That’s how I read it.
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A bit of green cellophane or similar could make the new white green…
I doubt any staff, senior or not, would slander their customer base - Statement or Nait owners.
The basic rule of thump don’t insult your customers.
Personally I’ve only ever heard of Statement amps being sold to real enthusiasts. Some have bought after making sacrifices elsewhere, while other of them may well be wealthy, but all have been discerning and demanded the very best possible. Sometimes wealth has allowed them to have more than one Statement amp so they can have a similar experience in different places.
Let’s face it, if you’re super-rich but you’re not seriously into your music and hifi reproduction then you’ll invariably be using something far more mainstream such as Bose or Sonos or similar, or something packaged with whatever CI system was installed in your home just to pipe the radio or spotify around the house.
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Agree – the issue is far more nuanced than to be identified & discussed in a binary manner.
Richard – looking at the blurb for the 500DR (see copy insert from Naim’s 'site), is it fair to say the 500DR was actually close to being a new Naim amp from when DR came in? e.g. one assumes the new transistors et al required a thorough reworking of the 500, with sound signature and all that goes with? So the 500DR, as a product, isn’t as long on the tooth as some may assume/think?
'The NAP 500 now features the new NA009 transistors first introduced in Statement. In development for over a year, this key component was created in partnership with a specialist semi-conductor manufacturer to achieve the best possible sound quality. The 500 also includes the high power Naim Audio DR (Discrete Regulator) technology used in Statement to provide the smooth, stable power supply we know is critical for the audio electronics to make music come to life.
These two new technologies, combined with other small improvements to layout and componentry, mean the NAP 500 DR can produce even more of the fundamental musical pace, rhythm and timing that made the originals so popular with music lovers.’
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HL, probably best for someone like @110dB to comment here, although I agree that the move to the Statement’s NA009 transistors was a big change and really did make it like a new amp - and not just for the 500 either, but also the NAP250DR and NAP300DR, which also moved to the NA009s.
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Even if Naim staff did slander their customers like that (never happen) … that’s assuming that they themselves truly know the customer’s motivation. For example - maybe it’s secretly been purchased to benefit another member of the household - as a nice surprise for someone sure to be appreciative.
@HungryHalibut I think you’ve got this one wrong. Quite a while back I went to a demo in a London dealer of a Vertere RG TT/arm, Statement and expensive Magicos. When the assembled were asked for their music choices it was quite apparent they were musically very knowledgable and diverse.
Incidentally, the system was by far the best I’ve ever heard, although I will never own anything of that order I think it’s essential that firms like Vertere/Naim/Magico continue to push at the very highest level of musical reproduction.
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Was there a date/serial number indicator for the change to 009’s, Richard?
Just curious in regard to my 300DR.
I agree that the 500 series has a few years yet to run. I suspect a new 552 will have the Statement volume control and the new 500 will follow the 350 by being monoblocks. We will see, but not any time soon.
I confess that I do find knocking the rich a tad amusing on a premier hi fi forum though… 
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If it’s a DR amp then it uses the NA009s.
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Thank you Richard. Saves me contortioning to check my serial number…cheers 
I’ve found putting the cameraphone down the back and shooting in roughly the right area works, Stevie. But you need to know in advance where the s/no is. So I look on the net for rear panel shots.
C.
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Slander doesn’t come into it. Nobody was slagged off, and I didn’t suggest anything of the sort. Obviously you’ll get different sorts of customers. Some will have saved hard to get something of their dreams, others will buy just because it’s expensive and they want something to fit their lifestyle. It’s no different to expensive cars, watches, paintings or whatever.
Coffee tables, lamps…
Sorry, couldn’t resist, lol.
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@stuart.ashen … i suspect that too … mono blocks 500s but bigger in size … am waiting patiently for that to happen 
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You sure do get different customers when money is no object.
When i was in my early 20’s, so 30 year’s ago, we did a job for a local millionaire. He walked into the local hifi shop in Northampton, listen inn it was called, and just asked for the best system they had.
He ended up with a full active naim system, it was all stuffed in a cupboard as i remember.
He certainly didn’t have a clue, and just went with whatever the dealer said was the best he had.
So i am sure things like this still go on, and not just with hifi.
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I went to Listen Inn a few times. That was in the early days of Milton Keynes and there were no shops to speak of, so the choice was either Northampton or Bedford. Did Peter Swain work at Listen Inn when you did?
I believe it is a good decision to replace the Chord Music speaker cable with Kudos KS-1 or even with Naim NACA5. My dealer told me that he wouldn’t recommend Chord Music speaker cable in an active setup, because it brings to much of analytics and fatigue especially in high frequencies
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Is this also valid for NAP250 which got a recap and a DR upgrade in one step?
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