It was already a disappointment when I received my brand new 552 from Salisbury and found out that the display board had a fault (the balance knob light would turn on and off or blink by itself). I would have expected all quality checks to be performed before shipping including testing that the display on/off function would work for all LEDs. For a GBP 20,000 product, what an unpleasant surprise!
And it also meant that my dealer had to order another unit, that it would come weeks later, and that I would need to run in again that unit.
So another unit was ordered and it was delivered to me yesterday. And guess what ?!? Hardly an hour after it had been powered on and playing through the ND555, it started to emit very loud āblob and bamā type sounds like there was some fireworks in my room. It was very loud, my son got very scared. I turned off the system and tried again later and it was emitting this time loud static noise. Then I spoke to my dealer and turned off and unplugged everything for 15mn. It would then play ok for 45mn and it would start again, loud static noise and fireworks type sound coming from one channel.
Today my dealer sent his team to check and confirmed the defect, having to take back the unit.
I canāt believe this is happening. That Naim could ship twice in a row defective brand new 552 preamps.
In the industry Iām in, which involves automatically and manually assembling electronic products, we monitor non quality at the level of ppm (parts per million).
Iām not sure if it has anything to do with current lockdowns and related Covid issues.
But for this level and price of products (plus on a very mature technology) this is really unacceptableā¦
That does sound very unfortunate. AFAIK, even with COVID restrictions, all units are still fully tested, then soak tested and listened to before being packed up. It shouldnāt happen, youāre right, but it has, and knowing Naim, they will get it sorted out for you ASAP.
Itās worth remembering that delivery companies wonāt carry your Naim equipment like you would do. Your 552 could have suffered impact damage that may not always be visible on the box.
Personally I would not have any Naim kit ādeliveredā and would always collect it myself.
Thatās rather impractical unless you live very close to Salisbury. Added to that, Naim wonāt let customers rock up and collect purchases. So they have to be sent to a dealer. Using a courier.
Yes, I have written to Naim, and my local dealer is also taking care of it.
As to self collect the products, thatās not possible for me.
Damage could happen during transport, sure, but this is part of the overall supply chain and Naim need to do what it takes to ensure quality end to end.
At this stage, I have no idea as to which part of the process has failed, for each case (!) but I have requested a full report.
Indeed, but Iād expect the dealer to fully check it and then collect from the dealer. Obviously without Covid Iād expect the dealer to install it too.
I generally ask my dealer to unpack and test the new products i buy from him, before i roll up and collect. But i remember my dealer having a customer with a run of bad luck like you who insisted if it was unpacked it was not new? Each to their own.
I thought I was unlucky with my 552.
I know its a pain at the time, but it will be sorted ASAP, as mine was, and then you can finally get down to running it in and just enjoying it.
My dealer does (did pre-COVID) install. As part of last yearās change of system, he paid three visits to my house 40 miles from the shop bringing and taking away very heavy speakers for home testing and setup. And thatās at a price level well below top level Naim stuff like 552. A good dealer is a great blessing.
Yes ā we customers defy categorization. I have a friend who is quite āparticular;ā heās not a hi fi guy but with cars, watches, etc., it has to be BRAND new for him. Cars ā he wants to be there when it comes in off the delivery truck. Iām sure this happens with hi fi too; some customers want to take the butter knife themselves to those factory-placed big staples in the box . . .
Thereās a reason that āunboxingā and āunwrappingā videos are SO popular on YouTube. Some get quite a serotonin hit from the process.
My brand new 552 had a relay get stuck and I lost my left channel completely, although I was surprised by that assuming that the quality assurance for a product of this cost would be super tight, nevertheless I figured many things can happen during shipment stages (I live in Dubai so it is not as straight forward for Naim to control the entire supply chain)
The worst for me was the wait, it took weeks to get a brand new unit shipped backā¦ But when I listen to it now, all is forgotten and I grin ear to ear with joy as this pup sounds like a champā¦ no regrets.
I can understand a rare overlooked defect even with a high end product such as the 552, but 2 brand new units in a row to same customer? I assume Naim will investigate thoroughly to their benefit.
Sorry @AhTiong
What happens with mine. Are they meant to deliver and install it? Iāve miss a trick if they are. Although the arrival date for my ndx2 changed so many times, in the end as soon as it was in, I just wanted to pick it up immediately.
Iām very surprised by your experience and having been a Naim owner of new and used gear of many years I would say that it is definitely not very common. In fact Naim is the only equipment I have ever owned that has worked flawlessly.
I have heard of a relay issueā¦usually if they fail they fail very early onā¦something that usually gets picked up during soak testā¦mostly otherwise they go on for donkeys yearsā¦I think also Naim have recently changed suppliersā¦ Richard may be able to confirm thatā¦
