naim auditions

[admin_exported]

im going to go and audition these setups im interested in but its in a couple of fortnights away, so i was wondering if you guys can help me out with how good the setups are?

* Its a naim cd5i £875

* naim nac 122x pre amp £775

* monitor audio rs6's £600

* naim nap 150x power amp £875 total=£3175

then the second setup is all the same except for the power amplifier which im going to replace with the roksan kandy L.III power amp and have another listen., second total=£2850

So yeh... much appreciated if you can show your feelings about these setups... thanks again, naim is Holmes

Oh, one more thing do retailers give you any percent discount off products if your paying a certain amount, like these prices above? or would i have to haggle?
Thanks again, naim is Holmes.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Hiya,

That should be a great system - however, I would try and get the dealer to prepare some other speakers just in case. A complete Naim system with RS6s may sound a little harsh to some ears.

If they've got them, maybe a pair of Rega R3 or R5s?

Finally, if you do intend on listening to the 122x with the Roksan, make sure you tell the dealer in advance as he may need to get a special cable made to go from the FlatCap/HiCap power supply to the Roksan.

Basically, there will be one lead (a Naim Snaic) from the 122 to the FlatCap/HiCap which carries the power for the Preamp, and the audio signal. There will then need to be a lead from the FlatCap/HiCap to the roksan. These are not off-the-shelf items, so the dealer may have to get one made up in advance.

Oh, and a dealer should be able to do a "deal" for a full system, normally between 5 and 10%, but it depends on what margins he is making on the Naim gear. He might chuck in some free speaker cable and interconnects instead of discounting for example...

Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

wow thanks fbsf your actually the only guy who hasnt thougth im an idiot thanks again for the info its a huge help

 

[plastic penguin]

Don't belittle yourself. Certainly, the set-up looks impressive, but as mentioned, the only fly in the ointment (so to speak) is MA's.

As regards doing a deal, when I bought my A65+, which retailed at £400, I auditioned the Nad 352 and the Rotel RA02, both retailed at £350. I chose the A65 because of the balance in sound and I asked whether they could trim the price to £350. They agreed.

If you have a good rapport with a dealer there are always deals to be done.

Good luck

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah the RS6's don't sound like a good choice to me either. You'd have a brilliant (and pricey) Naim system and speakers that just wouldn't do justice. IMHO the speakers should be the most expensive component in the system. Might I suggest Neat motives and totem hawks and forests.

I love the rs6, it's a lovely speaker. But you'll be letting your Naims down.

 

[Craig M.]

spending that amount i would have thought you could get about 10% off. last system i bought i got 10% off components and speakers and 50% off stands and cables.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

naim is holmes:wow thanks fbsf your actually the only guy who hasnt thougth im an idiot thanks again for the info its a huge help

No probs NiH, I don't think other people thought that about you - some just tend to sound a bit that way!

As it stands, I'm using RS6s with a Naim NAC-102/NAP-180 combo and love it, but my source is an Arcam 6 CD (quite old) which tends to mellow things out - hence why I suggested being prepared to audition other speakers as well if you are going for the Naim CD...

 

[Thaiman]

RS6 is an "OK" pair of speakers but Naim combo deserve better! Personally, imo, and all that jazz, Naims owner need to hear them with Neat Acoustic first before can say "My system sound great!"

 

[drummerman]

Now I'm not a great Naim follower but there's another way of doing things if you are inclined that (Naim) way;

Supernait, use the built in dac with any old dvd player or whatever you got in your humble abode as transport. That way you have a few pennies more to spend on speakers such as suggested by TM but dont overlook the Regas. A must audition well up into quadrupel figures.

As an alternative, if you're not yet completely set on the Naims, try to audition AVI's ADM9. Imo superior to the S/Nait and the speakers come free at a third of your budget

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Thaiman:RS6 is an "OK" pair of speakers but Naim combo deserve better! Personally, imo, and all that jazz, Naims owner need to hear them with Neat Acoustic first before can say "My system sound great!"

Hmmm, but as far as I'm concerned, my system does sound great. Not saying it wouldn't with the Neats either mind you... another one for NiH to audition maybe..

 

[rich51080]

I own the Nac 122x Pre with the Nap 150x combined with the Cd5i mk2.

I find the system amazing with uptempo music such as pop n rock but my old Linn Classik was better at Classical imho.

The only fault so far is soundstage is not vast as my old Linn Classik and also the Naim makes a buzzing noise when left on which can become annoying. Have emailed Naim and they said this is perfectly normal.

I use B&W 705 speakers. I tried the Naim with some floorstanding Dali (Ikon I think)- The model was 899 pounds and the Naim was pacy and very rhythmical. I also demoed some Proac tablettes too and also Naim Sats.

Also the difference between cdx2 and cd5i is not much at all. I personally dont think it is worth an extra 2100 pounds personally. Same for the cd5x. Minor minor differences. Afterall i was thinking of buying the cd5x but after long demo i thought the cd5i was just as good. The main difference was the strings sound thicker on guitars.

I still settled for my own B&w 705 speakers. Why you may ask. Well i find the combination very musical and also funky. The bass on the 705 is enhanced and has more depth. Treble wise I find the 705 tonally fine for me - Afterall i love the Grado sound - In your face and punchy. This is the characteristics of my system. Also the B&W enhance the soundstage as this is their best quality.

On another note I emailed Naim for their suggestions on speakers and they suggested 5 makes including B&W . Others are Kudos, Neat, Focal and Dynaudio.

Btw I use Naims own Naca5 speaker wire.

 

[Thaiman]

fatboyslimfast:Thaiman:RS6 is an "OK" pair of speakers but Naim combo deserve better! Personally, imo, and all that jazz, Naims owner need to hear them with Neat Acoustic first before can say "My system sound great!"

Hmmm, but as far as I'm concerned, my system does sound great. Not saying it wouldn't with the Neats either mind you... another one for NiH to audition maybe..

I hope you don't take it in the offensive way mate, I was a bit frank as usual.

Next speakers upgrade try Neat Motive 1 or Kudos C1 (Rega R5 and Totem Arro also work well) and just remember my post 🙂 I am 99.9% certain that improvement will be paramount.

 

[Anonymous]

Naim & Neat are a dream pairing for me...if only I had the dosh!

 

[Anonymous]

"wow thanks fbsf your actually the only guy who hasnt thougth im an idiot thanks again for the info its a huge help"

Ive criticised you in the past because you said you wasnt even buying your kit for 2 years and you kept going round in circles coming up with completely different kit and systems at random without really listening to what people were saying. You now come back with a completely different budget and selection of kit. I get the feeeling you dont really understand hi fi very well.

What size room do you have?

What music do you listen to?

What is your budget?

When are going to be buying ? (most advice given on here will be irelevant if you re not buying for 2 years like you originally said as models, your needs and prices could all change)

How do your like hi fi to sound?

Do you need to integrate cinema sound at some point? ( i seem to recall you mentioning this in one of your first threads)

 

[Anonymous]

Wow, it's good to be back on the forums!

I'm all for the Naim set-up, but you might find the combo with MA's RS6 a wee bit too bright, even if you do like your sound on the bright side.

Have a listen to some Rega R3's with the Naim kit, and if you can afford it Neat Motive 2's are amazing...especially with Naim!

 

[Anonymous]

Gotta second the vote for the CD5i, percievable difference between it and the two models up from it is nowhere close to worth the extra purse. I'd also consider getting the supernait and sinking all the extra cash into better speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Rich,

When you say the naim is buzzing are you meaning the amps or cd player?

The CD5i is a very fine player indeed, needs lots of running in to sound at best.
Unfortunately the first one I had new 3 months ago was fussy what discs it played, so I sent it back, and now the second one is making a "buzzing" sound.
My dealer says it shouldn't buzz at all and needs to go back to Naim for repair.

 

[drummerman]

timmie boy:Hi Rich, When you say the naim is buzzing are you meaning the amps or cd player? The CD5i is a very fine player indeed, needs lots of running in to sound at best. Unfortunately the first one I had new 3 months ago was fussy what discs it played, so I sent it back, and now the second one is making a "buzzing" sound. My dealer says it shouldn't buzz at all and needs to go back to Naim for repair.

Quality ...

. Yes, Salisbury's finest have had a few QC issues lately me thinks.

 

[Anonymous]

.....agreed quality is questionable, maybe just the cdp's. I've demoed plenty of naim amps recently and they were all faultless. (Nait 5i, 112/150 and 200/202)

 

[drummerman]

timmie boy:.....agreed quality is questionable, maybe just the cdp's. I've demoed plenty of naim amps recently and they were all faultless. (Nait 5i, 112/150 and 200/202)

I said it more jokingly. They have no more problems than any other manufacturers, probably less so if you take history into account. The problem they have now is that with the current naits they have an even more popular product than before. With that comes increased demand and production. Thats no excuse for faulty product leaving the factory but it may be a factor contributing to some problems.

 

[JoelSim]

Give the MA's a miss. Go for some PMCs or some Wilson Benesch or Dali speakers. You should be looking at up to £1,500 for the speakers to do justice to that Naim system.

 

[Thaiman]

JoelSim:Give the MA's a miss. Go for some PMCs or some Wilson Benesch or Dali speakers. You should be looking at up to £1,500 for the speakers to do justice to that Naim system.

Nah...Don't mess about and go for Neat or Kudos 🙂 (Naim and WB will be very bright, you have been warn)

 

[Anonymous]

Agree with tm. The wb's would be harsh with naim. Def Neat and Kudos, but don't forget Totem for Naim!

 

[Anonymous]

I'm with Mr Palmer...

Neat Motive 2

Totem Hawk

Kudos Cardea C20

For 1000 quid, the Neats are a dream pairing with Naim for me!