Is this the best the forum will be?

Thanks Hook...will try!

Dean,

I just got this while posting to you man.

Yes, the new forum was the best it could be, it looks worse the last few days.

Never understood the need for the column of tags on the right side of the page that some sites use and that now appears here. A waste of real estate IMO.

Sorry for being negative, but after spending time on so many other sites, the new implementation of this forum has been botched, in my opinion.

Naim can spin it all they want, but there's plenty missing from the original forum. Sure there's plenty of modern improvements, and surely there's a lot of trendy meaningless improvements.

I know everything changes, and time marches on. I'm still a Naim enthusiast, I have been loyal to this company since the mid 80's, both as a customer and as a part time employee for a Naim Dealer.

The 'new' Naim has been very innovative, and at the same time, I find the products getting too expensive.

I guess I'm just a voice in the wilderness, but I don't understand why Naim can't make a '5' level dac, a budget dac, in the same manner they've provided us with excellent budget Naits and CD5's etc. As a consumer, I don't want an all-in-one like the Qute, don't want the tuner, nor the smaller amp. Just the dac. To add to a computer. So Rega got my money instead this time.

I know I'm unique in this, but I have my sats sitting off in a corner. Still don't cut it for me, without a sub. I'm listening to Intro IIs as I write this. How long until Naim can bring out another great vfm product like the Intros? A budget Ovator?

Maybe I'm just ornery this morning. I think it's more than that. I miss Julian Vereker's original vision and leadership. I miss the old Naim.

Sincerely,

Dave

Does anyone have friends on this forum that just don't post anymore?

I have two friends here in Canada that have posted on the Naim Forum since the beginning of time, and can't bring themselves to post here anymore. I guess they just can't stand the new layout, among other things.

Dave

To be ornery back - Naim did bring out two great VFM products in the Uniti and the UnitiQute.

The Uniti got me into Naim for the first time and took me on the upgrade path. As I recall Julian Vereker's vision was equipment that played music with emotion, great customer service and a company that cared about employees, dealers and its buyers. I don't see that has changed in my (relatively new) experience.

Naim, by its very nature, can only manufacture a certain number of units each week. Every new product will take-up manufacturing capacity unless they go down the Sony etc. route of mass assembly.

Personally, I take a great deal of pride in owning Naim equipment - and even more enjoyment in listening to it.

And there aren't many forums where the MD will come on to answer queries.

Give credit where it's due. It's very easy to criticise but ignore the good points.

And I should know - I make my living criticising things!

To be ornery back - Naim did bring out two great VFM products in the Uniti and the UnitiQute.

The Uniti got me into Naim for the first time and took me on the upgrade path. As I recall Julian Vereker's vision was equipment that played music with emotion, great customer service and a company that cared about employees, dealers and its buyers. I don't see that has changed in my (relatively new) experience.

Naim, by its very nature, can only manufacture a certain number of units each week. Every new product will take-up manufacturing capacity unless they go down the Sony etc. route of mass assembly.

Personally, I take a great deal of pride in owning Naim equipment - and even more enjoyment in listening to it.

And there aren't many forums where the MD will come on to answer queries.

Give credit where it's due. It's very easy to criticise but ignore the good points.

And I should know - I make my living criticising things!

To be ornery back - Naim did bring out two great VFM products in the Uniti and the UnitiQute.

The Uniti got me into Naim for the first time and took me on the upgrade path. As I recall Julian Vereker's vision was equipment that played music with emotion, great customer service and a company that cared about employees, dealers and its buyers. I don't see that has changed in my (relatively new) experience.

Naim, by its very nature, can only manufacture a certain number of units each week. Every new product will take-up manufacturing capacity unless they go down the Sony etc. route of mass assembly.

Personally, I take a great deal of pride in owning Naim equipment - and even more enjoyment in listening to it.

And there aren't many forums where the MD will come on to answer queries.

Give credit where it's due. It's very easy to criticise but ignore the good points.

And I should know - I make my living criticising things!

(Mind you, it has taken me four attempts to post this while watching the whirring cogs - Hoop.La's equivalent of Apple's spinning beach ball of death!)

Hi Jon,

I haven't ignored the good points, and I apologize for not listing them all. The service, Paul's personal involvement on this forum, along with the others like Richard, and Adam. You say "it's easy to criticize". Not really, because I hesitated in posting this, I've been expecting to be criticized back for voicing my opinion. This thread is about "is the forum the best it can be". There are improvements, but in many ways it's not as good as the previous forum. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. For me, unlike other Naim "products", a certain number of steps forward, and a certain number of steps backward. Not the excellence one usually sees associated with the name Naim. I've never criticized Naim before, here, or anywhere else. 

I am giving credit where credit is due.

"the new implementation of this forum has been botched, in my opinion." In many ways I prefer the old forum. It's anyone's guess how many others feel that way. I doubt the old forum received as much negative feedback as this one has. I could be wrong.

"Sure there's plenty of modern improvements, and surely there's a lot of trendy meaningless improvements." In regards to the forum.

"The 'new' Naim has been very innovative, and at the same time, I find the products getting too expensive."

The Qute is great value if you want several Naim Audio products wrapped into one. It is one of the best products Naim has ever produced. It's sound belies it's size. It doesn't work for me, because I don't want to introduce less power to my Credos than my current entry-level Nait. So the Uniti would be my next choice. If I wanted an all-in-one. And the price is getting up there. Again, great vfm, I just don't want everything in one box.

The price of admission to a stand-alone Naim DAC is high, around $3000 to $4000. That's expensive. Again, I'm suggesting that in the past, a DAC at the $1500 to $1800 price level might have been on offer in the same affordable range as the 5i series. A DAC 5i, if you will. I know that doesn't fit in with Naim's plans and strategy. I guess I'm being selfish in wanting to add an outboard DAC with the Naim signature sound, that doesn't cost so much. There has to be a great DAC inside the CD5i, how hard would it be to put that inside a Naim shoebox case? Or the DAC from the SN? Perhaps production of a budget DAC would cannibalize sales of the higher end DAC. I'm a nobody in the scheme of things, and Naim certainly has become more successful than ever in the past few years. There's a huge number of people with computers wanting to add outboard DACs, and Naim has it's reasons for not wanting to be a part of that market at the more affordable 'budget' end of the range. Rega has decided to be a part of that market, and it appears to have a monster success on their hands. I'm very happy with mine, I'm just saying I would have been loyal to Naim had they chosen to be part of that market.

To that extent, "I miss the old Naim."

Sincerely,

Dave