is nait xs worth 1700 pounds?

[admin_exported]

I guess the Naim is more expensive in the us, but would you pay 1700 pounds for a xs in UK?

In. Com.parison the NAD 356 retails for 500 pounds and the arcam a28 for 1000 pounds.

 

[Bodfish]

A quick Google search shows that the XS retails at around the £1400 mark in the UK.

So no, I wouldn't pay £1700 for one...in the UK.

 

[chebby]

I have been checking around some of the US retailers linked on the Naim website and $2450 seems to be the price.

At todays conversion rate that is £1581

The official UK RRP (from Naim's Oct 2010 pricelist) was £1425.

VAT has just gone up by 2.5 percent so the UK price will now be about £1460.

 

[jerry klinger]

chebby:

VAT has just gone up by 2.5 percent so the UK price will now be about £1460.

Nearer £1455 actually (VAT 17.5 -> 2.0 = RRP + 2.01%)

 

[chebby]

jerry klinger:chebby:VAT has just gone up by 2.5 percent so the UK price will now be about £1460

Nearer £1455 actually (VAT 17.5 -> 2.0 = RRP + 2.01%)

£1455.32 according to my VAT calculator.

But when the rate went from 15% to 17.5% a Nait XS went up from £1350 to £1425 so we are both being somewhat optimistic

 

[chebby]

As I have just heard on BBC R4 news...

"Retailers are unlikely to raise the price of something costing £5 to £5.11. They are more likely to round up to the next price point of £5.49"

 

[jerry klinger]

I put up a thread about this here but the moderators have thoughtfully deleted it.

 

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't pay £1455,32 for one either. It's not significantly better than the Nait 5i, which, at a measured 58W (according to a nameless magazine, pace mods) has nearly the same power anyway.

 

[Anonymous]

yeah, the prices have gone up in the US just recently. The Nait XS now retails for US $2750 (which is approx. 1700 pounds).

 

[Anonymous]

With the 10% state tax, it's actually closer to 1870 pounds.

Any recommendations on a better deal (in the US?).

 

[chebby]

jerry klinger:I put up a thread about this here but the moderators have thoughtfully deleted it.

They merged two related threads together.

 

[tyranniux42]

IMHO its worth 1700 in the sound it makes, but im obviously biased ;-). Would I have paid that? who knows, I auditioned against similarly priced rivals. Not really sure what rivals are at 1700 but would imagine it still stands up well against 2000 amps so I think the answer is probably. It is an extremely capable piece of kit.

As for not sounding significantly better than the Nait 5i, I would argue thats definatly an opinion and not a fact. In my opinion it was leagues ahead of the 5i with my speakers and my music, hence why I bought it over the 5i. Just my .02

regards

 

[Andrew Everard]

chebby:jerry klinger:I put up a thread about this here but the moderators have thoughtfully deleted it.
They merged two related threads together.

And made it clear in the resulting thread that was what had been done. Bit less attitude please, jerry klinger.

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:chebby:jerry klinger:I put up a thread about this here but the moderators have thoughtfully deleted it.
They merged two related threads together.

And made it clear in the resulting thread that was what had been done. Bit less attitude please, jerry klinger.

I must say I am impressed with Andrew. Totally on top of things!

 

[plastic penguin]

Back to the original question, and the answer is in the eye (or more correctly, the ear) of the beholder. I would pay £1,200 for the XS (original RRP) but I think the price hikes many manufacturers have succumbed to are pushing their lauded products above their true worth.

Dynaudio, PMC, Arcam... are just a few names to exercise that so-called right.

 

[Anonymous]

Another way to put the question:

Is the Nait XS worth 3 times the cost of the Nad 356Bee, and close to twice the cost of a Arcam A28.

I understand that returns start diminishing very quickly in the audio world, but does something that costs thrice as much, at least sound 1.5 times as good?

 

[plastic penguin]

MangoMonkey:

Another way to put the question:

Is the Nait XS worth 3 times the cost of the Nad 356Bee, and close to twice the cost of a Arcam A28.

I understand that returns start diminishing very quickly in the audio world, but does something that costs thrice as much, at least sound 1.5 times as good?

Sorry to sound over-simplistic: Referring back to my previous reply, if you audition the aforementioned amps, only you will know whether it's worth it or not - it's so subjective. This is why when WHFI have a group test they award an individual item (stars) based on sound-per-pound basis. In saying that, whether you agree or not with WHFI's findings can only be confirmed by your own demo.

 

[jerry klinger]

Andrew Everard:chebby:jerry klinger:I put up a thread about this here but the moderators have thoughtfully deleted it.

They merged two related threads together.

And made it clear in the resulting thread that was what had been done. Bit less attitude please, jerry klinger.

Hadn't seen the other thread - apologies if my comment offended, but it wasn't immediately obvious.

 

[Singslinger]

Is the XS worth 1,700 pounds?

I guess the same could be asked of hundreds of other expensive bits of kit from all ends of the price spectrum. Is the new Sonus Faber Phoenix speaker worth US$130,000? Are Wilson Audio speakers worth their five-figure price tags? Are Cardas speaker cables worth their price?

In Naim's case, there's a certain premium to be paid for quality and reliability on top of sound quality. My Naim amps are coming on to 18 years old and they still work fine and sound great.

However, it's up to the individual listener to decide for him/herself.