I wonder which term was for now the most used in that thread: Anniversary, tin, or 272?
I feel it’s the last.
Actually, I think from a purely commercial pov (and Focal Naim is of course investment company owned) new customers are, unfortunately, more important than existing ones. However loyal. But on the bright side, it might help the loyalists as well, assuming all the money is not taken out of it, and the result is a stronger company.
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Heresy!
What a commitment! What an entertaining thread! I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. 
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Risk is that by the time it’s (new streaming preamp) released the design will already be out of date
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On reflection I’d hazard a guess that this is the last pitch of the Classic series and the next launch will be something like the much predicted 272/2 and other components in Statement/Solstice/Uniti finish.
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I recall Cyrus issued a 30th anniversary edition of their kit and it was a different (bronze?) finish as well also sold at a reduced bundle price. It was all their top line stuff at the time.
In contrast to Naim they put effort into the release and made improvements to each component thus making the collection unique. These improvements then filtered down to rest of equipment so not just a ‘paint job’ as we see here with free SL cables thrown in!
Looks like an opportunity missed by Naim if not an own goal. To mix metaphors seems that Naim are losing their way IMHO of course.
CK
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They could have just made a streaming preamp and be done with it but instead…
Can’t wait for the “show us your tin box” thread.
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This doesn’t seem so awful to me. Depending on some of the points of view above, it’s lazy, or a distraction. In my view it’s a light weight way to celebrate an anniversary, that probably didn’t take much away from developing new product lines, or sourcing the components inside the boxes. But allowed a bit of marketing with Focal. I’m sure the engineers at Naim didn’t spend months on this. And I’m sure if they sell a few the boxes will go into the same queue as the rest of their kit.
Lots of other companies do this too. You can add Omega with their speedmaster special editions to the list of high end companies spinning classic products in new ways.
I don’t have £28k sitting in a bank account, so it doesn’t matter what I think either.
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Thanks blush - just wait, someone from Naim will be along in a minute explaining the hideously complex finishing process, and associated listening tests, behind the grey finish X)
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If Naim is about to revamp the entire line up in the Classic range it could make sense to exit with a anniversary type of thing around the old models. And if you then had to choose one streamer, one preamp, one amp and a couple of speakers it makes sense to choose the NDX/282/250. It’s a very very good system that still, in the Naimworld, doesn’t cost as a small house.
Also when celebrating an anniversary it makes sense to do it with what has been in the collaboration so far, especially when it is this good.
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I remember a factory tour, perhaps a lifetime ago and I saw the shiny silver boxes and it was coupled with a quiet remark of “we won’t be doing that again”. I must say I hated the look of the silver boxes and they always looked a bit grubby like they needed some buffing up.
However, the grey system, although comes at a bit of a surprise is growing on me and I wonder if a purchaser who finds they like the Naim sound will want to mix and match boxes or might Naim HQ have a job lot of the sleeves and facia’s that they could slide anything in…
Oh well, glad I got all mine serviced don’t really want any grey components mixed in…
Tim
Under private equity, what matters is return on capital and growth of earnings (fuelling the market value of the business), these aspects driving the development of higher volume products like the Mu-Sos and the Uniti lines. They may provide a bridge to wider-range kit and, unquestionably, promote the brand and the labelled brand-awareness aspects.
Outside of a detailed breakdown on Naim’s P&L a/c and sales & profit centre business mix it’s impossible to say what and where they evaluate new opportunities to be e.g. new Mu-So and Uniti-type products, allied and born from evolving technologies and music consumption patterns, or do they apply capital further up the lower volume product suite, which could be challenged/have uncertain returns expectations due to costs inflation and the allied demand curve for this kit, which I would imagine is price sensitive - the re-sales on the likes of e-bay are now increasingly disconnecting to ‘new prices’ IME.
I would venture that Naim is orientating to a music life-style brand, rather than a true hi-fi focused business, which is how many of us on the Forum connected to it.
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Ah, but an awful lot of Naim sales (especially the higher end) comes from it’s existing base.
I suspect the plan is a Muso user switches to a Uniti switches to black boxes
Gosh what a negativity and conservative reactions. Guys, this is marketing, this is attention and visibilty for our beloved brand! I like it, it is bold and out of the box. And a well balanced system, upgrade paths are never ending… for me…if I had the money…where can I sign? 
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But I wonder in how many countries, other than the UK, tin is the “correct” gift material for a tenth anniversary.
Roger
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Not sure that companies have to be ‘lifestyle’ OR high end. The Linn website is ‘lifestyle central’ and yet they are still developing high end kit such as the latest Klimax DSM. And TBH I suspect that many on here would be v happy if they could have their existing boxes upgraded when new developments came along which is what happens with Linn ( and I am talking streamer/DAC upgrades as well as DR )
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NO!!! As Jimi Hendrix once said before performing wild thing… with an appalling British accent… A blast from the past 
