First Naim gear?

Prompted by the recent post about the release of the Nait 35 years ago I am curious to know what was your first naim gear and when you got it.

I will start. For me in 82, it was an upgrade to a 42 with mc boards and 110 combo to go with my LP12, Syrinx PU2 and Azak and RCL speakers, which were soon changed for Kans. Loved this system and it served me well for many years.

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My first Naim gear was a 42 with a 110 also using a LP12 with a Ittok arm and Linn cartridge speakers could have been Mission 770s or Monitor Audio MA4s the start of a very long and at times expensive Naim journey but it has and still is very enjoyable.

Now there’s an interesting one - my first Naim kit is my only Naim kit - a Nova bought in 2017.

When I moved in with my now wife in 2000 I auditioned a load of kit from different manufacturers and almost bought Naim - what put me off was the odd swing door on the CD player, so I went with another brand. This was good until upgrade time, but after the next upgrade (new amp and speakers) everything went to pot - I became so disenthused with “hi-fi” that I gave up using it except as a glorified radio and played all my music on my phone with headphones.

When that “had to go” in 2017 I spent ages deciding what to do, along with my wife. We both knew we didn’t want an oil rig full of black (or silver) boxes in the room anymore, but it was a case of was I brave enough to go for a single box (supposedly “not real hi-fi”). Hearing the Nova won out, especially as it doesn’t take up much space in our relatively small room. I did listent to various seperates, but none really hit the “buy me” button like the Nova did. My wife actively avoided switching the old kit on as she hated the sound so much, now she actually choses to turn the Nova on, without prompting by me - it’s amazing how much more you can relax into the music knowing the other person/people in th eroom aren’t inwardly screaming “turn it off !”.

I do still wonder where I’d be now if I’d gone for the Naim kit back in 2000… (other than poorer :slight_smile: )

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Well I popped into a dealer really wanting a Musical fidelity A1 with my wife. We had a Philips cd101, Technics amp and Mordaunt Short speakers, the A1 was a big step up. The guy in the showroom asked if we had heard a Naim amp, so out came a Nait…wife could have died, an expensive shoebox. We eventually left spending more than we wanted to on a NAC62/NAP90, which was just wonderful.

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October 2018. Uniti Atom (Harbeth P3ESR). Major downsize from Quad valves, MF pre, Moon Dac and Tannoy Sterlings.
No regrets at all.

Purchased Naim Nait in May 1988; upgraded in 1991 to 42.5/90

started with a Naim 5 with CD5 combined with Wharfedale Evo 30 speakers

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Started off in 2010 following a conversation with a recommendation from a friend who happens to be an audiophile, he suggested a UnitiQute v1. And the dealer suggested n-Sat speakers would go nicely. A year or so later I had a 192/24 board swapped in. And soon after an n-Sub was on the cards. Muso made an appearance in the bedroom as my alarm clock. Finally took the plunge and sold the UnitiQute in November 2018 and replaced it with a Nova, which is just an amazing device.

My first Naim boxes were a secondhand olive 62/140 combo. A revelation to the LINN Intek I was using at the time!

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I purchased a Naim Unitilite approximately 4 years ago.

Then I joined this forum and as a result developed symptoms of severe itching which in turn lead to a fair amount of scratching. The good news is I am almost cured.

Lovely preowned 32 and chrome bumper Hicap in 1996.

A very good friend of mine had a 72/140 set up which sounded wonderful & so much different/better than the random collection of elements that I had picked up. I spent many pleasant hours in Son et Lumiere (long gone) in 1994 listening to various combinations of Naim gear. They had an olive 52 & CB 250 heading in from Switzerland from someone who was changing their set up - I had to do a lot of thinking since this was above my budget but I finally agreed and finished this off with a pair of EPOS 14s (which I am still using). An early CDS was added when I had funds became available.

Started with a 42/110 in the early 80’s, added a HiCap, then changed the power amp to a 160 before getting a 250. Then moved over to Ion amplification with the Nexus monoblocks which seemed like an upgrade at the time, later changed to a Morgan Audio Decapo Deva Integrated amp before returning to Naim.

My second time with Naim saw me start with a 202/200, later a Hicap and NAPSC added, then 282, followed by a HicapDR and the 200 was changed to a 250DR. I added an NDX as a source dispensing with the Morgan Audio Deva CD player and DAC I had. The NDX was recently replaced by an NDS/XPS DR.

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Hi, I always kept an eye on Naim gears but for many reasons I never bought one. I remember an article in the Italian magazin Stereoplay, back in 1985 about the Nait that really caught my eyes but eventually i never bought a Naim and my system took other directions…

Until 2018 when I radically changed my system and i was looking for a phono stage…and I said, why not Naim… And that’s how i went for a Stageline N powered by a Flatcap XS. Needless to say that I am really impressed by the combo in my system and even if it might sound a naive comment I am sort of discovering again my record collection. A very nice product indeed. And a nice community as well :smiley:
Bye
Alessandro

I started in 1985 with a Nait, then 62/140 a bit later, still,using Olive amps including the 135s I bought in 1989.

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Uniti Atom, Last Jan. One year a Naim user.

First naim gear was a Nait 3 back in 92. Great piece of kit.

My first Naim gear was really Focal: the Sopra IIs I love so much. That brought me to Naim and the NAP 300DR. From there I bought my mom a Muso Qb, followed by a regular Muso for my wife, and most recently an NDX 2 (on its way) to front the NAP. Slowly but surely… Feeling the pressure to add a NAC, but resisting so far.

SN1 and CDX2 in 2007… I did quit for a few years but come back with a vengeance. Now 252/300DR superline/ super Lumina and all that…

I got a taste for Naim down at my local dealer when I saw the original Uniti in 2009.
After doing some research I realised it was the best I could get at my price range, and delivered everything I wanted at the time.
6 months later I had my first piece of Naim gear.
Fantastic engineering, loved the radial arc CD drawer and the overall robustness of the Uniti.