More money than sense?

[harkpabst]

Somebody on the Naim forum just described the Naim Atom as moderately priced (ca. 2000 euro). As a streamer it has less features than the Wiim Pro. Definitely more money than sense over there.

Ps. I've got a Naim muso qb2 which is nice (standalone speaker streamer) as a chromecast endpoint, but I wouldn't rate it as any better than my pro with powered speakers.

In any event my whole setup runs via Lyrion to take advantage of all the plugin goodies available

Is that price excluding sales tax? In Germany the current price for a Unity Atom is ~2600 EUR and it's been quite a bit more during certain periods. When I demoed it combined with a pair of KEF R3 I did like the build quality and found the sound to be on the sweeter side of neutral. But in the first place I found it too pricy for what it does.

Do I sound like a snob when I say that OTOH I consider the Lyngdorf TDAI-1120 (now back at ~2000 EUR again) to be a real bargain? It's lacking a display and any form of headphone output (physical or Bluetooth). But other than that you get the complete package: A very capable streamer (supporting e.g. Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Google Cast, Airplay, Roon Ready, UPnP, (basic) USB storage, airable, vTuner), a phono MM pre-amp, a line preamp, 2 optical and 2 coaxial digital inputs, HDMI eARC, configurable bass and treble control (gain and frequency), up to 30 or so voicings (each consisting of up to 8 fully flexible PEQ filters), additional custom EQ settings for main speakers and subs, fully configurable digital crossover for mains and stereo subwoofers and of course on top of it all a brilliant room correction processor. Including a quality measuring microphone, 8 meter XLR cable and a mic stand.

Not everyone can shelf out two grand (plus money for passive speakers) on a music system. But if you can, the price asked is very sensible in my book.

 

[harkpabst]

The name of a Naim is still valuable

Did you notice the currently asked prices for an original Naim Nait on the typical 2nd hand selling platforms? Totally Crazy! Looks like you can even make some good money with used Naim gear.

 

[castalla]

In my book you can have as much hi-end stuff as you like, but you'll always hit diminishing returns as your hearing deteriorates with the ravages of age

More important to me is ease of use and aesthetic design (something that looks more fitted for a sleek interior rather than a fighter jet cockpit). Ease of use depends ultimately on the supporting software & variety of audio sources provided (music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc.).

 

[harkpabst]

More important to me is ease of use and aesthetic design (something that looks more fitted for a sleek interior rather than a fighter jet cockpit). Ease of use depends ultimately on the supporting software & variety of audio sources provided (music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc.).

Got it, you're a Lyngdorf fan already!

 

[LennyBruce]

The name of a Naim is still valuable

My system started playing up a couple of weeks ago, low volume and a lot of popping going on.

I assumed it was my Naim Nait 5i, so opened it up to have a look, to see if something has gone "bang".

I was amazed how little was in there. A few small IC's for the inputs, power amp with some big caps and a massive transformer.

They must have a massive mark up on their gear.

 

[castalla]

My system started playing up a couple of weeks ago, low volume and a lot of popping going on.

I assumed it was my Naim Nait 5i, so opened it up to have a look, to see if something has gone "bang".

I was amazed how little was in there. A few small IC's for the inputs, power amp with some big caps and a massive transformer.

They must have a massive mark up on their gear.

Or there's expensive invisible audiophile molecules spray-panted on the case interior

 

[castalla]

Audiophile ear trumpet - 300 euro on ebay

 

[castalla]

To misquote Oscar Wilde who described fox-hunting as

“The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable!”​

Perhaps audiophilia is

“The unspeakable in pursuit of the unhearable!”​

Just joking

 

[castalla]

More audiophile gobbleydegook from the Naim forum:

"I don’t think Naim sees this as a problem. But to your point regarding the tolerances being made known I agree. A bit we know/can deduce I guess. Electrical specs of NAC A5 are known, and Naim specify minimum and maximum lenghts. So we know: 3.5uH 48pF is okay 17.5 mOhm is fine Max lenght is 20m: 20uH 320pF 100 mOhm So we have a range that’s known to be safe: 3.5 - 20uH 48 - 320pF 17.5 - 100 mOhm It’s public knowledge that the minimum is because of the inductance, so we know 3.5uH i…"

Some over there have both tons of cash & lifetimes to while away discussing the strength of the snake oil. Some are not only supercillious in their disdain for 'inferior' devices (eg. The Wiim's) but they can be pretty vindictive, however there are plenty of pictures of cats sitting on oversized and overpriced speakers . They also lack a sense of irony and humour.

Sorry, rant over. Carry on.

 

[slartibartfast]

More audiophile gobbleydegook from the Naim forum:

"I don’t think Naim sees this as a problem. But to your point regarding the tolerances being made known I agree. A bit we know/can deduce I guess. Electrical specs of NAC A5 are known, and Naim specify minimum and maximum lenghts. So we know: 3.5uH 48pF is okay 17.5 mOhm is fine Max lenght is 20m: 20uH 320pF 100 mOhm So we have a range that’s known to be safe: 3.5 - 20uH 48 - 320pF 17.5 - 100 mOhm It’s public knowledge that the minimum is because of the inductance, so we know 3.5uH i…"

Some over there have both tons of cash & lifetimes to while away discussing the strength of the snake oil. Some are not only supercillious in their disdain for 'inferior' devices (eg. The Wiim's) but they can be pretty vindictive, however there are plenty of pictures of cats sitting on oversized and overpriced speakers . They also lack a sense of irony and humour.

Sorry, rant over. Carry on.

Naim amplifiers are picky about speaker cable. Must be because they are so well designed

 

[d6jg]

. They also lack a sense of irony and humour.

Odd given they are a British company. You could understand it from another nationality

 

[castalla]

Odd given they are a British company. You could understand it from another nationality

I'm referring to the forum posters - I got suspended as a troll after a week during which there was no bbc access when I pointed out other systems like wiim and LMS fix issues in hours rather than days. I suspect the instigator (with about 30k of naim devices) acted vindictively in cahoots with the moderator when I called him out for labelling non aim devices as inferior.