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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New yacht bathroom speaker Focal powered by naim.
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Silver plated occ copper NACA6 speakercable
Given that Naim are offering green lighting for 500 series kit ‘whilst stocks last’, maybe an announcement of a move to white lights for the whole XS range???
I stand corrected, thanks. It was pure speculation on my part, not knowing the history of the Focal/Naim merger and financial ownership.
That said, I’m sure Naim have invested a good deal in the NC 200 and 300 series, and will want/need to see a good return before embarking on developing/releasing more new products given the current economic climate.
New Classic didn’t happen overnight either, it was over 10 years in development and subject to multiple itterations and revisions during the R&D cycles.
I’ll just repeat what I think will happen from the following post:
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Now, that’s a great point. How would Naim proceed (Statement) in this streamer market being as they don’t have a source per se for their amps? Naim have probably sold more Statements than they anticipated, what would you recommend as a streaming source for Statement?
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I think that would require a trip to something like CES in the US and/or Munich hi-end, to see what’s out there in esoterica-land, as that’s where Statement (amp) lives it seems, also bearing in mind ~60% of Naim’s business is overseas (higher % for Statement?). in the UK, dCS kit (Vivaldi) appears highly regarded – and is quite a financial step-up from an ND555 package, also not forgetting the costs of ancillaries nowadays e.g. a Melco, cables et al.
I’ve got to answer the question of how to replace my much-treasured CD555/2 x PSs set-up at some point and, in this regard, I’ve noticed the flow of P/L ND555s on auction sites at ‘attractive prices’? Why so, is the question which begs?
Probably because the dealer network are now offloading their 500 Series buffer/demo stock and having conversations with their long standing 500 Series customers about exciting replacements around the corner.
I may be being a little cynical here, but I know my local Naim dealer has been vocal
about it to me at least and his demo/used page on their website is full of 500 Series kit, if it was hanging around for years to come with now replacement on the horizon, then why be so keen to offload it now (historically out of character, I’ve been buying from them since 2005)
The resell values on used Classic series kit are noticably lower now, triggered in part by 200/300 Series availability and with kit like the 282,252, Supercap and so forth showing a higher level of availability.
The next product coming is already in public domain if you know where to look.
Can’t be discussed here obviously.
Do you mean the CI-Uniti 102? I’ve mentioned it before and someone, maybe Richard, suggested that CI is likely to stand for custom install. From that I inferred something for the Princess yachts, but am probably well wide of the mark.
I wonder:
1- how much demand there is now for 500/552s, as they’re both long in the tooth, and the NC items e.g. 350s are being spoken of in the same breath? If the case, then realising funds from dem stock now is logical, noting Naim used to re-stock dem stuff in Q1 calendar, hence the Q1 ex-dem sales on auction sites.
2- The re-sales values are interesting for say ND555, as the platform is supposed to be upgradeable and the vendors I’m seeing are non-Naim/privates.
It’s certainly more revolution than evolution in the marketplaces at the moment - some bargains to be had.
Some good deals to be had, all that kit is very good, I’d be tempted to build a nice Classic NAC/NAP system myself tbh.
There’s still plenty of solid alternatives up and beyond 500 Series levels, dcs and Nagra always appealed to my eyes and ears. CH Precision also to an extent.
Great points. With Bristol just around the corner I did wonder if Naim might have a release of Streamer to support the Statement amps. Maybe not yet with the release of new current range. Suffice to say, with ND555’s second hand maybe there is no smoke without fire! I would hold onto your CD555, absolutely stunning. It was something I regrettably never owned as I was an early adopter of streaming…maybe I’m a lazy ol git 
Exciting times. Something for everyone! Stay tuned!!
unless of course that the model number for the naim system in the new Bentley Batur
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I’d not thought of that. Bentleys and Princess yachts are slightly out of my league.
Stay tuned…and start saving, and buy even more lottery tickets and pray to the god of ERNIE 
Looking on YT, I think Statement premiered at CES in Jan 2014(?) and Bristol in Feb 2014, and the Bristol environment, with big Focals in tow, didn’t look ‘optimal’ (being polite here). CES 2024 has not long finished, and Munich show is in May.
I think a house move will come before relinquishing my CD555, as it doesn’t matter which way to go, it’s going to cost big $.
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