UK. Hegal have rolled back the price of their Intergrated streaming (room ready) amplifiers to the original pre pandemic launch level. More offers across the board. Heard I leading one leading speaker distributor admitting the market was tough at the Bristol Hi Fi (largest in UK) show in February
Naim also makes EVERYTHING in the UK. From the metal forms they have cast at local foundries to local machine shops, to local FR8 board makers, to all local labor (build, assembly, testing, and QC), etc. Brexit got them hard, inflation is taking a huge toll, and there's certainly an element of exclusivity to their pricing. But, not being made in China (by slave labor) makes things VERY EXPENSIVE, even before importers and dealers get involved.
Perfect review. I had the old classic series Naim for years and you touched on two key things that eventually scared me away from the brand. 1.) Naim want the product to be used how Naim want you to use it. Meaning silly connections and no features. 2.) Pricing got out of control. Great sounding stuff but for the money... Like many "high end" products the pricing is way too high and equal performance can be had at a fraction of the cost. So yeah your review equals my personal experience to a tee when it comes to Naim.
I home demo’d these with the my PMC twenty5 24i speakers a few months ago and I didn’t get the noise, also noticed a considerable improvement in sound stage and dynamics with the npx 300, I’ve compared this against a chord ultima pre and power also a bryston pre and power, for me the Naim won hands down
What source/DAC were you using? I’ve been using a TT2 and Mscaler with a McIntosh MA352 in my bedroom system, and had intended to get the new Chord Ultima Integrated, but sounds like you have some strong feelings the opposite direction.
@@trajan350 a Naim ND5 XS2 and a Rega P6, on the chord side it was the ultima pre 3 and power 5, my experience is in my room though, you could get different results and find the chord with your setup sounds better to your ear
I used to have a Naim NAC282 preamp. If the hiss bothers you then I’d recommend muting the output when not listening to music. This did the trick for me.
The value in Naim has always been in their mid range products, the Super Nait integrated amps are really very, very good. I'm from the UK and I have lots of friends with Naim amps and the higher end pre/powers just don't offer a significant upgrade on their midrange products. The Uniti Atom is fabulous, I bought one for my daughter and she loves it. Sorry I can't get over the $27000 price tag, for that kind of money you could get, PS Audio BHK pre and mono blocks and probably have enough change for a decent streamer or Prima Luna top end pre/power, a great streamer and phono stage and have enough left over for a decent turntable, arm and cartridge.
The Naim’s integrated amps is where its at imo. This week I purchased the Nait-50. No DAC. No Streaming. No Room Correction. No Remote. And it doesn’t weigh 50lbs. My point? Buy what you like. This amp sounds great and the form factor/retro looks makes me happy. Great content on your channel. Cheers.
If you like naim, buy a second hand old naim classic NAC202/NAP200 combo. Naim will service then back to new. All for a fraction of the cost of this new version.
agree, though the nap 200 is one level down, there is no source (streamer dac) included in your suggestion, and for the 27k there is an extra beefy secondary PSU included, which in all naim gear of the past turned out to be a real game changer.
Great review..its nice to hear some honest reviews. I use a Supernait 3 integrated with a Hicap DR PS and love the sound. The Hicap made a difference in the sound quality for the better. No doubt. Thanks!
As someone already mentioned, Naim is a ‘religion’ for some people. And, Naim utilize their faith to the full extent. When looking at the components, I personally think the manufacturing cost of this $27,000 system is below $2,000. I could be wrong. Don’t quote me. The point is you pay your religious taxes Naim. And, it’s hefty. That being said, I still like Naim. I’m actually waiting for new Supernait 4. And, NO NO NO, you should NEVER separate the price from the product. It’s a business and it’s all about the money.
Don’t know how you do it…but this review was one of your best. Just real fun. Loved that you reviewed something this expensive. I’m not in the market for it. But there is value in benchmarking higher end offerings. Take care guys. Appreciate the channel.
Not gonna harp over $27k...it's Naim, I get it. No HDMI though...come on. Naim is about the ecosystem/look...like McIntosh or Macintosh 😏😉. It's what I would expect from Naim (Dynaudio owners are loving this). Wonderful, honest video! 😊
Hi Andrew, I just had a demo yesterday and I disagree with you about the power supply. It is very clear that uou have a much larger soundstage with the power supply. Without it is much smaller. I agree with your qualification of smooth sound. I did not notice the noise but I was in a store
You're not going to fix the noise issue with better power supplies, or anything else. The noise you are hearing is from too much gain. Your super efficient Klipsch speakers enhance the problem. You can fix it one of 2 ways. If you go through the owners manual for the preamp, look for any type of gain adjustments. Each channel may have its own gain setting, or possibly global. I'm not familiar with these new Naim components, but I think 90% chance that it allows for some type of gain adjustment. Lower the gain until the noise goes away. One thing I need to stress is you have to make sure you are adjusting gain, and not volume, A volume control can't alter a signal. Only gain can. This issue can't be fixed with a volume adjustment. Your other option is to get in line attenuators. Rothwell probably makes the best ones. They go on the end of your interconnects and they reduce gain the same way a less efficient speaker would. They don't alter sound quality. Even if they did, it wouldn't be enough to hear. There is one other thing, but I think its not likely. I'll mention it just in case. I know Naim gear is balanced. Depending on your equipment, and how its set up, you may have some type of balanced operation issue. There's no way I could go over all the details in a post like this, so I'll just tell you what you need to know. Simply put, balanced and single ended components are not compatible. In order to achieve balanced operation, both components need to be balanced, and you need a balanced cable to connect them. Without those 3 things in place, you have a single ended connection. You're just using 2 of the 3 conductors in the cable. Its electrically identical to using RCA cables. The reason I can't be too specific is because there is more than one way to balance audio components, and how they are wired can be different, as well. Connection issues will vary depending on how your equipment is designed. But like I said, the issue is most likely not balance related, its just something to keep in mind.
I find the Naim Muso wood edition one of the most gorgeous Hi-Fi devices ever made. I'd love to see them expand that to a sound bar with more channels and spatial surround effects.
Naim had a bit of a sale earlier this year and I seriously thought about the amp & preamp which would have come in at $14K on sale. I own a Uniti Atom and owned a Supernait 3 for about a year and really enjoy the Naim sound. Much like McIntosh and Linn, Naim has a dedicated hardcore following of users who will buy nothing else. I'm not so evangelical in my audio purchasing, so ended up getting the Technics SU R1000, which I really like. At this level it's more about personal preferences and less about the cost. If you love the Naim sound but can't swing these, they have some other great options, the Uniti line and Nait line that will get you close enough to these for most folks. If you can swing these and Naim is your thing, have fun.
Wait What???? How much??? I guess that is for some but not for all of us. Happy that you came up with more affordable options for us. I’m with putting more money in an IRA or other retirement plan. Naim probably matches this system with a Focal speaker to give a person a sonic treat. For those who can afford a Naim/Focal system…. No hate. Just not for me. Great review. just what I needed to really enjoy my modest system.
You can get all three here in the UK for c. £17100, or approx $21,800. So that's about $5200 extra in the 'States. It's a similar picture in reverse for US audio sold over here, of course. I've heard Naim gear at shows, and it sounds pretty good, particularly in the holography department, but also IMHO a tad on the strident side. In my opinion, you're paying for the name (pun intended) and can get gear that competes at a much more affordable price, as you rightly pointed out. I wonder if they shun things like HDMI for some of their gear mostly out of a kind of aloofness, and also to enable "afficionados" to prize their hi-end kit, which wouldn't be the same if Naim pandered to the unwashed masses. To be fair, I've always had a bit of a downer on Naim -- might be because I've never been willing to spend that much just to claim bragging rights...
Geeeeeeezzzzzzuuuussss! I checked out the price before you dropped the 27k price point. I think McIntosh may be a budget alternative. The only emotion I’d be feeling when listening to this system are the tears coming down my face when I check my bank account. BTW, that was a LOT of info dropped in only the first 2 minutes. How many pages was the script for this one? - Note to self. Always comment at the very end of the video. Just got to the McIntosh comment!
The script for this review was (I think) 5 pages long --which is longer than most ---but we had a lot to cover. Yes, always watch to the end because you know Kristi's got your back!
Hi. I have been a Naim customer for years and I should say they are great sounding gear and very well built. The hiss sound is noticed with high sensitivity speakers. Focal Diablo 89 db was a beter match for the review.😄
I made note that this system is not recommended for high sensitivity speakers in this review. While I'm sure the Focals would be a great test for this stack, we used the KEFs which are 90dB efficient...so...
Great review as always!! Naim has gotten a little full of themselves!! Yes, its an excellent product but, So many comparable or even better sounding products available at that price.
Nice video and review. I own the previous generation of this system - NAC-N 272 + NAP 250, which I bought used for less than $3k. I think it would make an interesting video if you compared old with new, especially given the price difference.
Got the NAD C 3050 LE today (for super cheap), i upgraded to it from the Powernode. 3050 LE has HDMI eArc, DIRAC Live, 100w/pc @ 8ohms (135w instantaneous), very good sub integration (low AND high pass filtering), amazing vintage looks + VU-meters(!). At 2000eur. So, indeed, what is NAIM's excuse? I've critiqued NAIM in the past for going bananas with the pricing. Have NOT heard 'em so grains of salt, etc.. For what it's worth i think the NAIM products, especially these ones (when compared directly to the old look of NAIM's stuff), look really nice on video - so i'd think they look even better live.
Hmmm.... I'm a lifelong Naim user. You don't buy Naim gear for the features, you buy it for the sound. The Naim sound is more addictive than crack. Once you're attuned to it nothing else (at any kind of sane price level) will do. The features are, of course, welcome. Just not the prime motivation. The lack of HDMI is indeed surprising - but not a deal breaker. Every Naim amp that I have owned also exhibits a very low level of hiss. It must be something to do with their preferred circuitry. Either way you have to press your ear to the tweeter to hear it. It's not noticeable at the listening position and definitely not noticeable in use. Actually the clear dark background from which the music emerges is a feature of the Naim sound. I find that when analysing the sound in "hifi" terms Naim doesn't stack up to the very best. But for musical communication and enjoyment it is in a class of It's own.
I just gave another reviewer a piece of my mind. He has made a name for himself by ripping other audio reviewers calling them liars and other colorful things. Just because people are not approaching everything from a "scientific" point of view doesn't make them any less educated on a topic. I let him know how embarrassing it is for a grown man to spend so much time ripping other creators rather then using his knowledge to partner or help them. That man is to damn old for this lol.
@@gavriushka It's doing it to a lot of profiles. If I check my bell notifications, it shows your handle as Vadym in the side bar but here it is something else. Must be a YT glitch.
Yeh, all cars from the Volkswagen group, with the exception of Porsche only comes with 4 wheels, body and windows. They make you pay for everything.... sorry i went off topic😅
@@timothyfreeseha4056 would much rather have a couple of Topping LA90 running mono than the New Classic... Tested and reviewed with 0 noise and some of the world's best measured results in bench testing. I know measurement aren't everything, but idling noise? JESUS. No. That is NOT acceptable at that price point lmao, this unit is far from a $100 no name amplifier in cost... Their Uniti line looks amazing, would love to own it. But at the cost they want for the stack I expect lab grade performance and top notch audiophile sound.
You mean audioresearch and mcintosch that is overpriced!!!!!! And Wilson audio 27000€ Sabrina with papercone Units from 25€ I have Naim New classic and compare to my ar Galileo from 35000€ de Naim is a bargain and Sounds beter.American brands are overpriced and Nobody here in the Netherlands is more interresed in American product!!!!
I don't understand why balance is included and tone controls are not. In fact, in 30+ years of listening to music on various systems, I can never think of one time when I wanted to to balance more input to one channel or the other. Can someone explain a use case for "Balance" controls to me? I've only ever used it to check if speakers are working.
Balance can come in handy if you have an irregular room or asymmetrical system layout. Using an SPL meter, it's not uncommon for speakers to not be outputting EXACTLY the same SPL. Balance can help "balance" that out for better center imaging etc.
I bought a new Naim Super Nait 3 integrated amp at an open box price of $ 3800. It too is a little noisy, a little hiss if I put my ears up to my 98 efficiency speakers. That is will be more audible with even more efficient speakers like Klipsch. If you have less efficient speakers that you won't probably hear it
The best balance I think if you want to stay with Naim, would be the uniti nova with 80w per channel and is exactly like the atom but more power and I think is around 5 or 6k
As a person who currently owns a 10-year old Naim UnitiLite, and have a pair of Wilson Audio Sabrina X speakers on order, I’ve been eyeing the The New Classic 200 preamp and amp to complete my end-game system. To show that all things are relative, I decided on this combo because it’s a “better deal” than the D’Agostino Progression integrated amp (with the optional streamer/DAC upgrade), which is hovering around 30k. Thanks, Andrew, for being open to covering gear at all price points.
@@starofcctv94 no, but I did try it with an Atom at the showroom and the midrange, which is Naim’s calling card, was a bit muddy; it had a hard time driving them as they are 4ohm speakers. I’ll give the Fosi amp a shot when they come in, though lol
I’ve got Atom HE which I use for pre-amp DAC and Streamer functions. My Speakers are 105db efficient it’s not recommended to use any amp more than 20watts. But running through Amp camp Amp monoblocks I get no hiss unless I’ve got my ears to the speaker cone. No need for HDMI as Samsung frame has optical output that works. Samsung frame is rubbish it frequently takes five minutes to get it all to boot up properly by plugging and unplugging the two plugs it has.
One of my favorite companies, with many products that are oozing cool by every metric. That said, way above my budget- like coronations and funerals expensive! I would love to support them.
@@KristiWright well, some of us are Losing our Religion...and reconstructing why we listen😊....kinda like your husband. The biggest audio truth..."no one has to like the sound of your system...but you"
This is some really good looking gear, I love audio as much as anyone but the law of diminishing returns is in full effect here. Super insane high end boutique audio for me falls under the same umbrella as thousand dollar cables.. The level of sound quality difference between this $27,000 setup and what you can put together for less than $7000 w/speakers is like 0.05%. Regardless still enjoyed the video like all of em its just not for me at that price point. BTW literally LOL'd when you said "Mines well be called Fossi Audio".
Awesome review as always, I was curious about the brand, they seem to have loyal fans. Aprecciate the usual honesty, hope people don’t freak out too much in the comments.
We appreciate you watching. Like with everything, there will always be brand loyalists just as there will be those who will never see beyond the price, whether it's high or low.
I would like to try naim products but haven't simply because of their funny connections. It's like we're being different, then be different on your own naim. You won't see my hard earned, smartypants naim. Sorry guys getting carried away with myself, Good honest review. Regards Antony Warrington England.
Hi Andrew & Kristi - Thank you for this video and all of your other videos. They're very helpful. I'm sort of new to this hobby and I love it. I'm an engineer and an artist, and I guess that draws me to the tech and design side of this hobby. I'm working on training my ears to be able to tell the difference between different gears. Yesterday, I was at a dealer's store and listened to two different gears, both of which were actually fed by this very Naim preamp. The amps were Esoteric F-03A for class A and NAD M33 for class D. I wish I had watched this video before yesterday. I could've listened to recognize the noise that the preamp makes :) Cheers!
Ive got a Uniti Atom which I got at 35% discount and then bought a S/H NAP100 - total cost £2200 and it sounds fantastic. I doubt this reviewed combo sounds £20K+ better. The Atom has a HDMI socket, but I use Toslink currently. Mine is dead silent cranked all the way to maximum volume, so not sure what is wrong with yours?. As for tone controls - in theory they are a great idea, but whenever I've had tone controls I've hardly ever used them tbh, as you start to obsess over trying to get each recording to sound perfect, rather than just relaxing and enjoying whatever the mastering engineers output (aka what the artist never intended). Great Review as always Andrew and Kirsti - totally love your honesty. Majority of reviewers are too bland and never say anything negative, but you guys are a breath of fresh air.
I’ve been a Naim user for years. I’ve a nap250-2 and atom HE. I have to agree that naim prices are going catastrophic. Though I think the prices here in the uk are slightly less, the new nap 250 is under £6000……still ouch. I’ve added psu’s in the past and always found an improvement in sound, bass sound stage detail etc so I’m surprised that you didn’t find a difference. All this aside I’ve found my new amp, Sugden 21SE (class a) which is now on order to go with my Proac DB1s. This is a £3000ish amp that sounds so much more. I think Naim have gone too much away from what they originally did…..to produce a live sound, dynamic and engaging at a cost many could aspire to…..with a bit of saving, and are a luxury brand now, you are right you can spend a lot less and get close or improve in some areas. Oh by the way many British amps don’t do tone or eq. You buy the sound you want, you’re not allowed to soil the designers vision😂
The 300, 500 and Statement series are even more expensive, but when you are used to Naim everything else sounds boring. The 222 is Roon ready and then you have a very good tone control.
Great show guys, I just purchased the 222 & the amp + focal kanta 3 for £16000 just over 20000 dollars, I had the speakers for £8000, then £4000 (5089 dollars) each for the naim, at that price point Andrew would you say they were worth it compare to the competition? + they sound outstanding no noise either. Great show guys.
Back in the 90's I owned a Roksan/Nakamichi/B&W setup powered by Naim 72/Hicap/250. Back then in UK, the Naim was roughly £3000. To see the cost of the new 200 Series, and to read about dissatisfaction among many old-school hi-fi dealers and lack of general customer support with Naim since the Vervent merger, I feel damaged the brand. Add to this the noise issue...Julian would be turning in his grave!
I have just found your channel, and you guys are the best for subjective reviews! I own Naim equipment, and you are 100% correct regarding hdmi arc... whyyy. I have a system that Naim heads frown upon, but use a Uniti Nova passed through a NAP 250 DR. I 100% agree regarding the power supply as well, waste of money. I have tried the new 250 classic, and a/b tested with its predecessor. My advice to anyone, would be to grab a discounted NAP 250 DR. Unless you have money to burn, I would defy anyone to hear the difference in a blind test. I do love the Naim sound. If you like the Atom, you should review the Nova, it has improved sq for sure
to be clear, sighted AB is still fairly meaningless. Really need blind ABX to gather reliable data points, especially for something like electronics...it's certainly easier to detect differences with speakers since, well, they actually sound different mostly
I've seen and heard it play at my local store. It's a quality product with a great sound. It looks gorgious, really better in black than silver imo. It's expensive sure but it's an upmarket product like Aurender, AVM, Accuphase, Luxman, ...
I am a long time Linn electronics owner, all of which are wonderful vintage pieces that I enjoy every day. The vintage Naim stuff is also wonderful. The problem today is that both Linn and Naim have priced their classic offerings out of the reach of 95% of audiophiles / music lovers, as have some other manufacturers. The cult / religion of these two companies only goes so far. This new, $9,000, 100 wpc @ 8ohms Naim amp is a perfect example. Seriously? It’s insane to me. Sure, its sounds good but so does lots of other stuff sound good at prices 2/3rd or less. Sure, the price of audio gear has soared since the pandemic. However, these new Linn, Naim, D’Agostino, Wilson kit are out of control. I guess there’s something for everyone. But do these buyers enjoy their music any more than the rest of us with lower priced gear? I’d say categorically no IMO.
Thanks. Awesome review = honest. Agree that no HDMI at that price in 2023 is just ….. REALLY YOU MUST BE JOKING !!!!! Cambridge Audio Edge system ALL the way…and in my view better sound especially NO noise. (owner of Edge NQ and Naim Unity so just my 10 cents)
Great reviews Andrew , love what you have done with this new channel great Dude, you and Kerry were my "best PALS reviewers" when I was getting into hi end 12 or more years ago ! Loving your channel each time
I always enjoy your reviews and watched them every time you uploaded them. Well done. This is the first time I made comment here so be gentle. I am a long time Naim owner and I was surprised that the new PSU did not improve the sound. I wonder if you did anything wrong? Were you supposed to switch off the internal PSU of the preamp when external PSU is connected? Can you please double check and reconfirm? I admit Naim pricing is going crazy in last 2 decades but I stuck to them still because they made it very difficult to mix and match with other brands due to their connection choice. And I have so many investments in their cables and PSUs so I pretty much had to start from scratch if changing brands. At least their New Classic has addressed that issue now. However, I am not sure if that is a smart move in terms of business for them. I found judging components on their value is very controversial. Maybe you should try review cars or bikes? How do you compare expensive cars with Toyota or even Hyundai? You can get sometimes more features and similar performance at much cheaper priced cars compared to Porsche for example. But people still pay more for cars like Lambo or Porsche because of their characters or engine noise etc. These things are so personal it is almost impossible to be objective in making purchasing decisions.
@@spotshooter1 that’s why I asked Andrew if he switched off the internal psu of the preamp after NPX300 was connected. But he did not reply me at all! I think Naim is at fault here because obviously they did not brief on reviewer of the Naim way regarding the 4th order harmony “hiss” being intentional. I felt Naim has been lost at sea in recent years. They changed our local distributor and the new distributor has not been educating my local dealers about all the different connections etc. I ended up teaching the new dealer on Naim cable connections to PSU!
A few years ago, I went to a Naim dealer and listened to a bunch of their component's. To make a long story short, when I inserted some of those external power supplies into the system, they made a huge difference. The difference was so big, I literally though they did something to the components to make them sound bad in order to get people to buy the power supplies. I'm not saying that's what they actually did, it was just the impression I got. Just thought it was worth mentioning.
Hey there friends, I'm a little late today due to some morning cycling. I enjoyed the video despite the fact that I would probably never purchase this set. The industrial design looks fantastic. Loved the Bad Boys clip and poke at limited editions. 😂 Great comparisons throughout the video, especially the ones that Kristi added! As usual I enjoyed living vicariously through you two and it was very entertaining. QOTD: I like the design and trust your take on its sound. The screen integration looks understated, high-tech, and cohesive. I know Kristi mentioned a silver option but I personally feel black just works here (I'd still love to have my mind changed). I definitely appreciate the function drives form of the aluminum fins.
Great video Andrew! Favorite part of this video is twofold...when the 27,000 dollar price tag of the NAIM system is mentioned and the number flashes on the screen, the anvil like sound effect that accompanied it 😆 Just want to say I appreciate those little touches, they add flair to your videos and I freaking love it. 👍 Also, to hear that the Ever Solo is probably going to get a full review, I'm so dang pumped, it may end up being the first audio product I buy in well over a year. The NAIM stuff looks great, just not in my price range, but I still enjoy seeing products not in my range. Thanks again for the video and looking forward to the next one!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews of course. Your channel has been a must watch for me in the last few months , when I found it. Including others channels my great interest in audio in particular has been rekindled. I thank you and Kristi.
A $9000 pre amp with audible tweeter hiss? That is so much worse than getting a cheeseburger missing the bun. I can’t get past the price so it has to be mentioned.
Been down the naim route of hifii before had the 282 preamp that I’ve regretted selling a few times just something great about the way their stuff sounds. It’s also very easy to upgrade their boxes problem is that you land up eventually listening to the system rather than the music
I think it's better to choose Naim old classic series on a used market. It is possible to compose full naim system with NDX2 streamer, NAC202 pre, NAP200 DR power and Hicap power supply under 8000$ for everything. And for me it's a fair price for the sound it provides. If not to say bargain.
If you want a step up from an Atom just go to the Star (features) or the Nova (SQ) and just add speakers. Reasonable prices on 2nd hand market. I find the app pretty good compared to others and that’s important to me. Being able to turn the amp on and select music in the lounge when u are cooking in the kitchen is handy. And the general layout works for me. The app is much more stable now than it used to be. I’m waiting for a Chord streamer/pre-amp with good functionality/app, to come out. Minimum DAC spec at TT2 level. 🙏🙏🙏this would be my end game piece of gear. Thanks for doing the first “warts and all” 200 series by review👍👍Rich
By investing a little more I’ll definitely go for Jeff Rowland Daemon Integrated amplifier. It’s a piece of audiophile art 🖼️. Just look at this beauty.
I watched this cause I have the NAC 202/NAP 200 but I got used. It really is amazing. I like not having tone controls 🤣🤣🤣. I can only dream about the new classic 200.
$9000 power supply...I almost feel bad for the people that are fooled into paying that much for a solely visual piece. but for the price of just 1 unit like the amp, I could have a very nice full 7.2 home theater with an upgraded TV lol.
Sorry, the price is too much to get past. Seems nice but to have a buzz/noise with speakers like Klipsch, that's also a deal breaker. No excuse to have that at that price.
Based on your impressions, the price and the feature set there isn't much positive to say about it aside from the looks. It might be interesting for you go over the technical design at least a bit to at least get an idea of what is going on internally to justify this price (and maybe explain the noise floor). I also have major problems with the fact that the streaming is built into the pre-amp, as gear like this should last for decades but no software updates are going to keep a streaming platform going as long as this would be a perfectly fine pre-amp and DAC.
I received a Samsung TV as an anniversary gift from my employer. The TV has only two HDMI ports, one to connect a soundbar and the other for some sort of an input. True it's only based on one example but it seems as if manufacturers are going to streaming only (forget standalone sources) and consider HDMI unimportant, not the hip thing. Is there much of a market for DVD players anymore? If there's virtually no difference in audio, NAIM's alleged negligence in not offering HDMI doesn't seem severe.
Anything above the Uniti series is a waste of money. That said, when the Atom was $3990 in Australia it was a solid buy. Now its $6000. Lots of competition at that price point. NAD M10 V2 and Yamaha R2000A below it, and NAD M33 above it, among others.
Simaudio has the 390 + matching power amp as an alternative at around 10.000. Pricewise comparible with the Naim set is their new 700 north series. They both have HDMI. Naim has excellent sound but their pice policy is questionable. .
Most cars are more expensive. But then again, most cars comeceith speakers. And tone control. And wheels and an engine. Enjoyed the review, and for now will stick with my mass market onkyo network capable receiver. No tweater hum.
Weird test, sry to say. So you guys found it sounded “really great”, “also on the Klipsch” (quite a no-go pairing), “especially for ppl who listen music for the emotional reason” (or similar), but: “want silver..”, “who is this for?”, “no tone controls”, “the price”.. jeez. My conclusion: this combo definitely is not for you. By far not. Then, how would you judge on it? Its like holding a Rolex Explorer and saying “its ok, but it doesn’t do what my G-shock can, so I wonder who’s paying for that?” - to whom do you address your findings? The G-shock community? The Rolex fan-boys? PS: the cherry on the cake: compare source & amp with active speakers with integrated source.
Since you brought up B&O Beolab 28, which I might have ignored as a "system" ... but you are right and I've loved them ever since seeing them ... that said, KEF LS60 has been my backup to the B&O 28. I certainly wouldn't buy anything without HDMI or other compromises at that price point ... or any price point, really, given alternatives. So not sure the value proposition Naim was going for here. Usually in a no compromise system (that these seem to be - from Naim's standpoint, I assume, given the price) has all the features customers want or didn't know they want. I do appreciate the design and finish - but left scratching my head on features.
I had to send a Naim Uniti Star back to the source because the included CD ripper created files with audio dropouts. Not acceptable. I kept the NAD M10 v2 that I was A/B ing with it and rip files on my PC just fine. I loved the Naim, but their inability to address the [common and old] dropout issue convinced me that they just didn’t care. That indifference put me off, considering the asking price. The NAD has been faultless.
Count how much during your lifetime you will be spending money on cars which bleed money, now use only 80% of that amount on more reasonable vehicles (even better if you live in a country/area where car is not even necessary) and then you will easily have a dream audio system which will touch those deep deep emotions. Win/win scenario. 😎 Also: A great video, well done!
Well you know, I've always been of the opinion that amplifiers or sources with a bit of noise made the music more lifelike and more natural and more soulful in my opinion. Every time I've heard a component that is squeaky clean quiet to me I just can't help but get the feeling that comes across the sort of lifeless, and like I said as soon as I stick something back in that just has that hair bit of noise to it all that life and soul of the music comes back. And you know I guess that's always been My predilection and preference with Rega gear, because yes they have that hair bit of noise but by having that noise in my opinion you just get more life to the music and more truth comes through. I mean I know that sounds kind of hokey and cliche somewhat but honestly that's what I hear and that's what I've heard and so ultimately that's my preference. Of course not to disparage anybody Else choice, because far be it for me to be the arbiter of sound.
I know what you mean. For me though, going in the opposite direction is really hard now. Spending years with something with incredibly low noise and amazing clarity makes the ‘more soulful’ stuff sound a bit… muffled? Maybe it’s all in my head 😅
@@jonnyfinlay5665no I get it, and like I said I'm not disparaging nothing but, and this is just my theory on it, but when you take away that noise you're taking away some aspect of the music with it and yes you get better clarity and yes you can have a lower noise floor but at the end of the day you just are also taking away that extra bit of life out of the music. Now don't give me wrong like I said I'm not knocking anybody who feels otherwise but, and I know this to be fact, you can have your cake and eat it too, however it is quite costly
It has always been the case that you will hear noise with naim products. It is a design choice well documented and discussed on the naim forum. I do not like it neither, nor always keeping the products on.
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Hi Andrew & Kristi. I first heard Naim in 1981 and steadily built an active audiophile system that makes these look bargain basement. It's vinyl only for me. Like yours, I have no tone controls, no video..... So many people have been round over the years and loved the sound of the system, I don't disclose the price. It's a very specific sound and us fans call it PRAT. It's all about pace, rhythm and timing. It excels with rock, blues, jazz and most music. Do I think Naim is the best? Not really. It's just the best I've heard for me. Thanks for the review.
@@hastingspiper9266 I know, it's hilarious. Agree with you on the old Naim gear. I reached a certain point and decided that the return on $$ was becoming too small. That said, 30 years later the system works and sounds great.
As it happens I've taken advantage of the release of this and the 300 series to upgrade my naim system to the "0ld" classic 282/hcdr/250dr via ex demo stock. Since I can send it off for a service and/or repair when needed this is hopefully going to be my lifetime system.
I can totally understand the American price for these making it almost impossible to recommend the new classic series, in the uk they are still out of the range of most people, but at £5700 a box much less insane. Just for your information the 300 series boxes in the uk will be £7900 each I shudder to think what people over your side will be charged.
As to your question of the day if I won the lottery I'd theoretically want the 300 series pre amp as I like to keep streamer separate, and that isn't an option with the 200 series, to go with the new 250 power amp.
Really enjoyed the review as usual, hope the comments aren't too mean.
I am STUNNED and APPRECIATIVE of your honesty!!! EverSolo and Emotiva bring a MASSIVE bang for buck that not many can rival as well as they do rivaling high end audio!! PERIOD!! Great job and review guys!! HOME-RUN!!
Thank you for thoughtful words and support, ABX! I agree, at least based on my experience, it would appear that they offer an exceptional value
As for being stunned...what is surprising to you about our honesty?
@@andrewrobinsonreviews ah, yes, not your honesty personally, just that level of honesty in this industry and from reviewers in general!! Most reviewers will sugar coat the negatives and kind of glance the other way…. It’s just refreshing, and in some ways shocking when you actually see that level of honesty happen in real time. Well done as usual. 😉❤️
Looking forward to the Eversolo review. Did I hear correctly that the unit was purchased for the specific purpose of this AB comparison?
You are correct. I wanted something more approachable ($) that had largely that same advertised specs, minus music streaming, and the Eversolo fit the bill. I did not intend on reviewing it but as I've been enjoying it, I feel it deserves its own review.
Great to see you reviewing two channel Hi-Fi gear! That's my focus in the hobby, and although I have a mid-tier home theater set up as well, two channel music is my focus and passion. Thanks again Andrew and Kristi!
Appreciate you joining us today!
Andrew, Naim uses a cheap loud SMPS at idle so they can tout they low power consumption primarily for the EU market. I used an SN3 with my CW IVs and found it to be the most satisfying pairing of all I experimented with. I too was bothered by the noise at idle, at first, but then realized it switches to the LPS when under load and it had a super black background. I decided I cared more about how my Klipsch sounded when playing music than just sitting there. 😊
The current Naim pricing structure I suspect is due to them twice having been bought and sold to private equity firms who are not known for putting sound quality over profit! Your USA importer is also taking a cut as well of course!
Naim and Linn are now both “reassuringly expensive” and their devotees will still happily pay the money. Naim will, of course relieve you of more money by offering additional power supplies😂.
The speaker sockets are designed to be used with Naim’s own soldered plugs and their own l/s cable (really stiff) so I get why it’s 4mm only.
As for the pre amp noise I suspect Naim will say that it’s a product of the preamp design and the improved sonic benefits outweighs the downside of audible hiss which when used with average efficiency speakers is not as much of an issue but that’s a decision ultimately the customer will make.
That and the UK running 9 percent inflation those private equity firms have got to be soiling their pants if they can't recoup their money.
Pretty much that, firms looking to recoup the investment. Shame when the streamer is such a good product at an acceptable price.
@@timharbert7145 Our uk inflation is causing a sharp reduction in consumer disposable income at the low to middle price ranges
As a result more manufacturers distributor offers & new models at more affordable price points.
For example new PMC transmission line speakers only in black using previously developed cones.-Over 40% cheaper yet still manufactured in UK.
Hegal have rolled back the price of their Intergrated streaming (room ready) amplifiers to the original pre pandemic launch level.
More offers across the board. Heard I leading one leading speaker distributor admitting the market was tough at the Bristol Hi Fi (largest in UK) show in February
Naim also makes EVERYTHING in the UK. From the metal forms they have cast at local foundries to local machine shops, to local FR8 board makers, to all local labor (build, assembly, testing, and QC), etc.
Brexit got them hard, inflation is taking a huge toll, and there's certainly an element of exclusivity to their pricing. But, not being made in China (by slave labor) makes things VERY EXPENSIVE, even before importers and dealers get involved.
Perfect review. I had the old classic series Naim for years and you touched on two key things that eventually scared me away from the brand. 1.) Naim want the product to be used how Naim want you to use it. Meaning silly connections and no features. 2.) Pricing got out of control. Great sounding stuff but for the money... Like many "high end" products the pricing is way too high and equal performance can be had at a fraction of the cost.
So yeah your review equals my personal experience to a tee when it comes to Naim.
I home demo’d these with the my PMC twenty5 24i speakers a few months ago and I didn’t get the noise, also noticed a considerable improvement in sound stage and dynamics with the npx 300, I’ve compared this against a chord ultima pre and power also a bryston pre and power, for me the Naim won hands down
What source/DAC were you using? I’ve been using a TT2 and Mscaler with a McIntosh MA352 in my bedroom system, and had intended to get the new Chord Ultima Integrated, but sounds like you have some strong feelings the opposite direction.
@@trajan350 a Naim ND5 XS2 and a Rega P6, on the chord side it was the ultima pre 3 and power 5, my experience is in my room though, you could get different results and find the chord with your setup sounds better to your ear
@@brettclarke6798 I meant on the Chord side - what was feeding the Pre3/Ultima 5?
Totally appreciate and agree on the room.
@@trajan350 ah so I home demo’d them so it was my ND5 XS2 and Rega P6
I used to have a Naim NAC282 preamp. If the hiss bothers you then I’d recommend muting the output when not listening to music. This did the trick for me.
Nice tip!
The value in Naim has always been in their mid range products, the Super Nait integrated amps are really very, very good. I'm from the UK and I have lots of friends with Naim amps and the higher end pre/powers just don't offer a significant upgrade on their midrange products. The Uniti Atom is fabulous, I bought one for my daughter and she loves it. Sorry I can't get over the $27000 price tag, for that kind of money you could get, PS Audio BHK pre and mono blocks and probably have enough change for a decent streamer or Prima Luna top end pre/power, a great streamer and phono stage and have enough left over for a decent turntable, arm and cartridge.
The Naim’s integrated amps is where its at imo. This week I purchased the Nait-50. No DAC. No Streaming. No Room Correction. No Remote. And it doesn’t weigh 50lbs. My point? Buy what you like. This amp sounds great and the form factor/retro looks makes me happy. Great content on your channel. Cheers.
If you like naim, buy a second hand old naim classic NAC202/NAP200 combo. Naim will service then back to new. All for a fraction of the cost of this new version.
agree, though the nap 200 is one level down, there is no source (streamer dac) included in your suggestion, and for the 27k there is an extra beefy secondary PSU included, which in all naim gear of the past turned out to be a real game changer.
Great review..its nice to hear some honest reviews. I use a Supernait 3 integrated with a Hicap DR PS and love the sound. The Hicap made a difference in the sound quality for the better. No doubt. Thanks!
As someone already mentioned, Naim is a ‘religion’ for some people. And, Naim utilize their faith to the full extent. When looking at the components, I personally think the manufacturing cost of this $27,000 system is below $2,000. I could be wrong. Don’t quote me. The point is you pay your religious taxes Naim. And, it’s hefty. That being said, I still like Naim. I’m actually waiting for new Supernait 4. And, NO NO NO, you should NEVER separate the price from the product. It’s a business and it’s all about the money.
Don’t know how you do it…but this review was one of your best. Just real fun. Loved that you reviewed something this expensive. I’m not in the market for it. But there is value in benchmarking higher end offerings. Take care guys. Appreciate the channel.
Thanks so much. We do our best to bring you all a variety of components and topics --even ultra high-end ones like this.
Not gonna harp over $27k...it's Naim, I get it. No HDMI though...come on. Naim is about the ecosystem/look...like McIntosh or Macintosh 😏😉. It's what I would expect from Naim (Dynaudio owners are loving this). Wonderful, honest video! 😊
Thanks so much! Appreciate your comment!
Hi Andrew, I just had a demo yesterday and I disagree with you about the power supply. It is very clear that uou have a much larger soundstage with the power supply. Without it is much smaller. I agree with your qualification of smooth sound. I did not notice the noise but I was in a store
McIntosh looking like a fairly good value for the money.....never thought I would think that. Good honest review.....thanks !
My pleasure!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews mcintosch is like Harley Davidson .
I have Heard- the anniversary tube mono amp and Theo Sounds Soo bad!
As someone who purchased the Atom in the past, lack of HDMI will continue to immediately remove an item from consideration
For the record my Supernait 3 + HCDR has no hiss through my Dynaudio Contour speakers, even with my ear next to the woofer/tweeter.
You're not going to fix the noise issue with better power supplies, or anything else. The noise you are hearing is from too much gain. Your super efficient Klipsch speakers enhance the problem. You can fix it one of 2 ways. If you go through the owners manual for the preamp, look for any type of gain adjustments. Each channel may have its own gain setting, or possibly global. I'm not familiar with these new Naim components, but I think 90% chance that it allows for some type of gain adjustment. Lower the gain until the noise goes away.
One thing I need to stress is you have to make sure you are adjusting gain, and not volume, A volume control can't alter a signal. Only gain can. This issue can't be fixed with a volume adjustment.
Your other option is to get in line attenuators. Rothwell probably makes the best ones. They go on the end of your interconnects and they reduce gain the same way a less efficient speaker would. They don't alter sound quality. Even if they did, it wouldn't be enough to hear.
There is one other thing, but I think its not likely. I'll mention it just in case. I know Naim gear is balanced. Depending on your equipment, and how its set up, you may have some type of balanced operation issue. There's no way I could go over all the details in a post like this, so I'll just tell you what you need to know. Simply put, balanced and single ended components are not compatible. In order to achieve balanced operation, both components need to be balanced, and you need a balanced cable to connect them. Without those 3 things in place, you have a single ended connection. You're just using 2 of the 3 conductors in the cable. Its electrically identical to using RCA cables. The reason I can't be too specific is because there is more than one way to balance audio components, and how they are wired can be different, as well. Connection issues will vary depending on how your equipment is designed. But like I said, the issue is most likely not balance related, its just something to keep in mind.
I find the Naim Muso wood edition one of the most gorgeous Hi-Fi devices ever made. I'd love to see them expand that to a sound bar with more channels and spatial surround effects.
Naim had a bit of a sale earlier this year and I seriously thought about the amp & preamp which would have come in at $14K on sale. I own a Uniti Atom and owned a Supernait 3 for about a year and really enjoy the Naim sound. Much like McIntosh and Linn, Naim has a dedicated hardcore following of users who will buy nothing else. I'm not so evangelical in my audio purchasing, so ended up getting the Technics SU R1000, which I really like. At this level it's more about personal preferences and less about the cost. If you love the Naim sound but can't swing these, they have some other great options, the Uniti line and Nait line that will get you close enough to these for most folks. If you can swing these and Naim is your thing, have fun.
Great perspective!
Wait What???? How much??? I guess that is for some but not for all of us. Happy that you came up with more affordable options for us. I’m with putting more money in an IRA or other retirement plan.
Naim probably matches this system with a Focal speaker to give a person a sonic treat. For those who can afford a Naim/Focal system…. No hate. Just not for me. Great review. just what I needed to really enjoy my modest system.
Appreciate you watching as always, Brian.
You can get all three here in the UK for c. £17100, or approx $21,800. So that's about $5200 extra in the 'States. It's a similar picture in reverse for US audio sold over here, of course. I've heard Naim gear at shows, and it sounds pretty good, particularly in the holography department, but also IMHO a tad on the strident side.
In my opinion, you're paying for the name (pun intended) and can get gear that competes at a much more affordable price, as you rightly pointed out. I wonder if they shun things like HDMI for some of their gear mostly out of a kind of aloofness, and also to enable "afficionados" to prize their hi-end kit, which wouldn't be the same if Naim pandered to the unwashed masses. To be fair, I've always had a bit of a downer on Naim -- might be because I've never been willing to spend that much just to claim bragging rights...
👍
Geeeeeeezzzzzzuuuussss! I checked out the price before you dropped the 27k price point. I think McIntosh may be a budget alternative. The only emotion I’d be feeling when listening to this system are the tears coming down my face when I check my bank account. BTW, that was a LOT of info dropped in only the first 2 minutes. How many pages was the script for this one? - Note to self. Always comment at the very end of the video. Just got to the McIntosh comment!
The script for this review was (I think) 5 pages long --which is longer than most ---but we had a lot to cover. Yes, always watch to the end because you know Kristi's got your back!
Hi. I have been a Naim customer for years and I should say they are great sounding gear and very well built. The hiss sound is noticed with high sensitivity speakers. Focal Diablo 89 db was a beter match for the review.😄
I made note that this system is not recommended for high sensitivity speakers in this review. While I'm sure the Focals would be a great test for this stack, we used the KEFs which are 90dB efficient...so...
Besides, as you noted, for that much cheddar it should be dead silent.
Great review as always!! Naim has gotten a little full of themselves!! Yes, its an excellent product but, So many comparable or even better sounding products available at that price.
Nice video and review. I own the previous generation of this system - NAC-N 272 + NAP 250, which I bought used for less than $3k. I think it would make an interesting video if you compared old with new, especially given the price difference.
Got the NAD C 3050 LE today (for super cheap), i upgraded to it from the Powernode. 3050 LE has HDMI eArc, DIRAC Live, 100w/pc @ 8ohms (135w instantaneous), very good sub integration (low AND high pass filtering), amazing vintage looks + VU-meters(!). At 2000eur. So, indeed, what is NAIM's excuse? I've critiqued NAIM in the past for going bananas with the pricing. Have NOT heard 'em so grains of salt, etc.. For what it's worth i think the NAIM products, especially these ones (when compared directly to the old look of NAIM's stuff), look really nice on video - so i'd think they look even better live.
So, I could get a MAC amp for a lot less??? No brainer to me. And that little Fosi comment was hilarious! Nice review.
I appreciate your brutal honesty, especially with revered brands such as Naim and Schitt
D$MN I love your reviews 💯... you are straightforward and honest... Just like your reviews from way way back when you're reviews were in print😊
Eversolo has the DMP-A6 Streamer/DAC for $899 also, for an even less expensive option.
I just bought the new classic 200 and I don’t ear the noise you’re talking ? I’m very satisfied with Naim product and sound fabulous with Kanta 2
Hmmm.... I'm a lifelong Naim user. You don't buy Naim gear for the features, you buy it for the sound. The Naim sound is more addictive than crack. Once you're attuned to it nothing else (at any kind of sane price level) will do. The features are, of course, welcome. Just not the prime motivation. The lack of HDMI is indeed surprising - but not a deal breaker. Every Naim amp that I have owned also exhibits a very low level of hiss. It must be something to do with their preferred circuitry. Either way you have to press your ear to the tweeter to hear it. It's not noticeable at the listening position and definitely not noticeable in use. Actually the clear dark background from which the music emerges is a feature of the Naim sound. I find that when analysing the sound in "hifi" terms Naim doesn't stack up to the very best. But for musical communication and enjoyment it is in a class of It's own.
No hdmi....not surprising, it's a very poor connector for audio integrity, something as you know Naim has been obsessive about.
Good morning everybody. How's your week going so far?
I’m making lasagna from scratch today including pasta! It’s going great! How’s yours? Wishing everyone well!
@@gavriushka Vadym? Is that you? Did you change your user name?
Also pasta from scratch??? That's dedication.
We're good! Thank you for asking.
I just gave another reviewer a piece of my mind. He has made a name for himself by ripping other audio reviewers calling them liars and other colorful things. Just because people are not approaching everything from a "scientific" point of view doesn't make them any less educated on a topic. I let him know how embarrassing it is for a grown man to spend so much time ripping other creators rather then using his knowledge to partner or help them. That man is to damn old for this lol.
@@KristiWright I’m honestly not entirely sure why it changed. I never did it myself, but it is me :)
@@gavriushka It's doing it to a lot of profiles. If I check my bell notifications, it shows your handle as Vadym in the side bar but here it is something else. Must be a YT glitch.
Yeh, all cars from the Volkswagen group, with the exception of Porsche only comes with 4 wheels, body and windows. They make you pay for everything.... sorry i went off topic😅
I'm really surprised at the noise on a $27,000 product... That is embarrassing.
And quite a privilege at that price.
@@timothyfreeseha4056 would much rather have a couple of Topping LA90 running mono than the New Classic... Tested and reviewed with 0 noise and some of the world's best measured results in bench testing. I know measurement aren't everything, but idling noise? JESUS. No. That is NOT acceptable at that price point lmao, this unit is far from a $100 no name amplifier in cost...
Their Uniti line looks amazing, would love to own it. But at the cost they want for the stack I expect lab grade performance and top notch audiophile sound.
You mean audioresearch and mcintosch that is overpriced!!!!!!
And Wilson audio 27000€ Sabrina with papercone Units from 25€
I have Naim New classic and compare to my ar Galileo from 35000€ de Naim is a bargain and Sounds beter.American brands are overpriced and Nobody here in the Netherlands is more interresed in American product!!!!
That’s a nice looking system with those Kefs.
I happen to agree!
I don't understand why balance is included and tone controls are not. In fact, in 30+ years of listening to music on various systems, I can never think of one time when I wanted to to balance more input to one channel or the other. Can someone explain a use case for "Balance" controls to me? I've only ever used it to check if speakers are working.
I can fully attest to exactly what you said but can't add any other credible usefulness.
Balance can be used if u use different speakers on L and R
But yeah providing balance over tone control is dumb af
Balance can come in handy if you have an irregular room or asymmetrical system layout. Using an SPL meter, it's not uncommon for speakers to not be outputting EXACTLY the same SPL. Balance can help "balance" that out for better center imaging etc.
I bought a new Naim Super Nait 3 integrated amp at an open box price of $ 3800. It too is a little noisy, a little hiss if I put my ears up to my 98 efficiency speakers. That is will be more audible with even more efficient speakers like Klipsch. If you have less efficient speakers that you won't probably hear it
The best balance I think if you want to stay with Naim, would be the uniti nova with 80w per channel and is exactly like the atom but more power and I think is around 5 or 6k
I used to own Naim classic series pre and power amps. Good sound, but to expensive for what you get. Now I have upgraded to Gryphon amplifier.
As a person who currently owns a 10-year old Naim UnitiLite, and have a pair of Wilson Audio Sabrina X speakers on order, I’ve been eyeing the The New Classic 200 preamp and amp to complete my end-game system.
To show that all things are relative, I decided on this combo because it’s a “better deal” than the D’Agostino Progression integrated amp (with the optional streamer/DAC upgrade), which is hovering around 30k.
Thanks, Andrew, for being open to covering gear at all price points.
Have you tried a bluesound powernode, would pair great with the Wilson.
@@starofcctv94 no, but I did try it with an Atom at the showroom and the midrange, which is Naim’s calling card, was a bit muddy; it had a hard time driving them as they are 4ohm speakers.
I’ll give the Fosi amp a shot when they come in, though lol
I’ve got Atom HE which I use for pre-amp DAC and Streamer functions. My Speakers are 105db efficient it’s not recommended to use any amp more than 20watts. But running through Amp camp Amp monoblocks I get no hiss unless I’ve got my ears to the speaker cone. No need for HDMI as Samsung frame has optical output that works. Samsung frame is rubbish it frequently takes five minutes to get it all to boot up properly by plugging and unplugging the two plugs it has.
One of my favorite companies, with many products that are oozing cool by every metric. That said, way above my budget- like coronations and funerals expensive! I would love to support them.
Naim isn't only a brand. For some people, it's like a religion.
Oh I bet. I love their products and sound, but they're quirky and do things their own way for sure!
Isn't that HiFi in general? ;-)
@@KristiWright well, some of us are Losing our Religion...and reconstructing why we listen😊....kinda like your husband. The biggest audio truth..."no one has to like the sound of your system...but you"
As is another long time UK (does Scotland still count?😂) firm - Linn - associated symbiotically for over a decade until the mid ‘80s.
I just found a vintage Linn system at the fathers house of a friend of mine. Still cool! Active cross over modules! 😂
This is some really good looking gear, I love audio as much as anyone but the law of diminishing returns is in full effect here.
Super insane high end boutique audio for me falls under the same umbrella as thousand dollar cables.. The level of sound quality
difference between this $27,000 setup and what you can put together for less than $7000 w/speakers is like 0.05%. Regardless still enjoyed the
video like all of em its just not for me at that price point. BTW literally LOL'd when you said "Mines well be called Fossi Audio".
Awesome review as always, I was curious about the brand, they seem to have loyal fans. Aprecciate the usual honesty, hope people don’t freak out too much in the comments.
We appreciate you watching. Like with everything, there will always be brand loyalists just as there will be those who will never see beyond the price, whether it's high or low.
I would like to try naim products but haven't simply because of their funny connections. It's like we're being different, then be different on your own naim.
You won't see my hard earned, smartypants naim.
Sorry guys getting carried away with myself,
Good honest review.
Regards Antony Warrington England.
Hi Andrew & Kristi - Thank you for this video and all of your other videos. They're very helpful. I'm sort of new to this hobby and I love it. I'm an engineer and an artist, and I guess that draws me to the tech and design side of this hobby.
I'm working on training my ears to be able to tell the difference between different gears. Yesterday, I was at a dealer's store and listened to two different gears, both of which were actually fed by this very Naim preamp. The amps were Esoteric F-03A for class A and NAD M33 for class D. I wish I had watched this video before yesterday. I could've listened to recognize the noise that the preamp makes :) Cheers!
Ive got a Uniti Atom which I got at 35% discount and then bought a S/H NAP100 - total cost £2200 and it sounds fantastic. I doubt this reviewed combo sounds £20K+ better. The Atom has a HDMI socket, but I use Toslink currently. Mine is dead silent cranked all the way to maximum volume, so not sure what is wrong with yours?. As for tone controls - in theory they are a great idea, but whenever I've had tone controls I've hardly ever used them tbh, as you start to obsess over trying to get each recording to sound perfect, rather than just relaxing and enjoying whatever the mastering engineers output (aka what the artist never intended). Great Review as always Andrew and Kirsti - totally love your honesty. Majority of reviewers are too bland and never say anything negative, but you guys are a breath of fresh air.
Appreciate you weighing in and thank you for your comment!
I’ve been a Naim user for years. I’ve a nap250-2 and atom HE. I have to agree that naim prices are going catastrophic. Though I think the prices here in the uk are slightly less, the new nap 250 is under £6000……still ouch. I’ve added psu’s in the past and always found an improvement in sound, bass sound stage detail etc so I’m surprised that you didn’t find a difference. All this aside I’ve found my new amp, Sugden 21SE (class a) which is now on order to go with my Proac DB1s. This is a £3000ish amp that sounds so much more. I think Naim have gone too much away from what they originally did…..to produce a live sound, dynamic and engaging at a cost many could aspire to…..with a bit of saving, and are a luxury brand now, you are right you can spend a lot less and get close or improve in some areas. Oh by the way many British amps don’t do tone or eq. You buy the sound you want, you’re not allowed to soil the designers vision😂
Brexit has not done them any favors....
The 300, 500 and Statement series are even more expensive, but when you are used to Naim everything else sounds boring. The 222 is Roon ready and then you have a very good tone control.
Great show guys, I just purchased the 222 & the amp + focal kanta 3 for £16000 just over 20000 dollars, I had the speakers for £8000, then £4000 (5089 dollars) each for the naim, at that price point Andrew would you say they were worth it compare to the competition? + they sound outstanding no noise either. Great show guys.
Naim is fantastisch and reproduce music like no other
Back in the 90's I owned a Roksan/Nakamichi/B&W setup powered by Naim 72/Hicap/250. Back then in UK, the Naim was roughly £3000. To see the cost of the new 200 Series, and to read about dissatisfaction among many old-school hi-fi dealers and lack of general customer support with Naim since the Vervent merger, I feel damaged the brand. Add to this the noise issue...Julian would be turning in his grave!
I love that it doesn't have tone controls. My preamplifier has no tone controls as well. good review 😅
Well, according to Naim execs, you are exactly who this product is for.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews ha-ha-ha 😂
I have just found your channel, and you guys are the best for subjective reviews! I own Naim equipment, and you are 100% correct regarding hdmi arc... whyyy. I have a system that Naim heads frown upon, but use a Uniti Nova passed through a NAP 250 DR. I 100% agree regarding the power supply as well, waste of money. I have tried the new 250 classic, and a/b tested with its predecessor. My advice to anyone, would be to grab a discounted NAP 250 DR. Unless you have money to burn, I would defy anyone to hear the difference in a blind test. I do love the Naim sound. If you like the Atom, you should review the Nova, it has improved sq for sure
Finally, the answer to the question"What's in a Naim?"
Love that you keep it real and honest man! Good that you also mentioned you did A-B testing, since I'm always sceptical with comparisons that aren't
to be clear, sighted AB is still fairly meaningless. Really need blind ABX to gather reliable data points, especially for something like electronics...it's certainly easier to detect differences with speakers since, well, they actually sound different mostly
I've seen and heard it play at my local store. It's a quality product with a great sound. It looks gorgious, really better in black than silver imo. It's expensive sure but it's an upmarket product like Aurender, AVM, Accuphase, Luxman, ...
I am a long time Linn electronics owner, all of which are wonderful vintage pieces that I enjoy every day. The vintage Naim stuff is also wonderful.
The problem today is that both Linn and Naim have priced their classic offerings out of the reach of 95% of audiophiles / music lovers, as have some other manufacturers. The cult / religion of these two companies only goes so far.
This new, $9,000, 100 wpc @ 8ohms Naim amp is a perfect example. Seriously? It’s insane to me. Sure, its sounds good but so does lots of other stuff sound good at prices 2/3rd or less.
Sure, the price of audio gear has soared since the pandemic. However, these new Linn, Naim, D’Agostino, Wilson kit are out of control. I guess there’s something for everyone. But do these buyers enjoy their music any more than the rest of us with lower priced gear? I’d say categorically no IMO.
Thanks. Awesome review = honest. Agree that no HDMI at that price in 2023 is just ….. REALLY YOU MUST BE JOKING !!!!!
Cambridge Audio Edge system ALL the way…and in my view better sound especially NO noise. (owner of Edge NQ and Naim Unity so just my 10 cents)
Great reviews Andrew , love what you have done with this new channel great Dude, you and Kerry were my "best PALS reviewers" when I was getting into hi end 12 or more years ago !
Loving your channel each time
I always enjoy your reviews and watched them every time you uploaded them. Well done. This is the first time I made comment here so be gentle.
I am a long time Naim owner and I was surprised that the new PSU did not improve the sound. I wonder if you did anything wrong? Were you supposed to switch off the internal PSU of the preamp when external PSU is connected? Can you please double check and reconfirm?
I admit Naim pricing is going crazy in last 2 decades but I stuck to them still because they made it very difficult to mix and match with other brands due to their connection choice. And I have so many investments in their cables and PSUs so I pretty much had to start from scratch if changing brands. At least their New Classic has addressed that issue now. However, I am not sure if that is a smart move in terms of business for them.
I found judging components on their value is very controversial. Maybe you should try review cars or bikes? How do you compare expensive cars with Toyota or even Hyundai? You can get sometimes more features and similar performance at much cheaper priced cars compared to Porsche for example. But people still pay more for cars like Lambo or Porsche because of their characters or engine noise etc. These things are so personal it is almost impossible to be objective in making purchasing decisions.
Agreed. I've heard the NPX300 on the 222 and it made a significant difference.
@@spotshooter1 that’s why I asked Andrew if he switched off the internal psu of the preamp after NPX300 was connected. But he did not reply me at all! I think Naim is at fault here because obviously they did not brief on reviewer of the Naim way regarding the 4th order harmony “hiss” being intentional. I felt Naim has been lost at sea in recent years. They changed our local distributor and the new distributor has not been educating my local dealers about all the different connections etc. I ended up teaching the new dealer on Naim cable connections to PSU!
A few years ago, I went to a Naim dealer and listened to a bunch of their component's. To make a long story short, when I inserted some of those external power supplies into the system, they made a huge difference. The difference was so big, I literally though they did something to the components to make them sound bad in order to get people to buy the power supplies. I'm not saying that's what they actually did, it was just the impression I got. Just thought it was worth mentioning.
Hey there friends, I'm a little late today due to some morning cycling. I enjoyed the video despite the fact that I would probably never purchase this set. The industrial design looks fantastic. Loved the Bad Boys clip and poke at limited editions. 😂
Great comparisons throughout the video, especially the ones that Kristi added! As usual I enjoyed living vicariously through you two and it was very entertaining.
QOTD: I like the design and trust your take on its sound. The screen integration looks understated, high-tech, and cohesive. I know Kristi mentioned a silver option but I personally feel black just works here (I'd still love to have my mind changed). I definitely appreciate the function drives form of the aluminum fins.
Love the Fifth Element reference 😆
So funny!!
Thanks for noticing our little winks!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews I mean...Gary Oldman is an icon.
Great video Andrew! Favorite part of this video is twofold...when the 27,000 dollar price tag of the NAIM system is mentioned and the number flashes on the screen, the anvil like sound effect that accompanied it 😆 Just want to say I appreciate those little touches, they add flair to your videos and I freaking love it. 👍 Also, to hear that the Ever Solo is probably going to get a full review, I'm so dang pumped, it may end up being the first audio product I buy in well over a year. The NAIM stuff looks great, just not in my price range, but I still enjoy seeing products not in my range. Thanks again for the video and looking forward to the next one!
Great review as always. Seems like real nice gear. To each their own. All the best.
Appreciate you tuning in! Thanks for stopping by!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews of course. Your channel has been a must watch for me in the last few months , when I found it. Including others channels my great interest in audio in particular has been rekindled. I thank you and Kristi.
A $9000 pre amp with audible tweeter hiss? That is so much worse than getting a cheeseburger missing the bun. I can’t get past the price so it has to be mentioned.
Been down the naim route of hifii before had the 282 preamp that I’ve regretted selling a few times just something great about the way their stuff sounds. It’s also very easy to upgrade their boxes problem is that you land up eventually listening to the system rather than the music
I think it's better to choose Naim old classic series on a used market. It is possible to compose full naim system with NDX2 streamer, NAC202 pre, NAP200 DR power and Hicap power supply under 8000$ for everything. And for me it's a fair price for the sound it provides. If not to say bargain.
If you want a step up from an Atom just go to the Star (features) or the Nova (SQ) and just add speakers. Reasonable prices on 2nd hand market. I find the app pretty good compared to others and that’s important to me. Being able to turn the amp on and select music in the lounge when u are cooking in the kitchen is handy. And the general layout works for me. The app is much more stable now than it used to be. I’m waiting for a Chord streamer/pre-amp with good functionality/app, to come out. Minimum DAC spec at TT2 level. 🙏🙏🙏this would be my end game piece of gear. Thanks for doing the first “warts and all” 200 series by review👍👍Rich
I always assumed naim would pair best with focal. Seemed like they were “tuned” for each other
Loved this review. It’s super helpful to get a feeling for what manufacturers do with their flagships.
Glad it was helpful!
I guess its not, if you believe the 200 classics series is their flagship.
Flagship......not even close.
Is it $22,000 better than the 80 watt naim Unity Nova?
Not really
By investing a little more I’ll definitely go for Jeff Rowland Daemon Integrated amplifier. It’s a piece of audiophile art 🖼️. Just look at this beauty.
I am good with my XSP-1, DR1 monoblocks with a Node 2i. I commit, what some say is the ultimate sin, I use Cornwall IVs with Emotiva. Love it
I watched this cause I have the NAC 202/NAP 200 but I got used. It really is amazing. I like not having tone controls 🤣🤣🤣.
I can only dream about the new classic 200.
$9000 power supply...I almost feel bad for the people that are fooled into paying that much for a solely visual piece.
but for the price of just 1 unit like the amp, I could have a very nice full 7.2 home theater with an upgraded TV lol.
It's total madness. Especially with the hiss from the tweeters.
I would blacklist the company if they offered me to review that thing lmao
@@sammy10001 What would blacklisting do?
@@KristiWright Make him feel better :)
Imagine Naim’s profit with every sold unit 🥂
Sorry, the price is too much to get past. Seems nice but to have a buzz/noise with speakers like Klipsch, that's also a deal breaker. No excuse to have that at that price.
Exactly
For 27G’s, I’d want it to get me a beer from the fridge!😂
😅
For $27g could probably get Metallica to play your garage!
Beautiful products. Hilarious pricing.
Based on your impressions, the price and the feature set there isn't much positive to say about it aside from the looks. It might be interesting for you go over the technical design at least a bit to at least get an idea of what is going on internally to justify this price (and maybe explain the noise floor). I also have major problems with the fact that the streaming is built into the pre-amp, as gear like this should last for decades but no software updates are going to keep a streaming platform going as long as this would be a perfectly fine pre-amp and DAC.
Preamps with streaming, HDMI and phono stage are hard to find. Would have loved the design of the Naim, but no HDMI is a dealbreaker for me.
I received a Samsung TV as an anniversary gift from my employer. The TV has only two HDMI ports, one to connect a soundbar and the other for some sort of an input. True it's only based on one example but it seems as if manufacturers are going to streaming only (forget standalone sources) and consider HDMI unimportant, not the hip thing. Is there much of a market for DVD players anymore?
If there's virtually no difference in audio, NAIM's alleged negligence in not offering HDMI doesn't seem severe.
I don’t know anyone that would use this with their TV, so the complaint of no HDMI seems ridiculous.
Anything above the Uniti series is a waste of money. That said, when the Atom was $3990 in Australia it was a solid buy. Now its $6000. Lots of competition at that price point. NAD M10 V2 and Yamaha R2000A below it, and NAD M33 above it, among others.
NAD (any) aren’t in the same universe. I tested the M10 V2 and M33 against a Uniti Nova and they were decimated, even with Dirac.
Simaudio has the 390 + matching power amp as an alternative at around 10.000. Pricewise comparible with the Naim set is their new 700 north series. They both have HDMI. Naim has excellent sound but their pice policy is questionable. .
Most cars are more expensive. But then again, most cars comeceith speakers. And tone control. And wheels and an engine. Enjoyed the review, and for now will stick with my mass market onkyo network capable receiver. No tweater hum.
Weird test, sry to say. So you guys found it sounded “really great”, “also on the Klipsch” (quite a no-go pairing), “especially for ppl who listen music for the emotional reason” (or similar), but: “want silver..”, “who is this for?”, “no tone controls”, “the price”.. jeez. My conclusion: this combo definitely is not for you. By far not. Then, how would you judge on it? Its like holding a Rolex Explorer and saying “its ok, but it doesn’t do what my G-shock can, so I wonder who’s paying for that?” - to whom do you address your findings? The G-shock community? The Rolex fan-boys?
PS: the cherry on the cake: compare source & amp with active speakers with integrated source.
Since you brought up B&O Beolab 28, which I might have ignored as a "system" ... but you are right and I've loved them ever since seeing them ... that said, KEF LS60 has been my backup to the B&O 28. I certainly wouldn't buy anything without HDMI or other compromises at that price point ... or any price point, really, given alternatives. So not sure the value proposition Naim was going for here. Usually in a no compromise system (that these seem to be - from Naim's standpoint, I assume, given the price) has all the features customers want or didn't know they want. I do appreciate the design and finish - but left scratching my head on features.
I almost brought up the 60s in our conversation...they're definitely a more price friendly alternative to the 28s.
I had to send a Naim Uniti Star back to the source because the included CD ripper created files with audio dropouts. Not acceptable. I kept the NAD M10 v2 that I was A/B ing with it and rip files on my PC just fine.
I loved the Naim, but their inability to address the [common and old] dropout issue convinced me that they just didn’t care. That indifference put me off, considering the asking price.
The NAD has been faultless.
Appreciate you sharing your experience!
I was curious how long to you test a item? I found every new amplifier sounds. It's best after around 4 months.
We lived with this setup for (I think) about 8-9 weeks straight.
Count how much during your lifetime you will be spending money on cars which bleed money, now use only 80% of that amount on more reasonable vehicles (even better if you live in a country/area where car is not even necessary) and then you will easily have a dream audio system which will touch those deep deep emotions. Win/win scenario. 😎 Also: A great video, well done!
And you still have enough to upgrade the transformer feeding electricity to the home.
Well you know, I've always been of the opinion that amplifiers or sources with a bit of noise made the music more lifelike and more natural and more soulful in my opinion. Every time I've heard a component that is squeaky clean quiet to me I just can't help but get the feeling that comes across the sort of lifeless, and like I said as soon as I stick something back in that just has that hair bit of noise to it all that life and soul of the music comes back.
And you know I guess that's always been My predilection and preference with Rega gear, because yes they have that hair bit of noise but by having that noise in my opinion you just get more life to the music and more truth comes through. I mean I know that sounds kind of hokey and cliche somewhat but honestly that's what I hear and that's what I've heard and so ultimately that's my preference.
Of course not to disparage anybody Else choice, because far be it for me to be the arbiter of sound.
I know what you mean. For me though, going in the opposite direction is really hard now. Spending years with something with incredibly low noise and amazing clarity makes the ‘more soulful’ stuff sound a bit… muffled? Maybe it’s all in my head 😅
@@jonnyfinlay5665no I get it, and like I said I'm not disparaging nothing but, and this is just my theory on it, but when you take away that noise you're taking away some aspect of the music with it and yes you get better clarity and yes you can have a lower noise floor but at the end of the day you just are also taking away that extra bit of life out of the music. Now don't give me wrong like I said I'm not knocking anybody who feels otherwise but, and I know this to be fact, you can have your cake and eat it too, however it is quite costly
It has always been the case that you will hear noise with naim products. It is a design choice well documented and discussed on the naim forum. I do not like it neither, nor always keeping the products on.
@@Audiorevue Absolutely. I suppose this is what we all love. Dissecting the minutia 😅
@@jonnyfinlay5665 no doubt, that's what keeps me up at night
Absolutely insane price, that's all i have to say. Have a great day !
Appreciate you dropping by!
So, should I consider the amp as an upgrade over my existing 15 year old Naim Nait? Current DAC is a Loxjie so not a typical Naim owner.