I would hope there will be three price tiers for the New Classics, as it would make perfect sense when using the KISS approach of Good-Better-Best for the entire Naim portfolio. The options BNC (Before New Classic) were rather complicated for the uninitiated (especially the power supplies).
I’m hoping for a 100 series, either in the full fat NC 200/300 casing, or the NC NVC casework. It needn’t consists of a whole raft of pre / power options, perhaps just a single integrated replacing the Nait5 and XS, and a streamer to replace the ND5 XS2 and NDX2.
My concern is (and I suspect) that any future new lower tier launches will consolidate the XS and Uniti ranges into new All In One Radiograms (as my Grandparents used to call them!).
I do also think there’s room for a 300 series HyperNait as well - something in the NAC 332 preamplifier casework with a 100WPC plus would nice.
Anyway, if the New Classics launched so far are representative, interesting times ahead for Naim-ites.
Wouldn’t that product eat into 222/250 sales for those who still want a streamer?
The price of an NC Supernait (based on 222/250 tech) plus an ND5 XS2 (or 100 series streamer) might be too close to the 222/250 price. TBH, I think the 222 is a repackaging of ND5 XS2/Supernait 3/Atom HE headphone amplifier combined with the new volume control tech anyway (my guess).
Given that Naim are a small company, and needed Focal’s injection of cash (to survive?), I think they have already launched all they can afford to for now. It’s been major for them considering their product launches in previous decades.
I can see the next couple of years being mainly consolidation and recouping of R&D costs. Maybe some products that reuse/repackage NC designs, but maybe not.
That might not be entirely true given the new prod facility in Slovakia, we might start seeing new launches more frequently than the usual Naim way, but yes, on the very next year after so many releases on the previous one, it is highly unlikely to see a new product that early. We can only speculate of course, as usual. The most obvious thing to do now is to continue promoting and selling those 200/300 series, Naim would rather not jeopardise sales of those fresh products by releasing something that can cannibalise those. NC DAC V2 would not bother any sales person though…
In my experience of rationalising product sets, you can only take things so far. Not everything can be put in a “Box”. The is a human factor involved. Naim have tried to simplify things with the 200 & 300 series so I would be surprised to see another PSU appear. The Uniti series seems pretty sorted so maybe just a facelift? Possibly the Nait5si/XS/SN/ND5XS rebranded and facelifted as 100 series with some tech improvements. Maybe NDX2 facelifted and rebranded a 200 series product. Having three integrateds at varying price points seems to cover the “budget/entry” levels quite well atm.
What would be useful would be modular digital components which could Be upgraded as technology changes (streaming board, dac etc. a la Linn DSMs). But maybe doesn’t suit Naim.
Good point on modularity, it’s how I ended up with a Selekt DSM (and others have here with happy endings)
Since I’ve owned that I’ve rebuilt it multiple times in terms of amps, line out, DAC’s and even the internal power supply with further headroom to spend in to as my budget permits.
Having some element of dealer upgradeability especially on the digital circuits makes a lot of sense, it’s an easier pill to swallow spending £1500 on a better DAC than a depreciated trade in to then have to spend another £10-15k on whole box swop.
Highly unlikely to see Naim go that route which in the spirit of sustainability is an oversight in my view.
This is what, amongst other things, I don’t follow with the supposed Statement-level streamer, as these are pretty much computer kit in drag, albeit highly specialised. As such, they are exposed to redundancy/being overtaken in relatively short order (by this I mean 5/7 years or so).
For the record, I’m not clear that’s accurate. Certainly, Naim’s financial fortunes have improved greatly since being in PE hands, and their financials reflect fairly limited support from ‘above’. And, in some respects, Focal are a sisterco, under the umbrella of PE ownership.
Probably never going to happen, Statement being an amplification experiment in the art of the possible with a blank spreadsheet and some forward thinking engineering.
Developing a Statement source would cost a lot and result in a low volume (although high margin) product, something they also lack any manufacturing space to build anyway.
500 Series evolution will be interesting, there’s a lot of sensitivity there, it’s a precious corner of the product portfolio with a financially burdened install base that will expect something extra special to qualify as a successor to the existing range. They’re rightly taking their time, measuring the heat map from the 200 and 300 Series launches and likely working with their dealer network to guage the target market needs and appetite to do a system evolution, many after all reach end game once at a 500 System level.
Agree - and, as I understand things, many Statements have been sold > the main dealer network, as it sits in hi-fi esoterica dealer levels, increasingly so given the price increases.
And, the likes of dCS appear to have a modular approach, which is surely a better approach in avoiding being overtaken in the market(?).
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