Does anyone think that the price of Naim stuff nowadays is a bit expensive

I love local travel and exploring the country I’m in.

But my wife likes to do international travel and would much rather have experiences. I travelled all over the far East for work for 15 years and myself lived in the UK, US and have family in Germany, Belgium, UK and US even now. But about 6 years ago I just got fed up with international travel. Like a switch was flipped, I just can’t stand it now and want to stay put and put the money into my home or for making a habbit out of fine dining locally. I’m happy to spend on hifi and home theatre but I do want value. The cost if Naim isn’t what bothers me. It’s the cost performance ratio. Right now, the annual increases far above inflation make Classic series bits questionable.

6 Likes

Sure, but the pound / dollar has improved in recent months, it has made a significant positive difference for my organization buying components from US suppliers here in the UK. We use 1.3 dollars to the pound now.
The other component currency of course is euros and that has seen les positive shift. Of course we tend to hedge exchange rate variations to smooth this out… and that cuts both ways of course.

1 Like

I know the feeling about travel abroad. When i was younger i was envious of this guy globetrotting around the world. Then i joined him. What an eye opener, living out of a suitcase, hotels…etc physically and mentally draining after a while. So i am a bit like you, prefer holidays in the UK, hifi etc.

2 Likes

I wonder why admin cost has quadrupled in 10 years, the increase ac using up virtually all the increase in sales, so the increase in sales appeared to pay for admin and nothing else!

Where is the R&D cost? is that included in the admin provision?

You really have got to hope so!

Well, I guess this forum is expensive to run :wink:

1 Like

You mean Richard’s fees!

I’m somewhat fortunate in that my wife has done enough travelling as well; in her youth, as well as together. So she’s content to stay fairly local as well.
And this gives us more free cash for our pastimes, such as HiFi, and our wine collection.
But we do these with a thought to frugality. We buy affordable, well-selected wines, and age them for 4 to 6 years, and they’re fabulous, without being expensive.
Same goes for HiFi purchases. The less one spends on each interest, the more cash one has for other enjoyable things.
It’s a balance, and I find I appreciate things more when they aren’t so dear.

Dave

5 Likes

It’s a fine balance. There is a saying, “the poor pay more”. Below a certain price threshold, the value of the item is significantly reduced to a point where frequent replacement or repair costs more than a better product upfront. Applies to everything. Cheap food and poor diet increases cost both at the point of sale (you buy more of the same thing to feel satisfied by quantity rather than quality) and in poor health.

I grew up fairly poor but never went without. The mantra at home was spend where it counts and if non essential, better to go without entirely than buy rubbish. Odd mixture of charity shop wardrobe, handmedowns, ex BT van for the family car, but Linn and Arcam hifi and enough books to start a small library.

8 Likes

Words of wisdom. :+1:

3 Likes

Gaza, so true… I remember when as a graduate a choose my first job, I wanted one that provided international travel. It was an exciting romantic notion… going to comfortable hotels around the world in interesting places… so I did. I worked at collaboratively developing international communication standards…
It was fun at first… frequent travel around Europe, the US and occasionally the Far East… but the novelty soon wore off. Business hotels are often drab sterile affairs… one airport is like almost any other, and you very rarely got any time to relax with your colleagues and absorb where you were… though we at least used to try and do that for one evening on the trip… if work would allow…
but in the end it became tiring, and uninspiring… and it became time to move on…

3 Likes

This is so true, it happens as soon as you cross the channel. I’m in The Netherlands, and there is a Naim dealer 5 minutes walking from my house. When i bought my Nova, it was so much more expensive to buy it locally, that instead i took a flight to London, spent a weekend there and bought the unit at a UK dealer and flew back home with it. I ended up saving around 800 euros and had a fun weekend as a bonus.

6 Likes

Are there not import taxes on electrical goods, or local in store county taxes that would have to be included in the dealer price?

The UK used to be inb the EU so has homogenised taxes across the countries on goods. Not from next year.

Thinking more the USA.

I think you’re not the only person who does this.

I understand some dealers in southern England had/have (regular) customers from across The Channel, where a trip on the likes of the Eurostar/Tunnel or ferries was very cost effective, especially when the used/trade-in market via the dealers was more active than now.

Simon - very true of many jobs where extensive travel is involved, with much ‘dead time’, especially where you aren’t in control of the take-off scheduling.

My dad had to do time sheets, not as a prime basis for charging clients I must say, and ‘NPT’ (non-productive time) featured heavily.

IME airports are wonderful places to skip through when everything is running OK but when not, often all you are left with is expensive shops and a barely audible PA system rendering apologies and not a lot else.

I picked up my son’s Muso QB for the very first time just recently, if only to have a look and feel of it. I bought it for him as a Christmas present in 2018 at a knocked down price from a reputable dealer. I could not believe the quality that is on offer here for the money. Unbelievable!!

1 Like

I have done exactly the same a couple of times. It is amazing the price difference is enough to pay for flight and fund a small holiday. :smiley: