Power, rhythm, musicality, accuracy

Not the last word in soundstaging, nor is it particularly warm and fuzzy (a la single-ended tubes)

This is actually an addendum to my original review, as well as a bit of a tweak, for those of you reading who already own this amp. If you take a look inside, you will find a truly lousy balance pot nestled between all the caps and resistors. Tear it out. Yes, chop the b*s*ard out entirely, replacing it with two (matched) 10k resistors and 2 copper jumpers. (Of course the arrangement is not helter-skelter, so if you have any doubts, feel free to drop a line). My friend and I did the surgery on my amp last night, and listening to a raft of familiar tracks, there is a surprising difference in the level of resolution and detail present now that the pot-from-hell is gone. Note: This is not a HUGE change, but there is a distinct improvement in sound, and considering it was FREE, I highly reccommend it!

Now, commentary after a year of ownership: I am still impressed; 30 watts shakes the walls here (from a cd3.5 through a pair of intros @89db); and while the nait3 is not the final word in soundstage or absolute etched-in-space resolution, it delivers the music in a way that only Naim can. That is full of the passion and life that originally went into the recording. Just a great little amp (for a fairly sensitive pair of speakers) built for people that genuinely enjoy all kinds of music. I've listened to a whole lot of equipment, and I can honestly say the Nait comes incredibly close to the best there is, paired to the right ancillary gear. Within this price range ($1800 CDN) nothing I've heard can touch it.

Oh, and I ought to remind you that the mod DOES void Naim's warranty (I asked).

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Anthem Int1, Arcam alpha 8 & 9, Rotel, Creek, Harman

musicality, rythm, simplicity, upgradable, natral, sounds like it's got balls!

tacky looking remote. 30 watts! DIN cables

Having some financial difficulties i had to sell some of my hifi and i was very reluctant to replace my gear with anything cheaper and i had a bad feeling that nothing would satisfy my ears after owning amps like a Krell... But i was wrong!

I had to puchase an amp to suit my budget and it had to be intergated. But it had to sound good.
The Naim did that perfectly and I was very surprised that such a weedy powered amp was kicking sand in the eyes of the mighty Krell. To be honest, I found the Naim more 'listenable' than the krell. It sounded big, had rythm and made the music sound more like music instead of exageration.
I did try a lot of other amps like the Cyrus3, Audiolab and myriad but the Naim suited my taste the most.
The other amps are good but they just werent muscial compared to the Naim.

I had to make sure that I wanted this amp so I auditioned it again. (In total i auditioned it 7 times!) and the more i listened to it, the more i liked it.
It handles all the music I like very smoothly and it rocks when it needs to.

I recomend the Nait3 to anyone that loves their music.

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Aura VA-100, Naim. 32.5, Naim 180, Krell kav 300i, Cyrus 3, Yamaha A1 too many amps to name...

Tons of Detail,Space and excellent rythym.

In My House, None

I've heard many amps in many price ranges from Adcoms up to the big Mark LEvinsons and nothing can deliver the bang and value for the Buck This baby can!!

I lucked into this one when our house was burglarised and my NAIT 1 was stolen. The Insurance company replaced it with the NAIT 3.

When I got it home and hooked up I thought someone at the Insurance company was going to lose their job for giving me a much too expensive replacement.

This thing sounds MUCH better than its size or price says it should.

Typical NAIM quality from the case to the circuit board.

CAUTION: Very sensitive to cable quality. Using anything other than METAL, properly grounded DIN connectors on the inputs can lead to extremely distorted and fuzzy sound. The NAIT 3 deserves the best cables you can afford and will not disappoint you. It will deliver INCREDIBLE results.

Similar Products Used:

Previously owned a Naim Nait 1. Current System is NAIM NAit 3, Linn LP12/Basik+/K9
Denon DCD2560
Speakers are home built base on a 4" Audax Woofer and a KEF SP1074(T33)Tweeter

Very,very musical. Extremely transparent and natural

The use of DIN-connections.

Finally !! After searching for a couple o' years I finally
got my hand on a secondhand Naim nait-2! About 3 years ago
I heard this little miracle partnered with a Rega-3 turntable and some cheap mission loudspeakers. Boy, this
waqs breathtaking real. After that moment I never really heard anything like it. It sounds very open and detailed.
My system comprises:
Naim Nair-2, Marantz CD-63KI, Monitor-Audio MA-1 on Diapason stands, Chord cables.
My advise is... Think twice before you spend a fortune on
something like a Krell-kav300. Try to get your hands on a
Naim nait!!

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Cyrus 2, Cyrus SL and a whole lot more...

Pace, musicality, "boogie factor"

More, more, more!

I've joined the ranks of those that believe in the one, true savior of music lovers! Blessed is the Naim!

Finally, an amplifier to drive those old Kef 103.2's, and though only 30 watts, more power in those watts then other amplifiers rated 4-5 times more. If you want a system to marvel over imaging and soundstage, look elsewhere. If you love to listen to music, Naim is the system for you.

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Linn, Krell, Roksan

Sound, build

Low power

I love both the NAIT 2 and 3 which I somehow cannot part with. I have owned the bigger NAIM equipment as well but have traded it over the years. These little babies stay.

What you need for the NAIT 2 is some efficient & high resolution speakers/wire and you have a top shelf amp on your hands. This amp is more neutral in sound than the 3 and can deliver all the emotion in the music.

The 3 is a party maniac which has a bit more current and will drive a larger range of speakers. The 3 hooked up to the corresponding 3 or 3.5 CD player re-defines rhythm (= 3NAIM ?). BAD.

Go get one of these sure classic amps (& CDP) used before they disappear. Catch a bit of history as it slips by.

Valued as 'used equipment'

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Bryston, SimAudio, Meitner, NAIM separates

Good build quality; simple design; good sound.

On/off button at back; non-standard plugs.

This amp is designed to be left on all the time. I did not like this aspect of the design.

The amplifier is very democratic and no particular aspect of the sound is over-emphasised. Vocals float amongst the other sounds without dominating too much. This is clearly evident on Carole King's 'Tapestry'. Both analogue and digital recorded music sound pretty realistic. The overall sound of the amp is reasonably transparent. I would say that those looking for an aggressive sound might be disappointed but anyone listening to a wide range of music: jazz, classical etc might like its relative civility.

Stereo soundstage is quite wide and separation is good. Midrange does not predominate as it did on some amps I auditioned.

I had a moving magnet phono preamp fitted; the amp does not have a phono preamp as standard and you should allow for this in your budget. I found that the volume from the phono input was substantially lower than for the other line inputs. Phono sound performance was again democratic with all aspects of the sound given equal weighting. As with the other line inputs, vocals are not too obtrusive in the overall sound.

Physically the amp inspires confidence. There are no superflous buttons; one gets the impression that every penny has gone into the internals. Switching between input sources involves the light press of a button. The leads are NAIM's 5 pin leads which means you might have to change all of your interconnects! The speaker connections take standard banana plugs. This amp has enough power for a listening room in a smaller house or apartment.

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Pioneer SA-6500II

I auditioned the NAIM NAIT3 against the EXPOSURE super15. To my ears the NAIM was wonderful at producing clear and articulate passages of music. The only problem with this is that I found it to be very tiring to listen to. Unquestionably a quality product, it just didn't suit my musical tastes. If you are looking for an integrated amp in this price range you really should listen to the NAIM and the EXPOSURE. If you are like me and you like your music with a deep soundstage and a warm soft feeling you'll probably like the Exposure better. If you prefer your music sharp and in your face with crystal clarity, you'll probably prefer the NAIM. Be cautioned however that by choosing the NAIM- you are limited to the NAIM interconnects.
associated equip:

NAIM NAIT3 integrated amp
DYNAUDIO AUDIENCE 50 loudspeakers
ARCAM ALPHA 7 cd player

Clarity, image, dynamic range and detail.
Many fine examples on the UK second-hand market.

Price of new product
Now replaced by Naim Nait 5

I wanted a Naim amplifier 20 years ago but did not have the income level to indulge. Later I got the opportunity to buy the Quad which I still is excellent condition after 15 years. They are quite different, the Quad is warm and mellow whereas the Naim is very detailed and has amazing clarity.

My main source now is the Technics ST-GT1000 Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) Tuner. The Naim is ideal with such a high quality source.

No doubt I will move up the Naim ladder in the next few years.

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Quad 34/405-2 used for last 15 years

Musicality, Transparency, Price, Stabilitty, Dimensions

If matched system none

To be honest I never heard such musical and stable amplifier with only 18W per channel. The philosophy of Naim founder Julian Verkener (died in 2000) have all my symphaties, because first of all Naim electronics is made for people who love music, and after that seek technical information. There minimalistic audio design and honesty for consumers is what every audio company must have as a postulate. It really doesn't matter how electronic product is big or heavy, topology and electronic design is what's important. I listened many amplifiers that you can find on the market, but non impressed me like Naim. The true is there are much better sounding amplifiers, but for the price for example: Nait2 there is no rivals.
Nait 2 as all Naits (from Nait 1 to nait 5) are made for music entusiasts, not technophiles who like to change their electronics every 6 months.
The story with cable plugs is authentic, DIN standard might be impulsive for those who like to play with cables, but there is a reason why Naim force DIN standard cable connection. Okay, you can play with Kimber cables (like PBJ or Silver Streak) for that purpose, but other brands is difficult to reconnect RCA to DIN plugs. It really does not matter because after wile you realise that in Naim case wires is not so important. That's why they produce unique and small asortiment cables with DIN plugs. You have only one chance to play with cables, and it is spaker cables, but only one with banana plugs.

Nait2 comes in small, compact case. 20,5 x 7,5 x 28 mm. Machine is not heavy (cc 5 kilos), but the construction of case is made of heavy duty metal, so it looks like tank. You can even take it with you on holidays and have fun there twoo. In face plate you will find nice Naim logo that (when oppened) have nice neutral green ligh. There are two big selectors (one is potentiometer and other selector for inputs: phono, tape, tuner, CD/Aux). On the bottom there is three selectors for open/close, balance and mute/mon. On the back plate there you can find DIN inputs for sources, MM phono input and DIN output for pre-amp, and speaker banana terminals.

If I could conclude that this amp have analogue characteristic I could end this review, but my immpresions is far more than that.
System where Nait is tested where Davis Havalon speakers, Kenwood DP 7090 cd transport, Audio Alchemy Ultra DA with Anti Jitter. Cables where Audioquest CV4, Wireworld Solistice, Exposure. All was in monovire version. Interconnect was Kimber PBJ, and digital cables was Tara Labs and XLO gold signature.
So first immprsion is that even it exist on 18W per channel it again sound very analogue, and very neutral. The end conclusion is how record are made it will be reproduced. But what is suprising is big controlled and well balanced bas area. I did not heard any amp rated 18W that have those kind of strenght and such a huge bass. I try to catch in wrong leg with Metallica or Body Count, but again, total controll made me believe that Nait2 is really great amplifier. For litlle and mid sized rooms listening on 3 o clock of power, soudstage was huge and powerfull, and enough loud. But even Nait is great with such a dynamic music materials I mostly enjoyed in listening light clasicall and acoustical peaces. Vocals (men or women) had very natural presence and was very warm. Acoustical instruments where too very natural and warm sounding. Transparency, neutrality and perfect balance where perfect. The soundstage was not so huge but have good separation between performers, and it is not false at all. Soundstage where big enough that makes you feel you are sitting in a litlle Jazz club or litlle concert hall. Even listening huge peaces like Mahler's or Copland syphonic works there where nothing in words lack of controll. Detailes where also very stable and attractive. My favorite Tom Waits with his album "Foreign Affairs - Elektra 7559-60618-2" force many emotional feelings. I really enjoy this amp, and I recommend it to anyone that love music and want natural music performer.

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Phase Linear 300 series II, Rega Mira, Kenwood KA7090, ASV TA60, Yamaha RX-V420, Cambridge Audio A500, Marantz SM500 DC, Pass Labs X150, ELAK TPA250, Pass Aleph L