How Did you get to know Naim?

quote:

---

in UK, Naim is known but outside it's by chance?

---

By chance, indeed. I was in high school and was looking for a sweet Denon mini-system. As a lark, I went into a high-end store and saw my first Naim, a Nait 3 with its cool green logo lit up. Like tzk I thought it was rather Soviet looking and the price was shocking, to boot. During high-school and university I dreamed of owning that unattainable Nait. I had never heard it, I wanted it purely for looks.

After the mini-system broke, I went back to that hi-fi shop and bought into the Rega stuff, as that was equally Soviet looking, but cheaper (I bought stereos on the basis of looks back then).
Loved the sound of the Regas.
Someone (Rob Holt?) posted in the old forum that Rega was the poor man's Naim. So, after years of "upgrading" (my favorite word in the english language), I finally got that Nait 3.
Haven't looked back since.

Ciao!

Willem

It took a long while, maybe 5 years until I got to hear a Naim rig, and that was in the Doncaster show in 1994. Before then I heard plenty of Linn stuff and my local dealers - but for some reason they didn't have Naim gear in the downstair showroom area.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

Next I went to stay with friends down south for a week or two, and by chance met someone who had a maxed out Linn Naim system (LP12 / 32 / Snaps / 250 / Isobariks), so I went for a listen. Fantastic. This was the first time in my life I had heard recorded music sound in any way real. I was playing bass at the time in a band, so was well aquatinted with what real drums etc sounded like, and this system did it. I knew even more clearly that I wanted a Naim amp at this point, but I still could not afford one.

The band I was in started doubling up for gigs with another local band, and I became good friends with them. The drummer had a Logic DM101 / Syrinx PU2 and a really politically incorrect (but very good sounding) Naim 32 clone called a Amex which was powered by a very early DNM PSU, he ran this into a old bolt together Naim 160 and a either a pair of Gale 401 or Mk 1 Mission 770s dependant on his mood. Again a great system, other than the 160 blowing up every year or so this system rocked. My bet is that the preamp didn't have the filter network. He still has 401s, but now has a LP12 / Ittok / 32.5 / Hicap / 250 upstream.

My Naim ownership came a little later, and was a result of fate (unemployed bassists can't afford Naim kit, believe me!). I was living in a crappy flat in Liverpool which got burgled (as is the norm), and I landed a Xerxes / RB300 / Onix OA21 / Kan system as my entry to the flat earth world. Later on another relative died and left me enough to buy a 62 / 140, I later added a second hand Hicap, and this system took me from about 1988 to 1996 with no changes other than adding a Rotel CD player. By this time I had given music up as a attempted career and moved in to the infinitely more boring world of IT, which did mean I could actually afford to buy some kit now and again.

I now after much up / side / downgrading run a very simple and comparatively low end system of P9 / CDX / Nait 2 / Kan II. I guess it is actually quite a extreme system, musically it is fabulous, remarkable value for the money, but it is definitely on the bass light side of neutral.

Tony.

this was also the first time i met JV, who very politely introcued himself, asked me what sort of music i liked, and when i said Jazz, proceeded to recommend a lot of jazz records i hadnt heard about. felt a bit embarassed that i dint know quite a few of the records he recommended.

when i asked whether the nait may be underpowered, he said, yes, if you have a lot of noise coming from a poor record player -- it will definitely be underpowered. but when you have an lp12, power shouldnt be too much of a problem. you would get into trouble if you stupidly push the nait too hard. at which point he said "nice to have met you, please enjoy the show, and the music".

next, we find kc at the sound org in cathedral st, london, demoing equipment he could not afford (32/snaps/250). the rest is history...

enjoy

ken

I could never afford their equipment new, my LP12 had seemed an incredible amount of money at the time, but front end first was (still is!) important.

One of the staff at my dealers offered me a Nait1 at an affordable price and I haven't looked back since. I still use that amp daily.

The main system has been taken over by 5 series kit though, with the odd SNAPS, a Prefix and a DIY PSU.

Andy.

Tim

The sound was that bad til a friend comes up with a NAP250. Well that was it.

Then bought my first naim gear a 250 (SN 2000). Was in use til '95 as I changed to 52/135.

Cheers
Hermann

Strange how other's have mentioned the distinctive logo. All my friends commented what a great design it was. I think Naim would be mad to get rid of it (so keep it please!).

Steve

Alex

The pamphlet compared the loudest comfortable volume that various amps could produce. The 250 came in a poor last, despite being most expensive.

The next time was in 1987 or '88 when I was looking for a cheap integrated to replace my Dynaco SCA80Q. Nothing sounded great to me; everything sounded bad to my wife. (At the time, spending $300 on anything required a joint decision!)

I asked the salesman (John, Pro Musica in Chicago) to play the best electronics he had in the room. THAT sounded fine, and it was Naim. I ended up with a Musical Fidelity A1 from Victor's Stereo, but I wanted Naim after hearing it and got my 62/140 in 1993.

Phil

Anyway I used to enjoy reading Hifi Answers and building turntables and arms (I still have the pickup arm that dangled from its wires....). The editor was Paul Benson and for some reason he got radical.

In one issue a reader's question was answered by an anonymous contributor in a 'allocate similar amounts of money to turntable/amp/speakers' type of vein (Planar3/A&R A60/Something). The next page was a 'that was complete bollocks, here's why' source-first riposte from the editor, recommending LP12/Rega/NAD3020/Videotone Minimax as an absolutely better system. I thought this was pretty interesting.

Another time PB reported on a brief stay in Salisbury where he built his own 32/SNAPS/250. For some reason I was now pretty sold on the idea of Rega/Linn/Naim, although still I'd never heard a proper hifi.

The clincher was the cover on an issue that detailed contributors systems, PB's LP12/Grace/Supex, 32/SNAPS/250, some big tape deck and loads of records. 20 years later I actually bought a second hand copy of the Linda Ronstadt LP that was on show at the front of this collection, purely for nostalgic reasons of course.... (Actually I've just dug it up, 'Simple Dreams' from 1977, contains a cover of 'Tumbling Dice' and was mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab, perhaps old PB was on to something?)

Anyway some small number of years later, perhaps 1982, I had some means and opportunity and took a trip to Gulliford Hifi in a farmyard deep in Devon, with the intention of purchasing a Planar 3. This was the first time I heard an LP12, I bought the Rega (in stock!) but it was obviously only a stop gap.

Fortunately a second hand LP12/LVX turned up a year or so later, shortly afterwards another trip to the farmyard produced a Naim 42/110. Which I think answers the question at the top of the thread....

That's now nearer 20 years ago than 15. I no longer own any Naim other than a pre-SNAIC cable and some NACA4 and NACA5. Another story.

Paul

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

In sheer desperation, I ventured into a shop that I knew sold EXPENSIVE stuff. The salesman asked what I was after, and what my budget was, and proceeded to explain how building a system works.
He asked if I would consider buying one component at a time (due to limited budget), and I told him yes if it sounds good enough to justify the price.

He dem'd several amps for me and finally came the Nait3. I bought it on the spot and have been upgrading slowly ever since.

Graeme

The thing that grabbed me then was the speed of everything. I could have sworn that he was running the deck at 35rpm. We spent the afternoon going through loads of records until with a buzz and a pop one of the ES14's expired. He was suitably apologetic and started making frantic phone calls. About a week later Robin Marshall turned up at my front door with fixed and modded ES14's in tow and helped install and set them up with my new Naim gear.

The "have a listen to this" gambit caught me once before. I went to audition a replacement cartridge (remember when you could do that?) for my Planar 3. Choice was made (a Dynavector DV 10X4 IIRC) and the dealer nips upstairs to fit it leaving me to amuse myself with his Sondek. Doh! Another unplanned card bashing ...

A friend of went to Music Fidelity dealer and was sitting 2 meters away and said ... 'so how was it? MF have 5 star rating by Hi-Fi mag. Trust me it's good'. My friend walked out and went to the local NA dealer and was allowed to listen to his CDs for 2 hours. He returned to place an order for CD5,Nait5,FC2 and Fraim!!

Roland

Two years ago, a friend of mine (also an occasional contributor on this forum - Brad a.k.a. SoundZero) invited me over to his place to listen to a couple (get this) ... records . I couldn't understand why anyone would listen to a record in this day and age, given the 'perfect' sound of CDs.

Well, much to my amazement, I had never heard any recorded sound before that sounded so alive and energetic. His setup at the time LP12/32.5/110/Kan II eventually became mine as he began to upgrade his Naim kit and sold bits and pieces to me.

Two years later, I now have 750+ LPs, understand the significance of dedicated power supplies, and am eagerly awaiting delivery of a used CD3.5.

Listening to recorded music on Naim equipment (and an LP12) was a major revelation to me. Previously, I enjoyed music for background noise. Now, I eagerly and purposefully sit down and _listen_ to the music.

The fog has lifted.

Erik

I grew up in a home where hi-fi and classical music was around ever since I can remember. I remember my father building his Eico ST70 tube integrated in about 1960, the discussion regarding the merits of tube vs. solid-state between my father and mother around 1963-64, my father trading his Eico in for one of the first solid-state integrated's, his keeping it for one day and taking it back to get his Eico tube unit back (it had already been purchased) but he was able fairly quickly to replace it with another Eico tube unit. I remember how big a deal it was when he bought his AR speakers, his Dual 1019 turntable (back in the day when the "big" dual was considered on a par with the AR turntable, around 1966. Fortunately or unfortunately my father never heard anything "really" decent, like quads and never chose to upgrade to really "high-end" equipment, like Macintosh.

But when I went away to college in the mid '70's I inherited that old Eico and some klh model 17 speakers (or EPI 100's, anyone remember those?) bought a pioneer PL12 (geddit?) turntable. Used all that gear 'til around '89 when, facing the need to buy a cd player, ended up hearing an lp12 for the first time. In auditioning LP12's I kept bumping into this weird looking stuff with the backlit logo. After getting my LP 12 and auditioning all kinds of gear (some of it excellent) I realized that the only time I was really relaxing when I listened to the music was when it was the Naim boxes. The first time was with a Nait II at a little dealer who went bust in Atlanta. Anybody remember Bob Krapfl? A true gentleman. Later on a nait II/62/140--62/hicap/140 demo at Hawthorne stereo (way back in the day when Hawthorne had 3 stores) finally convinced me that this was the real shit. Being geographically "in the middle of nowhere" in E. Tennessee at that time, I was finally able to get my satisfaction from Gene Rubin (California) and Promusica (chicago). MMMMmmmmmm, . In my travels I've probably visited more naim dealers than most, absorbing and learning all the while. Thank God for Naim. It shows what fanatical attention and complete devotion can produce.

Fun to think about those old days!!! Keep the stories coming!!!

First time I heard Naim was in the late eighties, again at Jeffries. My family and I popped in out of interest and the nice man simply played some music through this diminutive little Nait2. I was smitten and my dad just looked at me in disbelief. He remains a heathen (DVD/Yamaha surround amp/Bose), I've moved on into Naim (62/90 followed by 82/Hicap/250) and out, but who knows - perhaps back in next year...

You're right about the nostalgia. I am 'kind of' haunted by the memory of that first listen in Jeffries.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

quote:

---

Funnily enough, I bought Zappa's Guitar and Sheik Yerbourti - both conspicuous in their presence on that famous Naim/Mana shot of Malcolm Steward's kit.

---

I have both those, on vinyl no less, but I have no recollection at all of any famous Naim/Mana shot.

I shall probably do some excavating soon and see whether any of those early articles are worth revealing. A run of 'Subjective Sounds' from HFN would definitely be worth putting on the web, but I don't have more than one or two of the old yellow HFN.

Paul

This is a wonderful subject. I'm too new to Naim to contribute one of these little histories (wanted a better cdplayer and wound up spending twice the amount i'd figured - but, boy, that sound!), but they make great reading. Keep 'em coming!

About 6 years ago a friend of mine got a Nait-2.
He hooked it up to a Rega Planar-3 and some El Cheapo Mission 760 speakers on Target stands.

he invited me for a listen and I'll never forget that day. Since that day I promised myself that I would get me a nait-2 as soon as a s/h came on my path.
And so it did, about two years ago,for only 140,- UKP, in mint condition.

After the Nait-2 I swapped my Marantz CD63KI (thoug very good in it's price range) for a Naim CD-3.5
After that I got me used flatcap to hook up to my 3.5 and just recently I'm the proud owner of a mint, "used" (well,more like demo) CDX.

So, that's my story so far...

Greetings,
Alco