Does any one know what ken kessler thinks of naim ?

To be honest I don't know what his opinion on Naim is and at the end of the day I don't really care what his opinion is.

The only opinion that matters is my own and I will make that one for myself thank you.

I don't need an alleged hi-fi journalist to tell me what I enjoy and what I don't,

Regards

PB

100 Percent agree with the above by Polarbear.

I am genuinely interested to know who gives a shit?

I don't purchase hifi mags so am not sure who this guy is, he sure gets a lot of forum time though.

does anyone care?

Reading the last several posts, I'm guessing he must not!

Ken is a very opinionated reviewer. As all reviewers are.

As are all Naim owners as well!

I prefer valve amplification myself its more natural.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.Raise any temperatures?

No.

quote:

Originally posted by Melnobone:


I prefer valve amplification myself its more natural.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.Raise any temperatures?

Nope, should it?

Sarcasm does not work with some Naim ownwers does it.

quote:

As are all Naim owners as well! (opinionated)

Once and for all - I'm not opinionated. I'm really not going to waste time listening to anybody who says I am opinionated. How can I respect somebody who says I'm opinionated when I know I'm not opinionated (IMO). I have always had a very low opinion of people who are opinionated. And IMHO, I do not want to be associated with opinionated people.

BTW all valve amps sound dreadful (except the ones I like) and you can take that as fact because I'm definitely not opinionated.


Yours unopinionatedly
Rotf

This opinion is my own and not influenced by the opinions of others.

quote:

Originally posted by Melnobone:
Sarcasm does not work with some Naim ownwers does it.

Nope, should it?

I haven't read Ken for a long time, but I do recall him once making reference to the Linn/Naim "madness" or somesuch of the eighties.

So I'd say most likely not a fan.

He described the NAP500 as the first Naim product he'd heard that he thought he might like.
He also reviewed the then fully-kitted LP12 set-up and ended up using one (along with a couple of other t/ts).
To be fair to KK he never liked Naim through the 80s and later softened. Alvin Gold, on the other hand (who really does write the most pointless drivel), was one of the HFA reviewers with the 32/snaps/250 set in about 1980, who then moved on to Krell and MF and presumably hasn't bothered to have another listen. He still refers to the Naim sound but not by name, if you see what I mean... irritating.

What's really sad is that I can remember all this crap. Maybe it's time to give it all up.

quote:

reviewers with the 32/snaps/250 set in about 1980

Yep, just as the mythical JMH moved from his Naimed 'briks to DNM etc. Mind you the competition to Linn/Naim systems in the those vinyl fed 70's and 80's was not what it is now. That's for sure.

Several (could be many?) years ago, Ken had a dedicated hi-fi room built at his home (18/16' x 11/12'(?) - concrete block walls and solid roof - you know the drill). Part of the gig was to try out differing mains wiring (Kimber was one).

Well, from recollection, his chosen guests liked the specialist cable and the 'Naimite' he invited preferred the standard mains cable - oh dear!

I think Ken has/had a 250 amongst many other bits of kit and each to their own. I seem to recollect that he thought Naim gave less than the full picture -- what he thought of the 'pipe and slippers' Quad and alike, only he knows. I think he was also pleased with some MF kit - when they had those funny tube like combos. Less said the better here unless Legal Aid available!

I knew JMH had finally lunched his own sensibilities when he wrote a piece about how much better a speaker sounded if you took all the internal wadding out...

I remember that .... taking the wadding out, didn't work very well IMO.

JMH was really in to Peter Belt stuff and he also advocated that the Pioneer A400 was the best amp he'd ever heard; I think it was his article that started a rush on A400s - not a bad amp by any means, but not quite as wonderful as JMH thought.

I was in the trade then and we sold shedloads of A400's. Some folk even had one driving each speaker....wasting half the power of each amp...

quote:

I think Ken has/had a 250 amongst many other bits of kit and each to their own. I seem to recollect that he thought Naim gave less than the full picture -- what he thought of the 'pipe and slippers' Quad and alike, only he knows. I think he was also pleased with some MF kit - when they had those funny tube like combos. Less said the better here unless Legal Aid available!

I think he had a 'thing' for Croft and Air-Tight amps, as well as the old QUAD IIs of course....

I blame him entirely for the silly prices achieved by LS3/5as on the 'Bay.....