I can confirm from working in hw manufacturing with consumer electronics that the situation is a total mess for everyone right now. If you pay more and buy more you might get earlier in line. Dirty market right now… and it’s enough with one single component lacking and production is stopped. We have to risk buy components for 6-9 months ahead right now and still one cannot get a promise the components are there when needed. You might also end up having to re design your hw to get into a better situation. Crazy stuff.
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Exactly. So I hope we can be forgiven for concentrating on manufacturing existing products right now, rather than focusing on future releases.
We’ve already made it clear we have plans, but are simply not in a position to share anything right now, not least as it would almost certainly be subject to change!
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Recent experience of a friend buying a Mini revealed that relatively ‘young’ used models are selling fast, as dealers can’t get new stock due to chip shortages. We were also told they’re trying to hang on to at least some of their showroom display models, as it’s proving impossible to replace them once sold.
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No. I meant that Ford can seamlessly introduce a new model and see out the previous one without the pretence of there not being one on the way until launch day, or with endless ‘nudge nudge wait & see eh…?’ type comments. Treat the potential market like adults who will choose how to spend their money, not like excitable kids who need a bit of teasing. Which is what Naim have been doing.
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That’s certainly not our intention. We just have nothing to share right now.
The Uniti Atom Headphone Edition clearly demonstrates we’re continuing to develop the streaming pre-amplifier format - nothing ‘nudge nudge’ about that.
As and when we have further plans to share, we will, but that’s simply not possible at the moment.
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It may not be the intention, but that’s the reality of the messages coming out of Naim Towers these last few months.
The trouble is - and excuse me for going off on one but I’m past caring - when Naim are the lovely friendly people who make that smashing hifi all by hand in their little shed in Wiltshire, a bit of teasing might be fine.
When you get a bit cheesed off with all the tinkering and the fact that it’s never quite there as it always needs just a slightly better cable or 2 Fraim stacks instead of 1 so a new base is required, or that actually I don’t like this pile of half a dozen black industrial boxes in our living room any more along with the rats nest of cables (all of which need to be dressed and arranged as if we’re running some kind of thought experiment), being teased a bit for a potential new product that could revert me back to 3 boxes and a vast reduction in cables and all that goes with it, isn’t fun. And faced with a pile of boxes and kit that would cost new somewhere north of 47 grand, chopping them all in for something much simpler and cheaper isn’t an option. I’m yet to find a dealer that will p/x something that leaves me with a new bit of kit plus a wodge of cash. They don’t work like that.
So, I’m sorry to say this but Naim’s ‘nudge nudge something will be along one day’ is for me chuffing annoying. Either say there is a 272 on the way but it won’t be available for at least 18 months, or that there are no plans for a direct replacement as the new range is going off in a different direction entirely.
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I understand and can’t criticise the Naim policy to not communicate on the new products to come.
However, in that special segment, Naim is also taking the risk to loose a lot of potential buyers for the future 272.2, because more and more continue to post that they couldn’t have waited more and are buying elsewhere brands streaming preamps, as Auralic or Dcs Bartok.
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Now where would the fun be in knowing when its going to turn up?
What would people write about then, more cable and burn-in threads, which this or that, do my speakers look too big for my …?
I am one who is in theory eagerly waiting for the 272 mkII, but I can wait. I need time to save! :0)
And in this case I doubt it would hurt to announce this. Some people may be going NDX2/pre (like I did, and boy am I happy about it), and the others would know that they have to look elsewhere. The current guessing does not seem to help anyone
Well, depends. If you have an NDX2/555, SL, 252/SC and 300 like I do, there is very little that you can sell off and still have music. (not that I would)
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Agree on that it would help out a lot in planning if they just said 272 is end of life or that they indeed are working on a replacement. I don’t have to know more really. But to not say either or is bit frustrating.
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I think it is good to remember that (I am guessing) only a tiny minority of Naim owners, and especially prospective/possible Naim owners, are forum posters. I suppose that there are many who ask their dealer for a Naim streamer/pre, learn that there is none that can be recommended and waiting is not advisable in the absence of any dates, and go elsewhere.
I think they have said there is a replacement - at least that is what I read into the cryptic comments.
You would have thought however that as one of the most requested products, they would have released this before the Atom HE and the Solstice. Maybe it’s a completely new design and DAC implementation and they are still tweaking it, or they are using new suppliers and can’t get enough of the bits they need for a launch. Or I’m talking rubbish!
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How about Blue sound node 2i (lots of used ones around) has a great interface into a new Quord qutest (£1200) into analog input; only a bit over budget.
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I’ve got one but lent it to my brother along with my CB Nait 2. Will retrieve it and give it a go some-time but its 500km away.
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Just need to set it up to use an external DAC and get a qutest (or any other stand alone DAC you may prefer).
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Apart from the Atom HE their policy seems to be pre-announcing by 6 months (streamers, turntable).
Its all a bit like the play Waiting for Godot. And once in a while the boy shows up (in the shape of @Naim.Marketing) telling us the dog (in the shape of Covid) ate the product.
It is even more strange as no-one has asked Naim to re-design the not-that-old 272 with fancy impossible-to-get chipsets. Most people humbly just asked for a working streaming board and to be included as part of Naims software development efforts. Naim could have done a simple solution in a cheap tin-box screwed on at the back and most would have been happy.
Maybe, but it wouldn’t be Naim if they did that. And while many would have been fine with it, there would have been lots of moaning as well 
Sure, you are probably right. I envisaged something like old Prefix
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