The Godfather by Naim

Posted by: redeye on 06 December 2001

Ok, so you love Naim Audio, you discover they now make AV kit, you think GREAT I'll get a home cinema too. You race out and buy a dvd player then race back out and buy some allaes.
Stick your allaes in the front, chuck your old Credos on the back and then..........

What the hell do you use for a centre speaker?

A Royd Mistrel lyiny on its non porty side??

C'mon

redeye

Posted on: 06 December 2001 by Steve G

quote:
Originally posted by redeye:
Ok, so you love Naim Audio, you discover they now make AV kit, you think GREAT I'll get a home cinema too.

Until you see the price of course. I noticed in Hi-fi Choice there was a suggested system of Nait 5 then adding an AV2 and a NAP V175.

So basically take an £800 integrated and add £3000-£4000 of processor and amplification to make it into a home cinema system! Before adding speakers! I expect Hi-Fi choice got the wrong end of the stick and this isn't a recommended setup, although in another thread when I asked about a way of deploying my spare 92R/90.3 in a home cinema system Paul S. suggested I wait until the AV2 was available!

Can't see it myself. It'd be nice id Naim made an intergrated 3-channel processor and amp (for around £1000-1500) for the likes of me but you never know they could be one in the pipeline.

Regards
Steve

Posted on: 06 December 2001 by David Dever

no space on the inside

Posted on: 06 December 2001 by Martin Payne

Steve,

someone from Naim has quoted the AV2 as being around NAIT5 quality as a pre-amp.

Rather than a NAIT5 I might be tempted to build an AV system directly around the AV2.

It's just occurred to me - can the AV2 decode CD audio from a DVD player? Wonder how this sounds compared to a Naim CD player? Does the quality of the DVD's output matter much?

cheers, Martin

Posted on: 06 December 2001 by redeye

Great
You mean nobody has the faintest idea what to do for a centre channel?
That was the question guys

redeye

Posted on: 06 December 2001 by Mike Sae

I'd love to see Naim make a smallish monitor, which could be turned on its side for centre channel use a la Rega Ara.

Can you imagine how wicked a Naim standmounter would sound?

They'd be killing 2 birds with 1 stone.

Posted on: 06 December 2001 by Mike Sae

In the meantime, the Neat Centrum is the only game in town AFAIK.

BTW, what's wrong with plugging your DVD into your NAC and watching movies in glorious FlatEarth stereo?

cheers,

Mike

Posted on: 06 December 2001 by Steve G

quote:
Originally posted by Mike Sae:

BTW, what's wrong with plugging your DVD into your NAC and watching movies in glorious FlatEarth stereo?

That's exactly what I'm doing at the moment while I'm deciding what to replace my knackered Kenwood with.

Regards
Steve

Posted on: 06 December 2001 by David Dever

quote:
It's just occurred to me - can the AV2 decode CD audio from a DVD player? Wonder how this sounds compared to a Naim CD player? Does the quality of the DVD's output matter much?

I've tried it at a dealer's shop using an Arcam DV88 with a Naim CD5 for comparison. (Bonnie Koloc's disc on the Naim Label was the test disc--exceptionally well recorded.)

The AV2 can pass analog audio through by bypassing the internal DSP altogether (DIRECT), or, one may process the stereo with (STEREO, includes center + sub) or without (L-R) additional speakers. Personally, I found the DIGITAL input on a coaxial connection to be better than the Arcam's analog outs in any configuration, including DIRECT (analog pass-through). The CD5 was clearly better though the analog inputs (INPUT 3, on a DIN-5) than the digital feed, but the digital in was detailed and musical in a way reminiscent of the difference between a CD3 and a CD3.5, if that makes any sense tonally. The conversion quality is up to Naim's usual standards.

On movies, I didn't get that shrill "cinema EQ" feeling that many other processors throw at you--on the whole, quite different--and something that I wouldn't mind having at home, say, right now.

Dave Dever

Posted on: 06 December 2001 by Manu

Thanks Dave, that's an interesting answer.

Redeye,
Paul S has recommanded the Proac CC1 as a good compagnon of Naim speakers. I'm sure they will come with something soon.

Mike,
And, can you imagine a speaker stand a la Fraim at 2000$.

Emmanuel