Sorry guys. I have had the NAIM on for two weeks almost now. It’s just not doing it for me. My Rega Elex R is more lush, wider soundstage and big warm open mids. Think when Miles is blowing his horn or Coltrane. It big open and analog sounding on the Rega. On the naim the bandwidth is more narrow and just doesn’t spark an emotional response in me.
Well, you gave it a good audition. The Naim sound isn't for everyone. Meanwhile, I just bought a Naim Uniti Atom for my home office system, to replace a Arcam AVR I've been using, but is about to bite the dust (as Arcam components in my experience have tended to do).
Sorry for what? The Rega checks the right boxes for you. That's what counts. I love my Naim system, but fully recognize that Naim isn't the only game in town.
You know man. So many people get bent out of shape when you don’t like what they do. Yeah it just doesn’t do it for me. But I learned that an amp can be everything. Huge impact to the sound
Well, there are people who act ridiculous over what they believe I spent on my system. I just ignore it, or promise them they won't have to listen to it, ever.
Let us know how you like the Atom. I auditioned one and thought it sounded very good paired with Klipsch Cornwalls. As I explained elsewhere here I ended up going for an XS3 and ND5 XS2 and was less blown away by the sound. over the long weekend I hauled my boxed up Kef Blade 2s into the living room to see how they’d sound with the XS3. Holy $&%@the sound was amazing! After hearing that I couldn’t go back to the Cornwalls and am rolling the dice with the Blade 2s near a toddler. Fortunately she doesn’t seem too interested in Dad’s stuff or the room they’re in. I really got a workout in moving the Blades and the Cornwalls between floors by myself. Today I’ll rest and enjoy the music. Cliche, but even my wife who always says she can’t tell the difference in sound quality between a cheap Bluetooth speaker and higher end gear commented on how great it sounded. She had me playing her favorite 80s tunes all last night. the Blade 2s will need to be in a less than optimal position for the most part, but that’s a compromise I can live with that for now.
To be honest I'll hear the Atom, but probably won't really listen to it for sometime. I bought it for my home office, where I just play Roon while I work, but give it little attention otherwise. The Atom is really overkill for that. I was considering a Bluesound Powernode 2i, but the Atom came up on an auction site as a pristine dealer demo, so I decided spring for the extra money and get it. I retire in a few years so at that point I'll put the Atom to better use, maybe for audio in the bedroom (TV and Roon), or in the dining room. For now I'll be using it with a pair of Dynaudio Audience 52SE that are mounted on the wall behind my office desk in a near-field arrangement.
I currently have 44 hours of play time on the XS2. No judgements yet. Will wait for the 200 hour mark to be surpassed before I listen more critically. However, I would say that initial impressions are very similar to what @Tone? has said. Lots of driver control, lots of slam and punch, but it's missing instrument separation and decay. This suits some music really well, and with other music it feels like something is missing. Tonally I think it sounds good, but I need to hear some other tracks first. The XS2 really finds the beat though and has a lot of energy to it's sound. But still a bit too early to make a determination. Will swap speakers around July 1st, at which point I will have more than 200 hours on the amp. Still want to hear this amp with the Special Forty, and my Quads and Spendors. Might just be a case of needing to hit on the right match.
Yeah man. It’s very similar to what I know about guitar amps since I’ve been modding them. The more filtering you put, that is the higher the filter caps the more tight the sound is. But you trade in richness. You are correct , it has the slam and punch. But so does my Rega. With the difference is that it’s too tight. The Rega has a very wide soundstage. You can pick out instruments in a snap. The naim is much more narrow. But punchier. Which I don’t really need. The Rega lets the music breathe more. More decay. Especially when it comes to horns. They are big and lush. The naim chokes them too much. With the Rega I can hear the difference in ever drum I hear in a drum kit. Snares sound like they are supposed to. So do floor toms and toms. The naim is punchier but you can’t hear the signature sound of each drum. It’s voices it’s even more apparent. Rega is huge and majestic. Warm analog sounding. The naim narrows the bandwidth and sounds more digital for lack of better words. The best example is an album called “ Wandering” by Yosi Horikawa. The first track has a bunch of ping pong balls and small stones being thrown around. Kinda an audiophile record. Well on the Rega Th ping pong balls sound plastic. You can clearly hear their size and what they are made of. Wide and big. The naim just makes them seem small and piercing. Can’t tell that they are made of plastic and can’t see clearly where they are coming from. Put it on and you will see what I am talking about. Cheers.
Thanks, I'll look for that track. Voices are interesting. I kind of like how the Naim presents them. At least when listening to the radio. We have a local jazz station that broadcasts a good quality signal. Most of the stations broadcast a crappy signal that is all compressed. When I listen to the announcers talking, I like how that sounds. I like the focus. A voice shouldn't really sound like it's coming from a 10 foot long span, from one end of the room to the other. It should be more direct, and the Naim presents it that way. Music though, when there is a lot going on, the sense of space sounds more correct. Instruments spread across a wide soundstage rather than stuffed into a small one.
I borrowed a Sugden A21SE once from a dealer and it sounded gorgeous! So neutral and lovely. But man did it get hot! In my opinion much better sounding than the Naim XS2 I also tested.
Oh yeah man, it's a great amp. I have used my A21 with my PMC speakers almost exclusively. And I powered my PMC's with a Classé amp as well. So I thought I had a good handle on what the A21 sounded like, just comparing it to the Classé on the PMC's. And I knew how my Spendor A3 sounded with my Classé amp, so I figured yup, I know what the Sugden will do to the sound...more clarity and richness. Well, I was not prepared for how different they sounded. There is hearing tone, like you just hear how an instrument sounds. And then there is hearing it, like you can actually feel the instrument in the room with you, it sounds so real. From a stupid small driver. I don't get how that works. Anyways, Sugden and Spendor is phenomenal match, and I have to admit I am leaning this way right now. I may just trade in all my excess gear (including the A21aL) and replace that with an A21SE. And keep the Spendor A3's, as they are a great fit for my small room. Add a sub and I don't think I could ask for much more. But, there is a lot of listening left to do...this is just how I'm feeling at the moment, and will keep an open mind.
Interesting thread, especially the last few pages. For almost a year now I have been tweaking and upgrading the two systems I own. I spent a bunch of time listening (two visits) to Spendor D7 and D9 speakers (audition for second system) in a very controlled listening room at a dealer. The system powering them was an extensive stack of Naim gear that cost $40K. Sorry I don’t know the model details. I could inquire though. I thought the Naim sound was very good, extremely detailed and crisp. But not annoying. My other system is all Linn Akurate Katalyst level so I am familiar with this level of sound. After listing to both sets of speakers I focused on the larger D9s as there was just a bit more of the Spendor “splendor.” In this room there was also a rack of Rega gear so I had the guy switch over to the very same kit I currently had in my second system: Rega Elex-R and a Rega DAC. I then played the same music. Natalie Merchant’s voice on Tiger Lilly still sounded great with the D9s. The Rega system sounded a little warmer (slower?) with more decay. Very nice as well. The first Led Zeppelin album had less attack on the drums with the Rega front end than the Naim. But less hi fi digital in a way. But I was auditioning the Spendor speakers, not the amps or DACs. The sound did change with the two front ends but both sounded good. I landed up purchasing the speakers. I then used these Spendors with my Linn Majik DSM which is Linn’s entry level one box streamer/DAC/amp. Then added a Pass Labs XP-20 preamp and a Bryston 4BSST-2 250 watt power amp. I kept the Majik as the front end but had the onboard amp and volume control turned off. Fantastic bass, soundstage and drive, especially at higher volumes. But playing certain albums at lower volumes this system sounded a bit dry and cold. After about 300 hours the D9s really improved but there was something that still bugged me and made me want the Rega Elex- R back. This is a fairly big room. After lots of reading and discussion I bought a new demo Pass Labs XA30.8 amp. Very large and heavy Class A low power but high current amp. I am totally happy with this combination. The XA30.8 is just a better match in this system than the Bryston. Actually I like this sound better with these speakers than I did with the Naim, Rega, Linn and Bryston amps. Very personal choice I know...
Don't apologize. This is exactly what this hobby is about. We all have different tastes. And it simply a fact of life that the kind of sound that some people love, others will hate. You have just had a very valuable experience. And you also did the smart thing: You waited to sell your old favorite until after what you believed was going to be an upgrade had proved itself to be superior. Many in this hobby will sell a favorite piece of gear on the assumption that a different piece will sound better to them, simply because they read a rave review on the internet. But then a couple months later, they discover that they have stopped listening to their stereo because they now longer enjoy the sound like they used to. Synergy is a real phenomenon. The best gear in the world can sometimes sound crappy together. And sometimes various mediocre gear, when in combination with other mediocre gear can just produce sonic magic. And trusting your own ears to make this judgment rather than allowing yourself to be swayed by other people's opinion was the smart move.
Exactly how I feel about the naim sound compared to the REGA. It’s not slower at all. Just not as tight. So the REGA sounds exactly like you said. Sounds like vinyl and analog. The naim sounds more digital. And all the other descriptions I made. Cool to hear you heard the same signature as I did.
There are a ton of variables at play here. Your room, your ears and the type of listening (relaxed or focused), etc. Great recordings can sound amazing on bright detailed systems: that feeling of “I know this album well but have never heard it like this”. The flip side is that some systems can reveal the nasty issues on poorly recorded music, even remasters. One of the measures I like in a complete system is how well it performs at varying volume levels. I dislike spinning the volume just to settle on the sweet spot to avoid a sound that is lacking, usually an issue at lower volumes. My current system finally fixed that for me.
To me, Naim is a bit like Apple. They try to keep control over how the marque is used and what goes with what. Very "Bespoke." Special plugs and whatnot. And their design "ethos" is slanted toward minimalism and simplicity in and for itself. Veddy veddy British and all that---tut tut. The "house sound" to my ear is very precise and pristine---if a bit less than muscular and full. Smooth. But I really don't LIKE a "sound." I just want to hear music and not a "sound." So Naim is not my cup of tea at all. But as a PRODUCT Naim is admirable for delivering clarity and musicality in a complete eco-system. It should be owned by those that cherish well thought out design. Me? I'd rather design my own systems.
LOL! I just battle with audiophile adjectives and buzzwords. Like “musical”? Some systems just sound very hi fi like? Does that make sense? It might be expectation bias but some kit sort of just sounds expensive. John Darko had this one video where he talked about “edge of the couch listening vs deep in the couch listening”. Some moments you are sitting on the edge, perfectly centered between speakers with your ears straining to absorb every nuance of the system or music. Other moments you are lying back, eyes closed with a glass of single malt while just letting the sound move over you. I get it. Naim makes expensive stuff for a group of appreciative buyers who are passionate about their systems. A good number keep upgrading Naim components. So, there is obviously something there to like. I have spoken with a guy who is a huge Naim fan who tried many sets of speakers before settling on high end Kudos Titans. I would love to hear this but there is only one place in Illinois that sells these speakers. But generally speaking my gut reaction concern with Naim is the potential for digital brightness or listener fatigue which is no minor issue considering the cost to play in this arena...
Funny that you say that, because 10 years ago I auditioned Naim, Simaudio, and T+A when I was starting a new system. I picked Naim because it was literally the one of those three that was not bright, and that did not give me listening fatigue. I can listen to my Naim system literally all day and enjoy it from start to finish. The other systems started to sound fatiguing after a few hours, even though they sounded great otherwise. The other candidate was Octave, but I decided I didn't want to go down the tubes path. I primarily prefer analog sources, and I don't understand what people mean to say that Naim has digital brightness. That's just not how I would describe it at all. I find that it's warm, smooth, revealing and very musical. YMMV
Great! As you own and enjoy your Naim system you have far greater experience and knowledge than a guy like me who only had a few hours in a dealer showroom...
