Probably a future classic or at least it should be. When all these streaming amplifiers seem like yesterday this yesterday will still happily pump out tunes.
-
Wondering what's worthwhile? Get personalised Black Friday buying advice from the What Hi-Fi? reviews team right here!
-
Black Friday 2025 is here: follow our liveblog for the latest!
matthewpianist
Well-known member
- Feb 18, 2022
- 1,119
- 1,488
- 7,070
I believe the little Naim is pretty cable agnostic. I use VdH CS122 Hybrid but I have this lovely new ribbon cable I will try too. I used it quickly with my Arcam and it seems very good too.
davidf
Well-known member
- May 9, 2017
- 1,855
- 1,765
- 23,070
To me, it just doesn't feel like the right approach to the product, replicating the original, warts and all. You can easily pick up the original or Nait II for less than the reduced price, and it's all standard parts, so cals can easily be replaced to give it a refresh. With Naim's modern approach to hi-fi after the take over of Focal, they should've modernised it. It would've been very easy to add a remote control, which I think is unforgivable nowadays unless something is being used as a desktop/PC system. And even if they didn't want to add any digital inputs, they could've modernised the available inputs
But they did change one thing - the sound. Tonally it sounds more like other amps now, whereas the original had quite a lean, detailed sound (which I quite liked at the time), probably more like typical Class D amps. Why change that aspect when everything else is nigh on identical?
I don't think anyone else's retro product has bombed in such a way as the Nait has. It'll be interesting to find out the exact reasons why. Maybe any future anniversary products will be more carefully conceived and priced.
matthewpianist
Well-known member
- Feb 18, 2022
- 1,119
- 1,488
- 7,070
I had a used Nait 3 for a while, and went to the expense of buying properly terminated NAC-A5 for it out of fear I would damage the amp using anything else.
Not to defend Naim (it is the only product I own by this manufacturer) but what you are saying was not the point Naim tried to make. The brief was to make the best possible product using modern manufacturing whilst keeping looks/features as close to the Original as can be. The inclusion of headphone socket was as large a hint to outward modernism as they could manage. I agree about the R/C but again, that was not in the brief for a reason and I overcame my initial misgivings quickly about this particular 'issue'.
As to sound, it does not make sound like my other (modern) amplifiers hence it stays. Would it sound the same I would not keep it, naturally.
Last edited:
jjbomber
Well-known member
- Dec 22, 2006
- 2,459
- 1,783
- 23,070
The_Lecht_Rocks
Well-known member
- Mar 24, 2023
- 442
- 281
- 2,270
Yeah, the point of the NAIT 50 I think is to strip back everything and focus on the amplification circuit and quality of components only at the expense of all surplus added extras.
Steve Sells piece here is interesting:
A fifth and final product highlight for Sells is the limited-edition Nait 50, a recent reimagining of the iconic, 1983-released original Nait 1, which, as Sells rightly recognises, “holds a special place in Naim folklore as one of the most magical amplifiers ever made”.
“Tampering with that reputation was not something to take lightly, and designing the Nait 50 came with responsibilities just as significant as those tied to high-end products,” he says.
Naturally, Naim couldn’t simply release a facsimile clone of the Nait 1 – compliance laws and consumer expectations have, after all, moved on since the ‘80s; Sells and his team had to deviate.
“The design process used modern tools, materials and circuits, and incorporated mandatory music sensing with 0.5W auto-off, quiet standby transitions, and soft-start circuits – all while keeping the system free of software,” says Sells.
They created miniaturised versions of amplifier stages from Naim’s classic range, borrowed the volume control foundations from the NAC 552 preamp (albeit without motorisation), and used modern semiconductors to give the Nait 50 extra power and sonic punch.
But there was also an opportunity to recapture the Nait 1’s spirit in more faithful ways. Sells gives one example: “The Nait 1 had a deliberate low-frequency hump in its RIAA curve, and though technically inaccurate, it gave the sound a pleasant aesthetic; we faithfully recreated that in the Nait 50.”
Another is in the input selection. “The Nait 50’s input switch was custom-made to replicate the original’s distinctive ‘clong’ sound when pressed, though behind the scenes the switch activates high-quality reed relays placed next to the input sockets, improving sound quality and minimising input-to-input crosstalk,” says Sells.
And then, perhaps surprisingly, the Nait 50 further aligns with the Nait 1 by also omitting RCA sockets and a remote control.
“Did we make the right decision by leaving them out? I’m not sure. Once nostalgia wears off, convenience tends to call,” Sells admits.
We guess even engineers with CVs as enviable as Steve Sells' can question their judgment at times
Steve Sells piece here is interesting:
A fifth and final product highlight for Sells is the limited-edition Nait 50, a recent reimagining of the iconic, 1983-released original Nait 1, which, as Sells rightly recognises, “holds a special place in Naim folklore as one of the most magical amplifiers ever made”.
“Tampering with that reputation was not something to take lightly, and designing the Nait 50 came with responsibilities just as significant as those tied to high-end products,” he says.
Naturally, Naim couldn’t simply release a facsimile clone of the Nait 1 – compliance laws and consumer expectations have, after all, moved on since the ‘80s; Sells and his team had to deviate.
“The design process used modern tools, materials and circuits, and incorporated mandatory music sensing with 0.5W auto-off, quiet standby transitions, and soft-start circuits – all while keeping the system free of software,” says Sells.
They created miniaturised versions of amplifier stages from Naim’s classic range, borrowed the volume control foundations from the NAC 552 preamp (albeit without motorisation), and used modern semiconductors to give the Nait 50 extra power and sonic punch.
But there was also an opportunity to recapture the Nait 1’s spirit in more faithful ways. Sells gives one example: “The Nait 1 had a deliberate low-frequency hump in its RIAA curve, and though technically inaccurate, it gave the sound a pleasant aesthetic; we faithfully recreated that in the Nait 50.”
Another is in the input selection. “The Nait 50’s input switch was custom-made to replicate the original’s distinctive ‘clong’ sound when pressed, though behind the scenes the switch activates high-quality reed relays placed next to the input sockets, improving sound quality and minimising input-to-input crosstalk,” says Sells.
And then, perhaps surprisingly, the Nait 50 further aligns with the Nait 1 by also omitting RCA sockets and a remote control.
“Did we make the right decision by leaving them out? I’m not sure. Once nostalgia wears off, convenience tends to call,” Sells admits.
We guess even engineers with CVs as enviable as Steve Sells' can question their judgment at times
Revolutions
Well-known member
- Aug 6, 2023
- 1,090
- 1,407
- 4,070
the lack of remote is a bit oversight imo, it makes the whole thing feel like a gimmick. There’s no way that extra circuitry would alter the sound in any meaningful way.
Juzzie Wuzzie
Well-known member
- Sep 18, 2007
- 520
- 308
- 19,270
LR - have you run the WiiM through the NN as would be interested in how that sounded to you. I looked at the £999 deal and started dreaming a little ...
The_Lecht_Rocks
Well-known member
- Mar 24, 2023
- 442
- 281
- 2,270
Yeah I did initially but the ICON is on a different level…..
Still, the N50 did well with the WiiM, but the amp is too good to strangle with the WiiM.. it scales very well to a high quality source.
Some NAIM forum users got £10k front ends into the N50!
Not my scene, but shows how good the N50 is….
Similar threads
TRENDING THREADS
-
-
Question Rega Planar 2 vs Audio Technica AT-LPW40WN?
- Started by vincentjoshuaet
- Replies: 33
-
-
-
-
-
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram