I joined Naim at a time when there wasnt anyone at the helm. I felt a palpable sense of unease at the factory. They had come out of a tough time with the elongated delivery of the uniti range which forced 24 hour production just getting them built. Anyone who had previously done wiring was pulled in. It must have been really difficult. They were looking for someone and so I knew it was temporary.
And then Charlie joined. I liked him straightaway. He very quickly worked out what made things tick, what could be improved, where loss was occurring, and why the factory felt ā¦ at least to me ā¦ like it had had enough.
Very quickly I felt his influence. We received emails from Charlie every Friday without fail, a quick note of what was happening. There was greater staff engagement, regular āall handsā meetings, that kind of thing. And I felt the mood at the factory improve. The mu-so gen 2 was released, later xs3/sn3, it was all good.
Iām sorry to hear he is leaving. I have a lot of respect for Charlie and for what he has achieved at Naim in such a short time.
great insightsā¦thanks for sharing.
The group board make the overall strategy decisions and have done for a number of years now. They seem to have done pretty well so far. No change there.
I find threads like this understandable but short on collective memory or a sense of the outside world.
If one looks at the management of things from an outside perspective then one looks at 1970s Naim and concludes it was run by a messianic odd bod with a model that couldnāt possibly last. It didnāt, but nor did things end completely or go downhill.
You could look at the Paul Stephenson era and draw lots of conclusions about odd structure and direction. Lots of thing people on here were vocally uneasy with etc. And yetā¦
There are lots of reasons people buy hi-fi. Many of them are arguably bonkers. I am fairly confident none of them included corporate governance. If it did for you then hands up now and start talking. This I have got to hear.
Naim will continue to exist. Some will like what they do and most will not. Pretty much as it is now then. The haters are always more vocal.
Now sure, if you have s long term relationship with a product or a company then any change raises very specific and understandable concerns around quality and maintenance but change is constant and culture is ever changing as has been described above. A period we had few concerns about was one of unease for the staff. What looks worrying to some is massively exciting for others.
Is it okay to also mention that there is inevitably at this moment in time potentially an element of xenophobia about such reactions? Many struggled to articulate exactly what their concern was when Naim joined with Focal. I do wonder.
For the record. Mine was largely disinterested amusement given how awful I thought Focal speakers were. I still canāt stand the looks but I will concede they make some cracking pairs of speakers and phones.
New range of preamps with the volume control on the right 
In large firms, boardsā decisions usually concern the overall governance (but not the management) of the operating company.
The MD/CEO usually sits on the board, and she also runs the Management Committee of the operating company, which runs the business itself.
There are very good reasons for this separation of decision making powers because the types of decisions are quite different.
The announcement that the New Zealand 30 odd years Naim distributor and Naims owner had agreed to part company and the decision by the NZ Naim dealers to no longer stock Naim is probably a coincidence. But a new āFocal powered by Naimā is coming soon.
In the absence of any hard facts other than that someone is leaving as planned and @Richard.Daneās well reasoned responses Iām optimistic for the future.
If the quality and range of products remains at least the same or better Iāll be happy. So long as support and servicing for older equipment doenāt disappear Iām confident my Naim boxes will outlast me.
Shattering news - good god what is going on in the bowels of Naim, I feel deeply for all the employees at Salisbury more than anything
Why is it shattering news? Senior staff move on everyday of the week.
I suppose because it feels as though Naim is losing even more of its autonomy. Whether this transpires time alone will tell.
Indeed but this is a Naim forum full of Naim enthusiasts. Concern for employees as expressed by @Bevo is a good thing and very thoughtful.
It may all be a storm in a teacup and I hope that is the case.
See my post two above.
@Mike_S I think @Richard.Dane has explained very well the corporate structure but since Naim entered into the partnership with Focal who, for the most part, has adapted their products? Focal have introduced 2 ranges of speakers voiced to work with Naim.
Didnāt everybody say the same when Paul Stephenson left. The brand seems to be going from strength to strength.
Things happen at Board Level all the time - Iām sure nobody is up for killing any golden geese.
A bit of jingoism in this thread making me queasy.
There are 2 ways to look at this.
I have owned Naim for coming up to 30 years.
Was entirely happy with my olive active SBL setup from 1997 and didnāt track changes/new products probably until 5-6 years ago, though Iāve been online almost as long as Iāve had Naim stuff (1992).
I missed the boat on Ovators I was considering, avoided earlier Naim streamers simply as digital wasnāt for me, but jumped when the new Uniti devices were announced - Atom quickly replaced by Nova.
I really had no idea that Vertere group or anyone else had become involved, knew nothing about Focal and little more now.
If my reading is correct, all thatās really changed is that Naim no longer manufacture their own speakers or tonerarms. Ok maybe traditional tuners too?
They have in the years I was just enjoying the products pushed the envelope far further with newer designs, updates of existing classics and Statement for the ultimate experience.
Equally they are tapping into the lifestyle marked with Musos (and the Uniti range), and why the heck not.
If there have been changes at Salisbury, then I suspect itās simply addressing challenges of the market, and surely theyāve done this very well?
If lifestyle products allow more classic ranges to persist, be serviced, and be updated occasionally then I really canāt see a problem.
Flagship products should make us proud even if many of us will never aspire to affording them, they still show what Naim can do on the world stage.
I trust Iām not incorrect but management/investment groups are not the heart of Naim, though they are ultimately necessary - itās the dedicated employees who take pride in their work, R&D and support and the loyalty of existing customers that make so many of us proud to be stakeholders if not shareholders.
Rambling a bit, but thanks to all at Salisbury for their continuing dedication, to RD for moderating this place so well, and to other forumites for their valued opinions and friendhsip during these uncertain times.
In NZ the Naim distributer and dealers will no longer be selling Naim, but a āNaim powered by Focalā store is listed as ācoming soonā on the Focal web site. Make of that what you may, but the days of us in NZ popping into a Naim dealer with 30+ years of experience to try Naim and non-Focal speakers and take home a hi-end Naim box for a try before you buy are gone. Along with that intimate knowledge of the Naim systems and the servicing and support.
Oops 
I can see that that is unfortunate but I still maintain that the Naim brand in itself is strong.
Oh, Matron!
