Superb musicality

none

I read the reviews from high-end users with amusement:
guys, do your Krells, Wadia's, Electrocompaniets etc
deliver a smile to your face when you listen? Does a piano
sound like it's playing in your living room? For sheer
listening pleasure, there ain't nothing like the little
Naim nait 5. It delivers an insouciant Patricia Barber,
a meticulous Alfred Brendel, an exuberant Tananas, a passionate Martha Argerich - you will rush out to buy ever
more cd's, and never switch the amp off. The music washes
over you, you absorb it ,and your feet will never stop tapping if you listen to anything with rhythm. It's an
amplifier to come home to.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel, Marantz, Nad

detail, smoothness, clarity, rhythm, suprising power, low cost and above all musicality

DIN connectors, and the fact that a listen to the 112/150 combo will make this a great backup system soon

I started my foray into HiFi with the purchase of a new Harmon Kardan A/V receiver to replace an old integrated amp I turned to slush at a party. It was a dramatic improvement but several very bad QC issues forced me to return it to my retailer and use the credit to "upgrade" to a very nice NAD T761 A/V receiver (which I have yet to use in a home theater set up).Again a significant leap in punch and detail and I thought that I would be happy til the next meltdown. Then I came across some old Kef 104/2 speakers on Ebay (I had pined for those speakers since I was in college but was financially relegated to the ranks of the barely mid-fi...I purchased lower end C series Kef at the time which I still own)

Long story short I reentered the game and bought the 104/2's and started to explore other Hi-Fi options via the internet...ultimately leading to these pages and the realization that I am a two channel guy at heart and that my big butt in the LazyBoy in front of the Boob Tube wasn't really what I was after...I enjoy movies and mindless TV as much as the next guy but MUSIC is what stereo is about.

I auditioned many, many integrateds due to the space and aesthetic requirements of a living room turned listening room. Not to mention the fact that the budget as always has real limits. I found myself amazed at what these little and relatively inexpensive products could reproduce. Some of the differences between these were subtle and some were not. I purchased the Audio Refinement Complete used and was immediately and still am impressed by what this little amp brings to the table...detail and a smooth and balanced sound that many of the other more costly amps could'nt manage. The Audio Refinement is a fine all around performer with fairly tight bass and reasonable detail at a truly bargain price.

I also listened seriously to Arcam A85 and while I liked the features and punch it seemed like it was missing something...the MUSIC! The same dealer in Chicago carries Sim and Creek and recommended a demo of the Nait over and over. I finally listened and was impressed but foolishly considered such Arcam/Creek niceties as A/B speaker switching as a necessity. I kept going back to the Nait despite the positive demo of the Creek and the somewhat overblown review by Reina in Stereophile. The speaker switches and current of the Creek seemed to demand attention but each head to head with the Nait 5 made it clear that the tapping feet at the end of my legs were trying to tell me something.

The Nait 5 had a easy to listen to musicality and pace that drew me into the music EVERY time! The other products had many good features and excelled in certain areas. The Creek had excellent soundstaging and imaging, the Plinius was warm and had some punch, the Audio Refinement had/has a lot of Champagne fizz on a Beer budget but the Nait flat out crushed them all. It has beautiful clarity and is exceedingly smooth but not at the expense of detail. Above all it makes MUSIC!

Similar Products Used:

Arcam A85, Audio Refinement Complete, Creek 5350, Plinius 8200/8100

Outstanding pace, clarity and image.

Naim equipment is expensive.

The Nait 5 was an upgrade from my Nait 3 which I also bought second-hand and had been using for 3 months. At first the amp sounded bright and brittle. It took half a day to warm up sufficiently to lose the brittle sound. Thereafter it improved over the next day or two. I was surprised with the warm up time needed as the unit was 3 months old.

Using Naim speaker cable does improve its performance. I have arranged to buy a second-hand Naim CD5 tomorrow so am gradually moving to an all-Naim system.

A good source of second-hand Naim equipment is the UK is Loot:

http://www.loot.com

Similar Products Used:

Naim 3

Unbelievable clarity and tone. Cannot describe it - you have to listen to this amp

Expensive for starters and even more expensive to upgrade

I went in to buy the Arcam and came out with the Nait5. Mark at Promusica didn't have to do much of a sell -- he just played them side by side with the Dynaudio contour 1.1. I was sold. The sound is robust and natural, which I understand is attributable to the quality components used. At 30 watts/channel we weren't looking for a home shaking system rather something of quality that is comfortable playing everything from a violin concerto to an azerbaijani ballad.
When we decide that we need more power I'll just have to look into Naim power amp and the Nait5 will become my pre-amp.

Similar Products Used:

Arcam A85

Timing, clarity, energy.

Low power.

This is such a naughty amp. When you hear it in the listening room it will no doubt be paired upto to a sensitive pair of speakers. If you have a demanding set of speakers this may not be the amp for you. Still paired up to the right pieces of kit this is an amp that will excite and delight. I love the naim sound and have probably spent £100000 on naim equipment.
I bought this amp as a gift for my nephew as he is starting out in the world of hifi, and I thought he should get a taste of how good naim products are.
This amp is unrivalled for clarity and rhythm at the price, as most naim equipment is. This amp will happily sit alongside cd players of a considerably higher price tag without being upstaged. The only drawback has to be a lack of grunt, although the way this amp drives most speaker
loads is commendable given its relatively low output. If you want hifi that brings all types of music to life with vigour and excitement, without harshness, naim is the name for you, this amp despite being bottom of the range naim, still has much of the qualities of the higher priced equipment in the range. You won't be disappointed. And no I don't work for naim or sell their equipment.

Similar Products Used:

Roksan caspian. Meridian

Clarity, timing, pace, musicality

My foot tapping is wearing out my carpet/

I used to have a system which I loved - MF E600, Naim Nait 2 and Linn Kans. Wonderful with jazz and blues. I had to sell it about 6 years ago to fund my wedding.

I have now re-entered the hi-fi market - WOW!!. I have a year old pair of Mordaunt Short MS25i pearl - good speakers at £150!! I auditioned a lot of kit to go with them - MF Xa2, arcam amps, exposure (Good), and then I put on the Nait 5 - and was hooked. I loved my old Nait2, but this was something else! All other equipment paled into insignificance alongside - the life, the timing - I was listening to music!! When partnered with the Pioneer PD s06 (Sounds very much like a naim cd3 - and what build!!) and the MS 25i speakers, I have a system approaching the clarity and punch of an all naim system for a fraction of the price!

The Nait will outlast the rest of the kit, sounding seriously fantastic with much more expensive kit. I am in love!!

Similar Products Used:

Nait 2, MF xA2, Arcam, Exposure, Roksan

Just about everything. PRaT is top notch, clarity and detail are truly astonishing in this price range.

30 Watts - runs out of steam at really loud volumes with big speakers. Fortunately, I don't listen that loud at home.

Being a recently converted Naimite, I am obviously somewhat biased, but there is a reason that I am biased. When listening to a wide-range of gear last year I finally settled on Naim because it does everything I want. Sure there is no "soundstage" as produced by Krell and Levinson, but the more amorphous soundstage the Nait produces is actually more in line with what I am used to hearing at live musical events. It sounds exceptionally convincing.

But when you move beyond that concern, the Nait is the best under $2000 (US) integrated amplifier available. It also handily beats out any pre-power combos under two grand. Of all the gear I heard, only the Moon I-5 is equal to the Nait, and it costs a lot more.

What does it offer? Well, unmatchable PRaT (Pace, Rythm, and Timing), for one. Stunning clarity and detail are also on offer. And astonishing bass control for such a small amp. Who'da thought that 30 watts could deliver really good bass? True, it will not control a speaker like a kilowatt amp, but so what? In short: it delivers more music. Basically, when I bought the amp I got an all new CD collection.

And to take it to the next level I bought the FlatCap2 and got more of everything. A lot more. If you buy this little integrated, by the FlatCap2. The difference is stunning. My $5K Naim front end produces sound quality that puts many more expensive electronics to shame, and now I am not in awe of any stereo I hear.

Similar Products Used:

Arcam Alpha 9, Arcam A85, Moon I-5, Bryston B-60, Krell KAV300i, a number of other rigs