New Naim developments & products in 2016 ?

Posted by: Disposable hero on 22 December 2015

Following some informal chat with a couple of retailers, it was remarked on that the Naim Mu-So has become quite popular and successful and that it may be more of a game-changer than anticipated.  They also commented on the idea of owning and assembling 'traditional separates' hi-fi systems (pre and power amps, add-on power supplies and some individual sources) which has been in a gradual but now increasing decline.  There are units selling, however not enough for a real long-term future.  The traditional 'separates concept' audiophile is a dying breed - quite literally dying owing to the typical age of the audiophiles.  Other areas will see more growth with younger buyers, such as the aforementioned Mu-So but alongside Uniti- style systems and network players.  Sort of like with Linn Audio who have reduced down their upgrading and expansion pathways, but offer combined units.

There is also the idea of Space Optimisation technology as what Linn are doing.  Possibly Naim will be developing new products to include this type of feature?  Is this something worth having?

It would be great to see a Reference level UnitiQute, perhaps the UnitiQute Ultra.  It could be as compact as the UnitiQute 2 but have enhanced DAC technology and new revamped amplification closer to the SuperNait 2, plus lifetime upgradability.  An ultimate one-box system for a pair of stereo speakers.

Posted on: 22 December 2015 by DavidDever

If you've got a young family with limited space, a small-footprint, high-performance wireless loudspeaker is going to make much more sense than a traditional hi-fi box component. And if said device delivers the musical performance while being relatively inexpensive, then it does change the game.

For point of comparison, the Sonos brand never really exploded into mainstream market consciousness until they had a range of wireless speakers that were capable of uncompressed Red Book streaming - they simply made box components along with a slick app with broad premium streaming service support.

Wireless is a big deal - and wired Ethernet is a great fallback for markets (such as metro New York) where the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands are saturated - this rules out Bluetooth-only solutions except at very short range, and certainly with compromised fidelity.

Posted on: 22 December 2015 by SongStream

While it is no doubt true that the traditional hifi market has continued to decline in recent years, it does not necessarily mean that people don't want it, it seems more the case that they don't know they want it.  And how would they?  If you had never been exposed to the difference kit like naim's could make to the way music is reproduced, then it would all look a bit ridiculous, even if you had the cash to spend.  Yet, despite this, Naim has seen significant turnover growth in recent years from what I can make out.

It seems to me that one of the biggest barriers to bringing people in to the world of high-end audio, is that most don't believe it can possibly sound that much better than what they have, relative to the cost anyway.  Exposing people to high-end performance is key to their potential realisation of the value in a black box that costs £3k for example.  The Muso, which seems to significantly out perform typical offerings in its territory, and being available in John Lewis and Apple stores, offers one route to demonstrating the performance step that is possible to a wider market.  Those customers that Naim gains through the Muso are no doubt going to be curious about other offerings from the brand.  

With products like the Muso and the Statement, Naim has done well to expand its presence at both ends of the hifi market.  I see neither as a step away from what they have done so well for the last 30 years.  Both are only likely to help them prosper, attract new blood, and ultimately lead to increased sales of the classics, and fund further development of them.  Well, that is my hope anyway, and I don't expect to be disappointed.

Therefore bring on the MusoQute I say.

Posted on: 22 December 2015 by The Strat (Fender)

Aren't they a tease with their marketing strategy?!