Naim new products 2018

I find the "number of box" discussion pretty pointless

No more so than that post though. 

Perol posted:

I find the "number of box" discussion pretty pointless 

Its pointless to people who have the space and accept the aesthetics of a multi-box system ... but thats not everyone.  Just as not everyone wants to reduce their box count.

But, (to me) the more interesting discussion on 2/3 box systems is things like HDX + Supernait (+ HiCap) vs NAC-N 272 + (XPS DR +) NAP200/250.

Hungryhalibut posted:

To stick with the concept of six, eight, ten or more boxes would be a mistake in my view. Who wants their sitting room to look like something from a hifi show? Less (or fewer in this case) is more. Linn can do it, so why can’t Naim?

Me 

Hungryhalibut posted:

No more so than that post though. 

So what is your current number of box recommendation and why does this make sence to other people with other prorities and life style than you ?

Years back it was multiple you have told you had 552/300

Later you promoted one box ie. The SU

Then 272/250

Then 272/XPS/250

Now I lost the plot, please enlighten me, thanks

Perol posted:

I find the "number of box" discussion pretty pointless

 

I don't look at the number of boxes, it is all about musicality vs what I had to pay for it.

Once it is sitting on a rack, it doesn't bother me how many boxes it takes.

Perol: It's in the nature of a forum that people post their opinions, and each will be of more or less interest to others. For some, the box count is important, for others, not. To criticise one element of the discussion as 'pointless' is to assume your priorities matter more than other people's.

Solid Air posted:

Perol: It's in the nature of a forum that people post their opinions, and each will be of more or less interest to others. For some, the box count is important, for others, not. To criticise one element of the discussion as 'pointless' is to assume your priorities matter more than other people's.

my opinion doesn't matter more, it wasn't meant as critic as such, just meaning the box count is pretty pointless or one single posters preaching.

However I think this remark below is more like "assuming his priority matters"

"Who wants their sitting room to look like something from a hifi show?"

Perol posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

No more so than that post though. 

So what is your current number of box recommendation and why does this make sence to other people with other prorities and life style than you ?

Years back it was multiple you have told you had 552/300

Later you promoted one box ie. The SU

Then 272/250

Then 272/XPS/250

Now I lost the plot, please enlighten me, thanks

Keep up, Perol. HH is 'now' at 272/555PSDR/300DR so four black boxes 

Perol posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

No more so than that post though. 

So what is your current number of box recommendation and why does this make sence to other people with other prorities and life style than you ?

I think the point is that you can have a good system with 2 boxes, you don’t need 3/4/5/6/7.

Different people do have different priorities, and statements like “Uniti isn’t really a Naim system” or “272 is too big a compromise” are annoying to those of us who do find pleasure in them.

As I commented in a previous thread, I don’t think anyone suggests that the NAC-N 272 is the pinnacle of Naim sound quality, however it offers great sound for thought who for whatever reason DO want to restrict the number of boxes.  Equally the NDX/Supernait 2 can offer similarly good system.  It used to be people wouldn’t consider a Naim integrated to be “proper”... thankfully we’ve moved on from that and Naim offer options to a wider range of needs.

I can see the 272 being updated to integrate the latest digital technology but surely it has to remain in the catalogue.   Integrating the digital functionality and pre-amp is the trend now even if luddites like me aren’t following.  

Perol posted:

Solid Air posted:

Perol: It's in the nature of a forum that people post their opinions, and each will be of more or less interest to others. For some, the box count is important, for others, not. To criticise one element of the discussion as 'pointless' is to assume your priorities matter more than other people's.

my opinion doesn't matter more, it wasn't meant as critic as such, just meaning the box count is pretty pointless or one single posters preaching.

However I think this remark below is more like "assuming his priority matters"

"Who wants their sitting room to look like something from a hifi show?"

you do have a strange choice of words, "preaching".

And HH is 100 % right, not many people, if any, want their living room to look like a hi-fi show.

It is really a simple choice of priorities - box count or ultimate SQ. Now I am not saying you can't have great SQ with a low box-count (or single box) system, notice I use the phrase 'ultimate SQ'. Naim have said many times that separating components into discrete boxes in the interests of SQ is part and parcel of their design philosophy.

Clearly lower down the product heirachy, compromises from combining components into a single box (or fewer boxes) has a lesser negative impact on SQ, with the 272 and Uniti range as clear examples. I have owned a Uniti 2 and various classic components and this philosophy holds true in my experience. Additionally separating certain components will have a greater beneficial effect than separating other components. For example a separate power supply seems to  provide a greater benefit (moving the noisy transformer away from delicate electronics) than say separating a streamer, DAC and pre-amp, hence the advent of the 272. Again I have experienced the significant impact adding a discrete power supply (or indeed a better power supply) can have. We also hear on here that the 272 seems to punch well above its weight implying the components within it suffer less from being contained in the same box. Having said this, the 272 clearly has some compromise in its design in the interests of box count. In the same vein, you could also argue that mighty NDS is compromised, containing both a streamer and DAC in the same box. This compromise must be considered to have a lesser impact on SQ in the minds of Naim product designers and testers.

It is possible that Naim have learned lessons in more effective screening of components (or at least minimising the deleterious effects one component has on another) during the development of the new Uniti range. If this is true and allows them to push the multi-component box approach further in future, remains to be seen. But I think the Naim design DNA will always kick in at some point in the product heirachy and compel the designers to separate components into discrete boxes. Whether this will inhibit or facilitate the extension of the 272 to a 372 (or dare I suggest it, a 572) is a case in point.

Hungryhalibut posted:

............... Who wants their sitting room to look like something from a hifi show? ...............

If I had a house that had the appropriate lounge size to accommodate a multiple box system that is displayed at a HiFi show, and of course the disposable income to own it, then I would not mind having it.  

That said I am quite happy with a streamer, integrated amp with PS and speakers.

I do enjoy looking at the home configuration in the system photo thread, all shapes and sizes, all making someone happy!

Two left-field products I would like to see in 2018 (but I'm not holding my breath!):

(i)  Active Naim (or at a pinch Naim/Focal) speakers with all the gubbins built in to the speakers.  Fairly recently, I had a long session with a bare 272 driving ATC SCM19As and found the sound outstanding and IMHO pretty unbeatable for the money.  I guess a similar but fully Naim one-box system could be even better and should also please the box-count minimisers.  And no more wrestling with NACA5!

(ii)  A battery pack for the Muso Qb.  That way the one in our kitchen would not need to be near a power socket and, as a result, get in the way of kitchen operations as it does at the moment.  And it could easily be moved to other rooms if required.

Yes, yes I know there must be technical and other reasons why neither of these will happen, but if you can't dream on a bleak January afternoon, when can you?

Roger

I would like to see a decent one box headphone amplifier with remote volume control.

Pcd posted:

I would like to see a decent one box headphone amplifier with remote volume control.

Isn't that the DAC-V1 or are you wanting an updated Headline  (which isn't strictly one box) ?

Popped into my dealer yesterday, pretty open that we should see a 555 streamer at Bristol show, and perhaps NDX replacement. As for a new 272, perhaps not......along the line of the discussion by HH, it distorted their line up offering/ sales. Hope I am wrong and they surprise us.

Well, if there is no new and better streaming preamp on the way, think of all the money to be saved. I’m sure I shall survive with the good old 272, which is really not that bad. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

Well, if there is no new and better streaming preamp on the way, think of all the money to be saved. I’m sure I shall survive with the good old 272, which is really not that bad. 

Guys being the new owner of an NDX, If a new model is to be realised, what extra is it likely to be able to do over the existing one, other than displaying album art and maybe able to support Roon. Sonically is there likely to be much of a difference? 

Thanks

Gazza posted:

As for a new 272, perhaps not......along the line of the discussion by HH, it distorted their line up offering/ sales. Hope I am wrong and they surprise us.

Just for the record, I doubt I would have bought a HDX plus NAC202 plus NAP200 ... so had the NAC-N 272 not existed Naim would have lost a sale or limited a sale to a SuperUniti.  As it is they might get a XPS DR sale sometime in the next 12-18 months.

Popeye posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

Well, if there is no new and better streaming preamp on the way, think of all the money to be saved. I’m sure I shall survive with the good old 272, which is really not that bad. 

Guys being the new owner of an NDX, If a new model is to be realised, what extra is it likely to be able to do over the existing one, other than displaying album art and maybe able to support Roon. Sonically is there likely to be much of a difference? 

Only time will tell, but I think it’s reasonably safe to say it will have the same range of functions as the new Unitis. Better WiFi, more buffering, Chromecast, Airplay etc. 

If Naim were to launch all the stuff that has been speculated on here they’d need the whole hotel to themselves at Bristol.  

ChrisSU posted:

Popeye posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

Well, if there is no new and better streaming preamp on the way, think of all the money to be saved. I’m sure I shall survive with the good old 272, which is really not that bad. 

Guys being the new owner of an NDX, If a new model is to be realised, what extra is it likely to be able to do over the existing one, other than displaying album art and maybe able to support Roon. Sonically is there likely to be much of a difference? 

Only time will tell, but I think it’s reasonably safe to say it will have the same range of functions as the new Unitis. Better WiFi, more buffering, Chromecast, Airplay etc. 

This is where I find things get interesting and see how the new uniti series targets a different market as I don't imagine many true audiophiles using the classic series products overly bothered about chromecast and airplay. Most using NDX/NDS/272 must be using ethernet surely.

I actually didn't like the Nova screen that I had as it was so bright and I just wanted the screen off like it is on my NDX. 

james n posted:

Pcd posted:

I would like to see a decent one box headphone amplifier with remote volume control.

Isn't that the DAC-V1 or are you wanting an updated Headline  (which isn't strictly one box) ?

Updated Headline with remote volume of some sort.