Naim votes 'remain' for Classic Series

Nigel - I dropped you an email about it 

There will be more distinct sub branding with the goal of journeying a subset of customers through the sub brands to arrive at the separates which apparently best embody the Naim 'DNA'. This differentiation will be deliberate so as to help avoid confusion between the products and not to risk diluting the separates DNA.

The statement/Muso type dial that we will see on the new Uniti products will be ideally suited for scenarios where the device is thought unlikely to be mounted in a rack - i.e. more a lifestyle type placement on a table or sideboard.

I would be very happy to have the new platform architecture (electronics) but retain something close to the form & size of the current classic chassis,  form & fit & to approximate other equipment is most important.  However I suspect the biggest stumbling block with be the green or white logo,  a stack with a mix of both & maybe in different positions in the case will be most odd & I suspect that will cause more grief than a tiny chunk of plastic has a right too.

Happy to hear that the Classic Series will not disappear 

As the Unitis are designed as stand alone products there seems little reason to mix them with Classic boxes. The only exception is perhaps the Core, but that can be put somewhere else in the house anyway. The Core is taller than Classic boxes and apparently will only just squeeze into a standard Fraim level. 

As part of the rationalisation that Simon refers to above it would seem sensible to give the black box range a jolly good pruning. There's far too much stuff and confusing, overlapping, products. There must surely be some things that hardly ever sell. 

I think I would be great if they just add color screen to classics and don't change the case or anything

There you go a modern classic

Emre posted:

I think I would be great if they just add color screen to classics and don't change the case or anything

There you go a modern classic

 

Your wish is Naim's ........

I'm pretty sure that the Classic box line will have a new design as well :-) Just think about a new NDS with the great display of Uniti. I LOVE the idea!!!

Emre posted:

I think I would be great if they just add color screen to classics and don't change the case or anything

There you go a modern classic

 

Just get an HDX!

HDX is - basically- a great idea! Now add some bigger drives, DSD, Qobuz, Tidal and roon and remove DAC section- voila as the italian say...

T38.45 posted:

HDX is - basically- a great idea! Now add some bigger drives, DSD, Qobuz, Tidal and roon and remove DAC section- voila as the italian say...

 

Nope, 372 with classic looks and a color screen is what I have in my Mind!  Ithe is not I am a fan of Colur screens,  I don't care, but I don't like to see any radical change in classic line, colur screen is not a radical Change! 

Those new colour screens are far sexier - and they, Naim, have spent huge design effort to reduce electrical noise with the new displays in the new products..

For classic series with modern case the big screen need a separate psu just for it?  Psu? Oh psu case will change too? It's interesting how will naim will do this, if they use that big screens on classics means all the naim philosophy will change. 

Adi Stefan posted:

For classic series with modern case the big screen need a separate psu just for it?  Psu? Oh psu case will change too? It's interesting how will naim will do this, if they use that big screens on classics means all the naim philosophy will change. 

Perhaps a small PSU akin to the NAPSC?

The big screen won't fit on the standard classic units ... they would have to be taller surely?  Just looking at my 272 ... wondering if you increased the height, if the screen would fit the right side of the classic triptych design, then keep the volume control on the left and added the control buttons to that side too - an evolution to the classic design but perhaps an elegant one.  I can't think any other way of doing it without a complete redesign of the looks.  Of course the alternative is if the new streaming platform is flexible enough that it can feed the current green screen for the Classic range which could permit easier (cheaper?) upgrades to Classic MkII streaming. 

Eloise posted:

Adi Stefan posted:

For classic series with modern case the big screen need a separate psu just for it?  Psu? Oh psu case will change too? It's interesting how will naim will do this, if they use that big screens on classics means all the naim philosophy will change. 

Perhaps a small PSU akin to the NAPSC?

The big screen won't fit on the standard classic units ... they would have to be taller surely?  Just looking at my 272 ... wondering if you increased the height, if the screen would fit the right side of the classic triptych design, then keep the volume control on the left and added the control buttons to that side too - an evolution to the classic design but perhaps an elegant one.  I can't think any other way of doing it without a complete redesign of the looks.  Of course the alternative is if the new streaming platform is flexible enough that it can feed the current green screen for the Classic range which could permit easier (cheaper?) upgrades to Classic MkII streaming. 

Surely, Naim being Naim, a separate box colour screen (with offboard PSU) would be the way forward? Oh, hang on! They already did that.....it's called the Naim app for iPad.

T38.45 posted:

I'm pretty sure that the Classic box line will have a new design as well :-) Just think about a new NDS with the great display of Uniti. I LOVE the idea!!!

Perhaps you should re-read the quote above. The point is that the Classic range is not changing its look. 

ChrisSU posted:

Surely, Naim being Naim, a separate box colour screen (with offboard PSU) would be the way forward? Oh, hang on! They already did that.....it's called the Naim app for iPad.

Well personally I'm quite happy with the mono screen on the 272 and an iPad ... perhaps Naim will just follow that same path.

Ironically (thinking now) when the Squeezebox Touch came out everyone (well lots of people) were like "why does it need a big screen ... we just want to use a separate tablet to control it"

Eloise posted:

ChrisSU posted:

Surely, Naim being Naim, a separate box colour screen (with offboard PSU) would be the way forward? Oh, hang on! They already did that.....it's called the Naim app for iPad.

Well personally I'm quite happy with the mono screen on the 272 and an iPad ... perhaps Naim will just follow that same path.

Ironically (thinking now) when the Squeezebox Touch came out everyone (well lots of people) were like "why does it need a big screen ... we just want to use a separate tablet to control it"

I agree, I never look at the screen on my NDX unless I'm in the settings menu where there's no other option. Even a larger colour screen is something I'd prefer not to have, and I'd prefer it if they didn't start putting them on any new Classic boxes in the future.

ChrisSU posted:

Eloise posted:

ChrisSU posted:

Surely, Naim being Naim, a separate box colour screen (with offboard PSU) would be the way forward? Oh, hang on! They already did that.....it's called the Naim app for iPad.

Well personally I'm quite happy with the mono screen on the 272 and an iPad ... perhaps Naim will just follow that same path.

Ironically (thinking now) when the Squeezebox Touch came out everyone (well lots of people) were like "why does it need a big screen ... we just want to use a separate tablet to control it"

I agree, I never look at the screen on my NDX unless I'm in the settings menu where there's no other option. Even a larger colour screen is something I'd prefer not to have, and I'd prefer it if they didn't start putting them on any new Classic boxes in the future.

I think we're in agreement...

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

Those new colour screens are far sexier - and they, Naim, have spent huge design effort to reduce electrical noise with the new displays in the new products..

 

Does that mean we may actually be able to leave the screens on?! I confess to being somewhat bemused by a) the advice to switch them off because of 'noise' and b) the high probability of a screen failure if you leave them on. 

Granted the only time I actually use the screen is when in set up mode, but even so a nice looking high res colour screen displaying album cover art would be rather pleasant, if not strictly necessary from a musical perspective.

Strange, HH has quoted from Signals, who must have it on good authority, that the classic range design will remain essentially unchanged and any new products in the Classic range will match the current Classic design.

But most (not all) seem to have ignored this and have speculated how the Classic design will change.

I do accept however that it is unclear if this consistancy of design will extend to the screens. Interesting!

So why did they bother with it in the new line at All? There must be a reason for it, I think it is not about usability but  just modern look

For the classics it is something they can add without chancing the case and look, make the classics little bit less classic and relaunch it without upsetting the old guys like us

Emre posted:

So why did they bother with it in the new line at All? There must be a reason for it, I think it is not about usability but  just modern look

For the classics it is something they can add without chancing the case and look, make the classics little bit less classic and relaunch it without upsetting the old guys like us

Because, I presume, being essentially lifestyle products, MuSo and Uniti need to compete with other, funkier looking lifestyle competitor products. If this is the case then the Uniti range was certainly in need of a fresh design and at the same time move over to the new platform.

I am not arguing one way or the other re a change to the Classic design. I merely commented that having an authoritative statement that the design will not be changing, most on this thread proceeded to speculate how the design will/might change.

nigelb posted:

Emre posted:

So why did they bother with it in the new line at All? There must be a reason for it, I think it is not about usability but  just modern look

For the classics it is something they can add without chancing the case and look, make the classics little bit less classic and relaunch it without upsetting the old guys like us

Because, I presume, being essentially lifestyle products, MuSo and Uniti need to compete with other, funkier looking lifestyle competitor products. If this is the case then the Uniti range was certainly in need of a fresh design and at the same time move over to the new platform.

I am not arguing one way or the other re a change to the Classic design. I merely commented that having an authoritative statement that the design will not be changing, most on this thread proceeded to speculate how the design will/might change.

Yes I agree maybe exception of core, it is not a lifestyle product

Emre posted:

nigelb posted:

Emre posted:

So why did they bother with it in the new line at All? There must be a reason for it, I think it is not about usability but  just modern look

For the classics it is something they can add without chancing the case and look, make the classics little bit less classic and relaunch it without upsetting the old guys like us

Because, I presume, being essentially lifestyle products, MuSo and Uniti need to compete with other, funkier looking lifestyle competitor products. If this is the case then the Uniti range was certainly in need of a fresh design and at the same time move over to the new platform.

I am not arguing one way or the other re a change to the Classic design. I merely commented that having an authoritative statement that the design will not be changing, most on this thread proceeded to speculate how the design will/might change.

Yes I agree maybe exception of core, it is not a lifestyle product

The Core is part of the Uniti range, not the Classic range. Anyway, servers are best kept away from Classic black boxes, on sonic grounds. If the Core is physically separated from Classic boxes there should be no design clash.

Perhaps I'm not reading this the same way as some . . . 

It doesn't say the Classic series won't be changing. It says that the Classic series will continue to have its own look (distinct from the Uniti/Muso/Statement), and that new products will match the current look. But 'match' doesn't mean 'no change'. 

They obviously couldn't apply the MuSo design wholesale anyway, as it won't work on a rack. 

For the streamers, they will presumably add at least the colour screen tech, which may or may not make the cases taller; it makes no sense to have a 'better' screen in the cheaper products than the more expensive ones. Plus there will have to be internal changes to apply the Uniti platform, which may affect the external layout.

My expectation was, and remains, that they will apply the Uniti platform to the streamers and pre/streamers and find a design language for all the front-facing products that will 'match' the current classics while still reflecting something of the Uniti feel. You may even get to choose whether you want a white or green logo!