Naim nait 50

Hi-Fi Corner
1

I am reading many good things about the Nait 50 and at the outset i said never !!

I currently own a NACN272 feeding a NAP 140 which i like very much however many dealers say the logical partner for the 272 is a NAP 250

The 272 can be used as a pre out or line level setting into and integrated or similar my room is small and i do not need loads of power and i am infatuated by the Nait 50 as i also read comments in the right room it gives many amplifiers a run for their money including Supernait 3 and maybe a 250 ?

I have a preference for integrated amplifiers and do not particularly like using the volume control on the 272 which also influences my choices

I have also considered using a NAC72 & HI-CAP with this combination as an alternative but as i said i find the one box integrated amplifier an attractive proposition

Looking forward to hearing your comments

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2

Sounds like you’re halfway there.

Given there’s a fair few on sale (clearance or nearly new second hand) in the £1250 to £1400 range, it’s quite a tempting proposition.

I’d jump at the chance if it had a tape monitor loop. Unfortunately it doesn’t.

Prices seem to have stabilised, so if you can pick one up at the above prices, you should be able to sell on at a similar price if you don’t get on with it.

So perhaps a relatively risk free experiment?

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I heard the Nait 50 at a local Naim dealer nearby. He had it connected to a pair of ATC SCM 50s. I very much liked its sound, fresh and entartaining.

The Naim 50 is a candidate for replacing my ageing Devialet. I do need to look closer into it. Athough, the Naim 50 is a bit pricey.

4

Using the 272 with a Nait 50 would be a bit weird, with a huge amount of redundancy. If you want the Nait it would make a lot of sense to swap the 272 for an ND5XS2 or alternative network player.

3 Likes
5

That’s odd. When I had a 272, I thought the volume control was one of the best things about it. It was derived from the volume control on the Statement pre, after all.

Then a 272 is not the most sensible partner. Much better would be a pure streamer such as HH’s suggested ND5XS2 or a well-priced used NDX2. Outside Naim, many have found the Auralic Vega S1 a good partner for the Nait 50.

Roger

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I disagree the 272 is fitted with fixed line level outputs and is no more than an NDX with a volume control, To add it also has the psu upgrade option which the ND5XS2 doesnt have
For the record having owned both the N272 blows the ND5XS2 out of the water !

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What is so unusual about a streamer that you can use with or without volume control,The N272 also has many other uses including a PSU upgrade the ND5XS2 is not in the same league

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Naim Audio would hardly design a streamer with a full line level out for it to not be of use
I wouldnt view the N272 as having a huge amount of redundancy on the contrary it has enormous flexibility of use

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I bought my N50 just before Christmas and am using my old 272/555 to do streaming and AV duties. This is supposed to be temporary until I make the move from MC to MM (freeing up one of the line level inputs for AV use) and swap the 272 for an NDS.
However, it sounds so good (weirdly so, in fact) that I just spent my upgrade fund on a holiday and so I’ll be keeping it for a while yet!

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I can imagine it sounds wonderful Andrew but there are those that think N272 must be used with a power amp and nothing else
Wrongly so I feel

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I ran a 272/250DR into my SBLs for a year. I now run an NDX with a Nait 50 into the same. The latter is a more engaging listen to my ears.

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Not really, the 272 has a full blown analogue preamp, which is much more than just a volume control, along with the internal power supply. If you are happy with the old streaming tech an NDX would be a more logical partner to an integrated amp and could be a cost neutral upgrade for a 272.

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13

I don’t think Naim would bother putting a line level out onto a 272 if it did not work effectively
Who would go to a NDX mk1 from a 272 to appease an integrated amp purchase ?

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Which would you say brought the bigger improvement Gary ?
NDX or N50 ?

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Someone who wanted to improve sound quality at zero cost and avoid redundancy in components in their HiFi system.

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16

So you can argue against people trying to make helpful suggestions?

Roger

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It has nothing to do with redundancy more flexibility

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You can make a suggestion but it doesn’t mean I have to agree with you

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It does seem a little odd that you specifically invite suggestions and then dismiss them all in a cursory manner. If you are so confident in your intended direction, it begs the question why you asked in the first place.

I’m a big fan of the 272, having owned one happily for several years. I’ve no doubt that the line out sounds good, but I wouldn’t be happy to be using just the streamer and dac and have a volume control sitting there doing nothing.

If swapping from your 140 to a Nait 50, I’d try to get an audition first. It would be a shame to swap, only to be disappointed. The Nait 50 gets a lot of praise but it’s not for everyone. Might you miss a remote or app control of volume for instance?

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How exactly?