Somewhat of a rant, but also a plea for words of encouragement…
I purchased my first Naim system - a Uniti Nova - in 2022 after moving to a new home with limited space. My Marantz PM-10 was far too large, and I’d long admired the Naim Audio line.
Unit 01 - The first unit to arrive was defective, with parts rattling around inside.
Unit 02 - The replacement unit was also defective with a similar issue.
Unit 03 - This one arrived and performed as expected. Since then, it has been powered on for approximately 5 - 7 hours per month (this ought to be a crime, I know). It would periodically fail to show up in the app, prompting a power cycle, but it worked quite well. It lives atop a small console cabinet with the mains connected to an Audioquest Niagara 1200 and into an Audioquest NRG Edison 15A receptacle on a dedicated circuit. A pair of KEF LS50 Meta loudspeakers flank it with a Rega P6 connected through a Rega Aria mk3 phonostage.
Unfortunately, Unit 03 has now failed. I’ve performed multiple factory resets, power cycles, etc. No luck. I’m working with Naim Support to get it fixed. I’m admittedly disgruntled that the cost to ship the unit is on me given the light use and multiple failed units, but I appreciate the helpful, positive spirit of the Support team.
Do I stay the course? Or do I get it fixed and abandon ship? Sell the Nova and move on to Cambridge, Lyngdorf, HiFi Rose, or Linn (all offer small-footprint streaming amplifiers)? I recognize that I’m in a Naim forum, so it’s safe to assume that I’m looking for some encouragement, but I welcome different perspectives. Have others had reliability issues with their products? Is periodic servicing an accepted reality within the Naim community?
I appreciate you allowing me to get that out. Thank you.
That’s really not good. As Arberg says, you should pursue warranty options first. Reliability does seems to be very variably unfortunately, my Nova has been solid from day one, but others have had experiences similar to yours. Some have had replacements for minor cosmetic issues, so even consumer back up is hit and miss.
Having said all of that, if it was me, I’d be going for another brand after three successive failures. And I’d be hesitant about buying new Naim products these days, given the number of reported issues with new products and poor customer support outside the UK.
I’m at the same place as you @NathanB. I really doubt I will be buying Naim in the future. I love the sound but all three of my units have been faulty (Nova, SN3 and NDX2). Most recently the SN3 crackle & balance issue occurred literally days after expiry of the warranty. 6 weeks later and no fix in sight. The NDX2 took nearly two months to fix. Really poor.
That’s very far from a rant, and is calm and considered. Most people buy a Nova and it just runs happily for many years. But when things go wrong it’s most frustrating. I too bought a Nova in 2022 but it had issues and was replaced in December 2023. The replacement then had issues recently and I was offered a second replacement. I’d rather lost my faith in the Nova, so I asked for an Atom HE instead. I received a full refund on the Nova, bought the Atom and changed my speakers to active. Both Naim and my dealer were really helpful in getting to a solution.
You don’t say where you are based; if you are not in the U.K. it may be more complicated, with distributors involved too.
Nathan,
a 2nd hand ND5 XS2 and a NaitXS won’t take much more space than a Nova, will work flawlessly (to my experience, not hearsay) and will likely sound a lot better. Be patient and, if I can give rare direct advice, look for older vintage. I’ve had tons of gear from 2005 to 2012 or so, and never had a single issue.
Best,
M
Your experience to be honest sounds highly unusual - you’re not siting the equipment in an overly warm/cold/damp environment are you??
I’ve exclusively used Naim since 1988, although as a reviewer I’ve had countless other products temporarily in my system. I can tell you that my experience which ranges from an original Nait 1 1988 through olive series amps and into products like the NDX and NDX2 has been literally world class. I have absolute faith that my Naim NAC82/Hicap/NAP250 amps will continue to work for decades more flawlessly. Yes I will recap them but my original Nait worked flawlessly from 1988 to 2023 before I even recapped it!! As a reviewer who needs a reliable main system into which I can connect review kit I simply couldn’t tolerate a system that wasn’t rock solid dependable. I use Naim partly because of that rock solid dependability. My system isn’t just there for pleasure, it’s a work tool just as a surgeon requires a scalpel or a joiner requires a hammer.
I’m pretty sure given your miserable experience with Naim that the factory are going to be pretty proactive in dealing with you if you’re in the UK, so I would be tempted to place a call to them to see what they can do to support. Your dealer also ought to be looking into providing you with some loan equipment while the Naim factory repair or replace your units.
One thing Naim have always been legendary at is customer service - give them a chance to respond…
I also went through 3 Novas, I’m on my 3rd SN3 and 2nd NDX2, all sorted professionally by my dealer and Naim. I just wish their QC and component selection was up there with their customer service.
When I visited Naim years ago I was shown how components were accurately selected, how every piece of equipment was tested and played before package and shipment, how everything was checked for best performance. Pride and confidence were in the air in every dept.
But then it was before Naim had owners breathing on their neck.
Sorry to hear that you’ve had all these issues, two things.
Equipment like this prefer to be powered up all the time and use the standby function.
As others have said, go through the warranty process with your dealer. Either get a fourth one if you have faith, alternately if you have lost confidence with Naim, look at the DSM models from Linn as another option.
If you’ve lost faith in Naim the new Linn stuff is excellent. I’ve used Naim gear for over 25 years now. The only failures I’ve had where when I swapped over to DR stuff when 300DR PS, a HuCap DR and a SCDR failed. They’re all performing and sounding great at the moment,
but I have to say that it did dent my confidence.
I’ve recently considered reducing the box count as I currently have 10 boxes. The look and sound of the Linn DSM stuff is very appealing.
Her indoors is currently wanting a move to a smaller house so I’m holding fire until I know what room the system will be in.
The tales of multiple problems with Nova make me wonder if it is a product made in Salisbury, or one of those outsourced, and, maybe or maybe not related to that, whether other Naim products these days have similar reliability problems.
I think part of the reason for outsourcing was that in Salisbury they found it hard to find qualified people if I’m not mistaken. So perhaps their hiring criteria got lowered or those people they do have are overloaded with too much work? Although either way, QC should catch that, as even the outsourced stuff goes back to Salisbury for QC.
I have owned quite a few pieces of Naim gear since the early 80’s, most all of it purchased new. Fortunately, I have had very few issues with any of it, and when I did, service was always carried out promptly, and issues resolved. I must say though, as I am in the US, service etc. has fallen off and isn’t what it used to be when there was NANA in Chicago. They were tops in the day. I am fortunate though to have an excellent dealer, Tyler at Next Level, who has gone to bat for me. If you do not have good dealer service, I imagine repairs etc. can sometimes be tough to get resolved.
With all that being said, yes, it would be tough for me to move on if I was currently in your situation. Patience sometimes is key though.
If you do lose the faith, and decide to move on, give a listen to some of the German Lindemann gear, the Musicbook Combo or Source2/Power combos are very good sounding pieces, and can come in a bit cheaper than some Naim equivalents. Well worth a listen. FWIW…
All Novas and other Unitis are made in Salisbury. Naim used a factory in Slovakia when the New Classics were introduced, because there was insufficient capacity in the Salisbury factory. Parts were shipped to Slovakia, where they were assembled and then returned to Salisbury for checking. The factory in Slovakia was already being used to make some of the circuit boards I believe, so there was an existing relationship and knowledge of Naim processes. Now that the initial production hump for the NCs is passed, all production is being done in Salisbury, as I understand it.
Thank you all for the supportive and informative responses. There are of course many more small-form-factor options on the market today (NAD, M10 v3, Cambridge Audio Evo 150, Marantz M1), but I’m not yet convinced that the performance capabilities these will meet my expectations. What attracted me to the Nova was the strong performance to footprint ratio. A few additional details…
I’m in the United States. Santa Barbara, California. Very mild climate with humidity ranging from 40% - 60%. The closest I’ve found to paradise.
I’ve been in touch with Naim Support and they’ve asked me to ship it out for repair in Montreal, Canada. Based on feedback here, I may circle back with the dealer before doing so.
When I say “powered on for 5 - 7 hours,” I meant to say “actively being used.” It’s plugged into mains full time and in standby.
My limited space is as follows: 381mm maximum depth including connected cables.
You all have given me some additional paths to pursue. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks, again.