Ordering from UK to USA

I feel your pain in the extra cost to buy in the US. Their is definitely a extra cost to buy. We get hurt by the exchange rate twice itcwould seem. UK to CDN to US. 

But I can tell you I had excellent warranty service by Audio Plus Services. I had a ten year old UnitiQute that was sold to me as a dealer Demo. The display went bad before that warranty should have been up. Again, it turned out my unit was 10 years old. They took care of my unit under warranty. 

All I'm saying is that cutting out the importer may save you some money, but you may regret it in the long run. 

Theoretically, at least, Naim dealers in the UK should not sell new items directly to the US. Primarily for ethical reasons - undermines the US dealers' and the importer's price structures and puts them at a competitive disadvantage. You should support your local dealer if you want continued brick and mortar Naim presence in the US. I've seen that Naim presence diminish in the Seattle area compared to what it was just 6-7 years ago.

The reason that Naim's presence in the USA is declining is that they have priced themselves out of the market.  The Unity Nova I am interested in ends up only being a couple hundred dollars cheaper than the Macintosh Ma8900 integrated.  No dealer I have spoken to will discount Naim, and in one case the same dealer will discount Mcintosh 15%.  I get that the Naim has a built in streamer, but I could pick up the excellent Bluesound node to complement the Mcintosh and still come in at a price in the same ballpark.  The big benefit of the Mcintosh (besides being significantly more powerful) is that it holds its value so well in relation to Naim.

Mike, I agree that Naim is expensive in the US.  But I advise you not to buy McIntosh solely on the basis of price.  I recently demoed a McIntosh system at an NYC dealer and almost fell asleep.  In my opinion, McIntosh is Lexus (at best), Naim is BMW.

aht posted:

In my opinion, McIntosh is Lexus (at best), Naim is BMW.

Having never been in either make of vehicle, that analogy is completely lost on me. OTOH, if you'd simply have said it was like your old Kenmore washing machine compared to your new GE washer, I'd completely understand.

Linn and Naim are both overpriced in the US. I thought we might see some savings given the weakness of GBP but it appears we get the opposite result.

The difference in price is not trivial. When I priced out the Linn system I was getting charged something like $25,000 more than the same system in London. I suppose that is pocket change for most people buying a nearly $100,000 HiFi but I hate being "ripped off". I calculated I could fly to London, stay in a nice hotel for a week, buy the system, ship it to US, and pay all duties/taxes, and still pocket around $15,000. What would I lose? The warranty. Is a warranty really that valuable?

If I were to buy SL cables then I would definitely fly to London vs a US based dealer. The markup really is that bad.

Kevin Richardson posted:

Linn and Naim are both overpriced in the US. I thought we might see some savings given the weakness of GBP but it appears we get the opposite result.

I mostly agree, but you need to factor in the lag time; price when the gear was imported, how long it sat in a warehouse, and when the dealer ordered it. The dealer will be paying the price from when the item was imported. Maybe orders are filled in real-time (or just-in-time) these days. Sent individually? Doubt it but I don't know. Plus there's additional overhead involved in the extra supply chain. Folks working for wages, shipping and such.

For keeping costs down and buying within North America, besides McIntosh, Krell and Bryston are also good ones to consider.

Just to add to the above, universal voltage is rare within Naim gear and conversion is expensive. OTOH, running a dedicated 240-V circuit in US homes is relatively inexpensive. Any US home with an electric clothes dryer or range already has 240-V circuits and most fuse boxes are overbuilt to readily accept the additional breakers. Barring excessively long runs of wire or difficult access circumstances, something that can be done for circa $500 by a certified electrician.

it's a big audio market and Naim is by no means the most expensive, 

You have to look at performance..... what you pay vs what you get.

I never like any american audio brands FWIW, only British hi-fi for me.

British hi-fi got the right understanding about musical replay, the sound of  American hi-fi doesn't appeal to me and American Hi-Fi Magazines seem hopelessly biased towards american companies. 

The Naim factory is not a big one, they are flat out supplying the whole world, and anyway Naim was always a niche within hi-fi for the lucky ones who could hear it, understand it, and afford it - well there was always a Nait though.

We're lucky now to have access to Atoms and Muso's - and Naits for those who can't afford the big hi-end systems.

Look at prices of FM acoustics, if you want to see how much that costs. 

Quality ain't cheap.

The warranty is worth it, and one should support their local dealer who will in turn support you when it comes time to servicing and repairs.

The Naim kit at all levels from Nait to 500 series can delight, provided it is set up properly.

And that's where the dealer is worth the money, as it me a long time to figure out the small details to make Naim sing, and it honestly is worth the extra money to have your local dealer set it up in your home.

Kevin Richardson posted:

What would I lose? The warranty. Is a warranty really that valuable?

You have to ask??

Bear in mind that Naim kit is made for a specific voltage.  Changing from say 230V 50Hz to 115V 60Hz usually means either an internal rewire, re-fuse, and re-label at the factory or the distributor, or sometimes an completely different transformer.  If the latter, then the cost can be up to half or more of the original cost.  

Quite apart from the fact that if you buy in the UK then you're on your own with the installation in the US, then, what happens if you have a problem?  No matter how well you try to guard against premature failure of a component, sometimes "stuff" happens, and it's one reason why the manufacturer guarantees the kit.  If you buy from a UK dealer then that's with whom you have the guarantee.  A US dealer or distributor won't cover it as they never received anything for it from the initial sale.  So you would either have to pay full price for any repair Stateside or have to ship back to the UK with all the costs and customs issues to face, which would be down to you.  It could very easily turn into a rather costly nightmare.  Naim doesn't want anyone to have that kind of ownership experience, so they would very strongly advise that you buy from a local dealer who can offer you the best support.

AM,

Your comments in this discussion play as rather lost due to your continually stating an overt predilection for Naim and their no-wrong architecture. That with no appreciation of relative cost to exotic consumers. Housing construction and listener expectations in the US differ compared to Europe. Add import costs.

As for "you have to look at performance", that's simply relative to the ear and wallet of the beholder. As if North American buyers have no ear for 'performance'.

Any modicum of non-Naim objectivity you could proffer might add a slight air of credibility to what you post here. Then again, there's your legacy to overcome.

analogmusic posted:

it's a big audio market and Naim is by no means the most expensive, 

You have to look at performance..... what you pay vs what you get.

I never like any american audio brands FWIW, only British hi-fi for me.

British hi-fi got the right understanding about musical replay, the sound of  American hi-fi doesn't appeal to me and American Hi-Fi Magazines seem hopelessly biased towards american companies. 

The Naim factory is not a big one, they are flat out supplying the whole world, and anyway Naim was always a niche within hi-fi for the lucky ones who could hear it, understand it, and afford it - well there was always a Nait though.

We're lucky now to have access to Atoms and Muso's - and Naits for those who can't afford the big hi-end systems.

Look at prices of FM acoustics, if you want to see how much that costs. 

Quality ain't cheap.

The warranty is worth it, and one should support their local dealer who will in turn support you when it comes time to servicing and repairs.

The Naim kit at all levels from Nait to 500 series can delight, provided it is set up properly.

And that's where the dealer is worth the money, as it me a long time to figure out the small details to make Naim sing, and it honestly is worth the extra money to have your local dealer set it up in your home.

 

 

Except in my case I don't have a local dealer that stocks Naim. I end up paying the 40% US markup for nothing. If I want to demo a 282/552/300 or just about anything, I need to buy it and they'll place an order. With that kind of service I should get close to wholesale pricing.

They wouldn't even let me demo a powerline. I told them if they sold me one at cost, so I could demo it , then I'd buy 3 more @ retail if I liked it. No dice on that one. The local dealer makes owning Naim pretty inconvenient.

Its not that North American buyers don’t appreciate performance. They do. Otherwise porsche Bmw and Mercedes wouldn’t sell as many cars in Usa

but like German cars, British hi fi is really , really special.

Ultimately joe rand the pricing is set by your North America distributor and dealers not by naim.

joerand posted:

Kevin Richardson posted:

Linn and Naim are both overpriced in the US. I thought we might see some savings given the weakness of GBP but it appears we get the opposite result.

I mostly agree, but you need to factor in the lag time; price when the gear was imported, how long it sat in a warehouse, and when the dealer ordered it. The dealer will be paying the price from when the item was imported. Maybe orders are filled in real-time (or just-in-time) these days. Sent individually? Doubt it but I don't know. Plus there's additional overhead involved in the extra supply chain. Folks working for wages, shipping and such.

For keeping costs down and buying within North America, besides McIntosh, Krell and Bryston are also good ones to consider.

I would definitely put Krell on your list of possibilities. 

We suffer the same problem in reverse in the U.K. with imported Krell, but it’s still good value, proving you enjoy their sound.

OTOH, i’m At a loss as to how an importer, distributer, dealer in the USA or Canada can survive and justify a price that exceeds an individual making a transatlantic flight etc to buy a one-off set including U.K. warranty and still have more than enough to be able to return product under warranty if necessary !

Don Atkinson posted:

I would definitely put Krell on your list of possibilities. 

We suffer the same problem in reverse in the U.K. with imported Krell, but it’s still good value, proving you enjoy their sound.

OTOH, i’m At a loss as to how an importer, distributer, dealer in the USA or Canada can survive and justify a price that exceeds an individual making a transatlantic flight etc to buy a one-off set including U.K. warranty and still have more than enough to be able to return product under warranty if necessary !

Probably because Naim represent only a small part of the North American distributor brands and is targeted towards nostalgic baby boomers who didn't have the dough to treat themselves with a six pack a few decades ago.

cat345 posted:

Don Atkinson posted:

I would definitely put Krell on your list of possibilities. 

We suffer the same problem in reverse in the U.K. with imported Krell, but it’s still good value, proving you enjoy their sound.

OTOH, i’m At a loss as to how an importer, distributer, dealer in the USA or Canada can survive and justify a price that exceeds an individual making a transatlantic flight etc to buy a one-off set including U.K. warranty and still have more than enough to be able to return product under warranty if necessary !

$$$$$$!$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!$$$$$$$

{Probably because Naim represent only a small part of the North American distributor brands and is targeted towards nostalgic baby boomers who didn't have the dough to treat themselves with a six pack a few decades ago. }

Sounds about right cat345!

Cdx2>282>HCDR>3 x 250.2>Briks

All Pre-loved, and in the Market for Snaxo, and SC 2.

I've Dealt with Audio Plus, Naim's North America Repair Facility, a fine Bunch!

In Fact, a thread was honoring Eric, who incidentally, transformed my Cdx2 earlier this year with a new laser optical lens.

Ok, where am I going with this, I got an quote on converting 230V to 115V.

Soooooo!  I would imagine it's safe, I search for deals daily.

Allante93!

PS. Tom Tom, Signals, Cymbolis, Private, UK, Germany!

Canada was great with the exchange rate, but that was 2014/2015, before the price adjustments.

I would not do it.  Zero access to warranty service is not worth it.  I would much sooner buy used equipment.  Buy clean, used equipment at the RIGHT price.

Naim gear is systematically 20% up vs UK prices in South Europe as well...haven’t checked German Dutch etc Northern Europe prices...

If you do buy used here in the States, be assured that service is available.  There is great service here in the States.

So Nova is the item in question. 

The US Price is basically an extra £1,000 or $1,340  

I have been wanting a CDX2 - difference is £1,300. 

Bart posted:

If you do buy used here in the States, be assured that service is available.  There is great service here in the States.

audioplusservices.com

An Excellent Staff!

Allante93!

Brubacca posted:

I feel your pain in the extra cost to buy in the US. Their is definitely a extra cost to buy. We get hurt by the exchange rate twice itcwould seem. UK to CDN to US. 

 

But I can tell you I had excellent warranty service by Audio Plus Services. I had a ten year old UnitiQute that was sold to me as a dealer Demo. The display went bad before that warranty should have been up. Again, it turned out my unit was 10 years old. They took care of my unit under warranty. 

All I'm saying is that cutting out the importer may save you some money, but you may regret it in the long run. 

Thanks for your good words Brubacca,

There are no such things as double exchange rate, Canadian money is not involved in our transaction with Naim... only for Canadians buyers.