Primare I30 or Naim Nait XS? Or?

[sortof]

I´m looking to upgrade from my Sony TA-F 3000ES, which is driving Triangle Zays speakers. The high sensitivity Zays (92 dB/W/m) sound a bit bright, a bright sounding amp would therefore be a definite no go. The Naim Nait XS would be about £200 more expensive than the Primare I30, for which I have a special offer. Moreover, I think the Primare looks better and I have a certain dislike for the Naim way of connecting things (DIN sockets). Anyhow, which amp sounds better or is the better partner for my Zays?

 

[Anonymous]

You should audition with your speakers, that's the best way to find out.

 

[chebby]

sortof:The high sensitivity Zays (92 DB/W/m) sound a bit bright, a bright sounding amp would therefore be a definite no go. The Naim Nait XS would be about £200 more expensive than the Primare i30, for which I have a special offer. Moreover, I think the Primare looks better and I have a certain dislike for the Naim way of connecting things (DIN sockets). Anyhow, which amp sounds better or is the better partner for my Zays?

I have heard both amps (hundreds of hours listening in the case of the i30) and much prefer the Nait XS.

Your dislike of DIN sockets is moot because the Nait XS has RCA phono connections (for all inputs) as well as DIN.

Another problem is going to be those speakers. They are very efficient and I doubt you will ever get either amp beyond low volume settings unless you like things really loud and have a large room.

I would suggest you add a Sugden A21a Series 2 to the list. (25 watts pure class A and a valve-like sound).

 

[Anonymous]

Chebby, the other consideration is that the Triangle speakers as a whole are really bright, so a warm amp would suggest itself. I'm a bit hesitant about both Naim and Primare for that reason. The Naim isn't bright by any means, but with Triangle it might appear so.

 

[chebby]

Grottyash:Chebby, the other consideration is that the Triangle speakers as a whole are really bright, so a warm amp would suggest itself. I'm a bit hesitant about both Naim and Primare for that reason. The Naim isn't bright by any means, but with Triangle it might appear so.

One of the reasons I threw in the Sugden suggestion.

 

[sortof]

Thx for pointing out the Sugden, but itïs even more expensive over here (Germany) and a first search for reviews yielded somewhat ambiguous results. The suggestion of a "valve-like" is great though. Maybe I should give some of the cheaper tube amps (e.g. Yarland) a try? Btw. the NAIT XS is said to sound best when fed via the DIN sockets...

 

[audioaffair]

On the other side of the fence, IMO the Primare I30 is probably about the best integrated amp I've heard under £2k and since it was in production for over three years, I heard quite a few (even come and go) during this period. For punch with warmth and unfussy matching there is little I've heard to beat it - although the new Primare I32 might be a contender