You know it as soon as you hear it...

To be honest, I don't entirely understand the "musicality" term. I read about it on the Forum, and asked a dealer about it. Foot tapping is often referred to when trying to describe musicality. But this doesn't really help me to understand musicality any better -- I do foot-tapping when listening to music in the car. For those with safety concerns, it's an automatic. And no, I don't drive a Bentley that could explain the foot tapping...  

I always felt it meant emotional connection. I certainly got that from my Nait2. And from my 32.5/hc/250. Many years later I’m now happily getting it again.

Timo posted:

To be honest, I don't entirely understand the "musicality" term. I read about it on the Forum, and asked a dealer about it. Foot tapping is often referred to when trying to describe musicality. But this doesn't really help me to understand musicality any better -- I do foot-tapping when listening to music in the car. For those with safety concerns, it's an automatic. And no, I don't drive a Bentley that could explain the foot tapping...  

Musicality is beyond difficult to put into words. When I was comparing the Nait 2 to the 72/Hi/140, the Nait 2 just sounded more like real music. The Nait 2 brought the music to life in a way that the excellent 72/Hi/140 somehow could not match. It wasn't even really close, which truly surprised me TBH. The Nait 2 seems to propel the music forward, with strong rhythmic drive and a sweetness that you just don't hear very often. What a peach...

BB

I am going to recommend to our NAIM dealer to change their name from Promusica to Promusicality, see what happens..

Marksnaim posted:

I always felt it meant emotional connection. I certainly got that from my Nait2. And from my 32.5/hc/250. Many years later I’m now happily getting it again.

I'm using a 52/250 downstairs with a pair of JBL 4429, and this gear can truly do things that make my bloody eyes pop out. In a very good way. It's got refinement, speed, slam, pace, and great drive. But it can't play a tune any better than the little Nait 2. JV really nailed it with the Nait 2 and the 52. The 72 is in there too, but just a cut below IMHO. I am certainly not slagging off the 72/Hi/140; these amps have a terrific synergy and really are quite special.

BB

I have 2 Naits (no Nait 2 :-), a Nait 5 and a SuperNait. The beauty of these integrates is that not much can go wrong. Therefore the box is more likely to sound as designed. The issue of the separated setups is the balance of the system, the fact that they degrade in a different tempo and that there can go wrong more since the setup is more complicated, and connections seem to degrade. Every now and then the cables needs to be pulled out and reconnected.

This could explain well why a simple Nait sounds better than a set of separates. I'm biased, I've recently acquired a 72/140. I choose that direction because I've a pretty large livingroom and the extra power over the Nait is likely to be needed (my Nait 5 is underpowered for the living).

The question is: would your 72/HC/140 exceed the performance of the Nait when setup again and / or be serviced?

I would have thought that the 72/HC/140 would deliver a ‘bigger’ sound, greater presence or scale than the Nait, especially if they were serviced. However, I know exactly what you mean about the musicality of the early Naits (1&2). I used to use my Nait 1 with an LP12 and K9 MM cartridge into Rogers LS7 and that setup delivered a VERY musical performance. In money terms (ignoring the effects of price inflation) my current system must be something like 90x the value of that system. Does it deliver 90x the musicality or enjoyment? Mmm... I wonder.

Ardbeg10y posted:

I have 2 Naits (no Nait 2 :-), a Nait 5 and a SuperNait. The beauty of these integrates is that not much can go wrong. Therefore the box is more likely to sound as designed. The issue of the separated setups is the balance of the system, the fact that they degrade in a different tempo and that there can go wrong more since the setup is more complicated, and connections seem to degrade. Every now and then the cables needs to be pulled out and reconnected.

This could explain well why a simple Nait sounds better than a set of separates. I'm biased, I've recently acquired a 72/140. I choose that direction because I've a pretty large livingroom and the extra power over the Nait is likely to be needed (my Nait 5 is underpowered for the living).

The question is: would your 72/HC/140 exceed the performance of the Nait when setup again and / or be serviced?

The 72/Hi/140 was serviced in 2012 and 2013, and the Nait 2 in 2008. Some degree of sample variation may be at play, but I thought the 72/Hi/140 sounded excellent until I compared it to the Nait 2.

You Monster, you make me greedy. Its lent, I must show modesty.

I use the tears test. When I updated my turntable I listened to an NA Dais and an SME 20/3. The Dais had me in tears, but not the SME. Yet the difference in sound per se was difficult to express.

I am always a little irked when terms like 'musicality' are attributed specifically and exclusively to any specific brand of hi-fi. 

I purchased my pre-power amplifier combination precisely because of its 'musicality' and because of its ability to drive speakers which present a particularly difficult load. Strangely then, it happens not to be a Naim amplifier.

I suspect that many others will have purchased Bryston, Simaudio Moon, MBL, Mark Levinson, Dan D'Agostino and other makes of amplifier for precisely the same reasons. Of course, there may also be some who purchased Naim amplifiers for those same reasons. Each to their own!  

Haim Ronen posted:

I am going to recommend to our NAIM dealer to change their name from Promusica to Promusicality, see what happens..

Time to get these glasses upgraded I fear, when I’m wondering for a few seconds why one would call a shop Promiscuous in the first place  and  why change it  to in the Promiscuity in the second  place!

.sjb

The Nait 2 is unique and is the luckiest accident ever made by Naim in designing an amplifier. 

cat345 posted:

The Nait 2 is unique and is the luckiest accident ever made by Naim in designing an amplifier. 

I think you nailed it. It's very hard to improve on what the Nait 2 does well. Lucky accident indeed...

BB 

Nait 2 was designed by Roy George not JV

i haven’t heard one but seems Naim never really made that mistake again

it seems to upset the Naim hierarchy of amplifiers .... blimey !!!

Thanks for the clarification. Agree regarding the upsetting of the hierarchy...can't have that now, can we?

Timo posted:

To be honest, I don't entirely understand the "musicality" term. I read about it on the Forum, and asked a dealer about it. Foot tapping is often referred to when trying to describe musicality. But this doesn't really help me to understand musicality any better -- I do foot-tapping when listening to music in the car. For those with safety concerns, it's an automatic. And no, I don't drive a Bentley that could explain the foot tapping...  

I always refer to this in a different way. The music we really are addicted to mostly we enjoy from any source of musical production. Even the lowest of sources. However real quality comes in as soon as I get more easily an emotional connection to all kinds of music. Where I am getting closer and closer to believing that I am actually their, that real people play in front of me. And of course foot tapping is naturally always included then. But it’s especially the natural rendition of music which is the key factor. And of course we need to realize that’s a recording which has always a different intention then what you would hear with your ears when the recording is being made - mastering/mixing....