Naim Nait XS

[arashid]

I just purchased a Naim Nait XS amp. I auditioned it compared to a UNITI and the XS sounded smoother.

However the midrange is a bit muted compared to the Uniti, and I was told it would open up with the break in period.

Is this correct? I hope it does, because although the Uniti is less smooth as an amp, the midrange is clearer and I have a week to decide whether I want to keep the XS or buy a Uniti.

Please advise....

 

[chebby]

The XS is a more refined sounding amp than the Nait 5i or naimuniti but it should not sound 'warm'. I have some experience of hearing the Nait XS. Nait 5i and the naimuniti but have only ever heard the Nait XS with a Naim CD5X and a Rega P2 turntable with Ortofon 2M blue cartridge.

Did you compare the XS and the naimuniti with the same louspeakers in the same room? If not, then this will massively skew the comparison.

Of course - in the naimuniti - the CD/tuner sources are all Naim. So what is the Nait XS amp's source when you are comparing it with the naimuniti? This will influence the sound you get from the XS.

 

[the record spot]

Unless there's something miraculous in the Naim XS that's not in another amp, then it should power up, be running at its optimum temperature in an hour and ticking over nicely by the end of the day. Burn-in running into the days/weeks/months I have my doubts over.

Your ears get used to the sound and that's it after months or years of listening to the gear it replaced.

 

[chebby]

I was trying to dodge the 'burn-in' subject.

I believe this all comes down to the basic difference between the character of the XS and the Nait5i/naimuniti sound. (And/or different demo speakers/different sources/different rooms if that were the case.)

I think those differences would still be apparent with examples that had only been playing for an hour or so (or enough to warm-up).

The XS is a more refined amp. Lots of people will dig that and a few may not.

 

[the record spot]

I appreciate that chebby, I was just making the point that what the retailer will pitch as being "break-in" period isn't necessarily sound advice. The underlying character of the components are far more important, but when shelling out the cost for Naim kit especially, I hope the OP has a good relationship with the trader that'll let him return the amp if he doesn't like it after a week or so.

 

[Peter Larsen]

Burn in is a fact. I just bought a XS at my local dealer, and we began discussing whether there was a difference. So what we did was to compare the stores unit which had been playing for about a month non stop in opening hours and my unit straight out of the box. I went out shopping and came back a few hours later, to give the new unit time to get warm. Then we compared the two via speaker switch connected to the same pair of speakers. Here is what we found:

Attack and speed - no difference on the two units.However the new unit sounded harsh compared to the store unit. I mean really harsh: If I hadn't heard the burned in unit beforehand I would never have purchased an XS:

 

[plastic penguin]

arashid:

I just purchased a Naim Nait XS amp. I auditioned it compared to a UNITI and the XS sounded smoother.

However the midrange is a bit muted compared to the Uniti, and I was told it would open up with the break in period.

Is this correct? I hope it does, because although the Uniti is less smooth as an amp, the midrange is clearer and I have a week to decide whether I want to keep the XS or buy a Uniti.

Please advise....

I'm sure the XS will vastly improve over the next few days.

Out of interest, what speakers do you run?

 

[chebby]

Peter Larsen:However the new unit sounded harsh compared to the store unit. I mean really harsh

Yes, but the OP is asking if the 'smoothness' and 'muted' midrange will change over time. No mention of the XS being harsh....

arashid:....the XS sounded smoother.

However the midrange is a bit muted compared to the Uniti...

 

[Anonymous]

I didn't notice any chance in my Naim amps (which I owned from new) from burn-in. Mind you, they were olives so smooth was never considered a problem

 

[arashid]

I am using them with B&W 805S. The B&W 805S has no lack of midrange clarity so I know for sure it's not the 805S. In fact when I heard them with a 202/200 it was the most magical music I had ever heard other than a live concert. Whether a XS can replicate some of the magic at a much lower price point is another question, any advice would be much appreciated.

The sources and the speakers were the same in the showroom i.e. Uniti playing direct on Sonus Faber (can't remember the name, but will find out). And driving the XS was the Uniti pre-out.

The XS out of the box did not sound harsh to me. The Uniti and a Cyrus 8 Pre/Power combo had much clearer Midrange.

Having said that, after some 12 hours it is opening up now (but is it my ears adjusting or is the amp really opening up?... I will keep all updated. I have been playing all kinds of music and I can hear things on some tracks that I never knew were there to begin with. If only that midrange keeps opening up....!

Thanks

 

[Peter Larsen]

Well it didn't lack in the midrange compartment even though it was brand new. All I was saying that the midrange sounded harsh right out of the box.

 

[arashid]

I would agree with that. I had the treble in mind when I said it wasn't harsh, but the midrange sounding harsh may be the same thing as I heard i.e slight lack of clarity with voices?

 

[drummerman]

If you don't like ... you don't like it. That's that. Ask your dealer to change it for Uniti. All I can say is that your amplifier adds quite a bit to the 5i, which I believe the Uniti is partly based on, making it in my opinion worth the extra, though that is reliant on a good source and sympathetic speakers. Something like the 5i cdp, again used in similar form in the Uniti, whilst a good start does'nt really do the XS justice imo.

But if you prefer the Uniti then I would'nt argue. Nothing wrong with that.