How Did you get to know Naim?

Posted by: Roland Huu on 13 December 2001

Well someone asked how long have you owned your Naim gears lately...

Just a curious question of how did some of you get to know Naim gears? I know among hi-fi buff in UK, Naim is known but outside it's by chance?

I got to know about Naim (hi-fi mag) 2 months before leaving for home after studying in UK for 3 years . Dropped into Graham Hi-Fi on one of my trips to London and was smitten by Nait3 and CD3!! Could only afford the CD player before I left. After 7 years and several upgrades I'm almost at the setup I want.

Thanks for the gears Naim... it's been wonderful.

Merry Christmas
Roland

Posted on: 16 December 2001 by lplover

Early 1984. A hifi friend of mine invited me over to his house to hear his new hifi. Turned out to be an LP12-Ittok-Asak/42-110/KEF103.2. It was easily the best sound I had ever heard and I was very impressed with the two little black boxes with the big "goofy-looking" knobs. I was hooked and immediately bought my own 42-110. Have not owned any other amplification since.

Mark

Posted on: 16 December 2001 by Mike Sae

quote:
Needed music to put second baby to sleep. Auditioned Nait3. Settled for 102/180.

How many FEPS does James lose for buying a 102/180 for use as a soother?

Posted on: 16 December 2001 by JohnS

Gosh, so many good reminiscences posted already.
I remember when I thought my Sony slimline kit was the dog's, then I walked into some place on Tottenham Ct Rd, my friend asked to hear the good stuff and they were playing LP12 into six-pack Isobariks. F**k me. It was magical.
I still think I am chasing the impossible dream. My stereo will never sound how I remember that kit sounding.

College: Heybrook TT2, Quantum pre/power, Heybrook HB2s

First job/21st: LP12/Basik/K9, 42/110, HB2s

Went to local (Colchester) dealer: LP12/Ittok/K18, 62/140

Moved to the US and got upgraditis: CD3.5, FlatCap, NAC82, NAP250, SuperCap, CDX, XPS

Sounds pretty damn good though.

-John

Posted on: 18 December 2001 by Todd A

Like Mr. Armstrong above, I first read about Naim in the pages of Stereophile, when Wes Phillips gave a positive review of the CD3.5. I though to myself that might be something I could buy someday, but at that point I was poorer. When I headed to my current hi-fi shop I was intent on buying the Rega Planet, which I did, but I got to see some Naim gear. It looked great, but I did not listen to it.

A couple years later I had some more money to burn so I went back to the shop yet again looking for the best way to spend a couple grand or so. It boiled down to either a SimAudio I-5 or a CD3.5. As luck would have it, I had heard a Naim / ProAc system (a clearance set-up of a CD3.5 and Nait 3) only a month or so before and was mightily impressed. So much clarity, focus, detail, and music. So as I contemplated I figured that the CD3.5 might outmatch my Arcam amp, but that would be better than my Planet feeding a higher end amp. I bought the player. Wow. I had to have more.

A couple months later I went in determined to buy either a FlatCap or Nait 3 and learned of the upcoming 5 series. So I waited and I bought the Nait 5 and FlatCap2. About 350 new CDs later, I can report I am still extremely happy. I'm thinking a CDX may make me even happier though . . .

Posted on: 18 December 2001 by Mike Sae

James,

Right on! I'll remember that if I ever have kids.

Posted on: 18 December 2001 by Philip Pang

Over a decade back, saw some strange, "ugly", almost alien-looking shoe boxes which had rather sexy but mysterious 3D backlit logoes in a dimly lit showroom. Needless to say, the Nait/CDi/SBL combo sounded much better than my modest set up at home (Audiolab 8000A, Arcam Alpha Plus and Epos 14s).

The rest is history.

Good listening; the music's still groovin'.:cool:

Regards to all

Philip

naimniac for life

Posted on: 19 December 2001 by Kevin Loo

I sold my old Luxman/Bose system in Oct this year and was soon on the hunt. Read tonnes of books and magazines and even some newspaper review. Then I got to Naim. The review was only so-so but I saw a secondhand Naim 90.3/92 for sale. The guy who wanted to sell his system was a devoted "Naimies' that he even named his son Naim. I thought that was cool. Got into this forum and was awed by its presence. Then I auditioned some gears at the local dealer here and got my 72/140 from Hong Kong. I got it sent here tax-free! Phew! The rest is history. Right now, I am hunting for CD3.5, Credos and a flat cap!

So I guess you got to have a Naim to be known ya?

Posted on: 19 December 2001 by Ron The Mon

My cousin and I were going to see the first concert performed at the newly opened Joe Louis Arena(home of the world champion Detroit Red Wings). The billing was Rush with opening act Max Webster. The day of the concert(February 1982?) we heard there was a hi-fi show at adjoining Cobo Hall and decided to check it out. At the hi-fi show was all the usual suspects of the day; Dahlquist, Bose-901, Denon, Yamaha, Nakamichi, etc. but one hi-fi really stood out. It was B&O!!! WOW! Remote control, blinking lights, tangental tonearm!! This was it for me. I picked up every brochure in the room, got a few price quotes and decided on the spot that I would buy it. On the way back to the concert we stopped in a room where live music was playing. In fact I recognized it was Fleetwood Mac! I had to find out why Fleetwood Mac was playing there live and no one said anything about it. When we went inside, there was no Fleetwood Mac, only a turntable and the biggest amp and speakers at the show!! I walked up to the power amp and saw it was the huge behemoth Threshold I'd heard about. I asked the salesman if it was true that Bob Seger had one of these. He said Bob actually had two and had sold them to him personally. I was impressed. I told the salesman that the Threshold was now the best amp I'd ever heard. He said we were actually listening to those two little black boxes(a 42/110) and would I like to hear the Threshold? He played a track with the LP-12, Threshold, Isobariks and it rocked! He then put on the LP-12, 42/110, Isobariks and it sounded like live music. It was then that I got sucked in to "source-first","single-speaker demo","how to judge a hi-fi", and all the other flat-earth verbiage of the day. I bought an LP-12/Ittok/Asak, NAD 3120(had MC stage), and Boston A-40s shortly thereafter and eventually got a good deal on a 42/110 right before they were replaced by 42.5/140. The next revelations in my hi-fi experience were hearing Kans and temporarily abandoning my desire for DMS. Shortly after I heard active Kans and permanently abandoned all desires for Isobariks!

Ron The Mon
(Still using active Kans)

Posted on: 19 December 2001 by Mick P

Chaps

I used to have a Pioneer system in the lounge with Castle Chester speakers and a Sansui midi system in the dining room for more years than I can care to remember.

One day the Sansui system started to smell due to overheating and on grounds of safety, I dumped it on the local tip.

I intended to buy another Pioneer system the following week because the mags were raving about the A400.

By sheer chance I was glancing through a Swindon version of loot and spotted some stuff called Naim up for sale. Rang the guy up and found he lived just 300 yards up the road.

Mrs Mick and I went around, the guy had a Rocksan TT/ updated 32.5 / 72 / Linn Saras and it sounded brilliant. We never realised that music could sound so good and we had to have it there and then.

I haggled like hell and got the 32.5/72 and Saras for £470.00.

We took it home, connected it up to the Pioneer CD player and it was so good we stayed up all night playing CD's. From that day onwards I have stayed with Naim and have progressively upgraded ever since.

I have a few friends and colleagues who have Krell and Mark Levenson, but I still regard Naim as more musical and communicative. For Sue and I, it just hits the spot, so why change.

The amazing thing about all this, is that we are listening to a superb system because one man, 30 years ago, in Salisbury, had the vision and energy to build his own kit. The rest as they say is history.

The good thing, is that if JV ever looks down on his factory, he would be proud of the way things are currently going, and we are all benefiting as a result.

Before I came across Naim, music was just something played in the background, today it is much more impotant and I spend a couple of hours, most evenings, listening to all sorts of music and that is all down to Naim.

Regards

Mick