Naim wins four What Hi-Fi 'Best Buy' Awards

Congratulations to the Naim Team.

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They use rather a lot of kit which has been beaten by others, even there reference kit isn’t very reference

It’s reference for the best reasons - it is reliable (you don’t want a product falling over during testing); durable (testing involves a lot of plugging/unplugging/switching systems etc); works well with a wide range of products (ie isn’t fussy about partnering equipment) and has a great feature set.

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Well that makes hifi choices even more strange then, as my naim gear has actually been the most coloured in sound, also the most unreliable and takes the longest to settle back down again, if you mess with it as in turning it off all the time to switch things over etc, plus looking at all the latest streaming problems, drop outs and screen problems etc reported on this forum, reliability isn’t its strong point.

But I do like it still lol and own some.

But reference to me, means best in sound quality, natural gear that can best bring out what you are actually testing, as if you font have this what are you actually testing

Dunc, Naim kit is used widely within the industry as a reference. Not just by the press but also by other manufacturers. It is often used as the “benchmark”. Of course, you prefer something different, and that’s fine, so it doesn’t have to be a reference for you.

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I know what you are saying and naim gear is often used as its good gear and people know what to expect, but it’s not really natural in its sound and that is why for real reference gear not the best gear to use in my opinion and plenty of others agree with that.
But I can also see why someone like what hifi use some of it, hay I have had a full naim system for over 25 years and only the past few years moved slightly away, so I must also like what it does, but over them years I have come to realise that it does have its own sound and that moving away or adding different things in the mix can either work well or work against it all

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The ND5XS2 is shockingly good for the money. I just upgraded from a 272/XPS to a 282 HicapDR for my LP12 and took a flyer on the ND5XS2 since streaming is a secondary source that’s not used much. So far it’s better then the streaming section of the 272.

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Nicely done Naim.

I have an Atom and a Qb2, …
plus a Mu-so 2, and my 8-box Classic system. All winners, IMO.

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Show off :laughing:

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congrats all! waking up in sunny London to some brilliant music!

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Dunc seems pretty happy/keen with Naim power and pre-amp! [NAP 500 DR and 552]

I am very happy with the pairing and how it fits in with my system

I used to think or believe if you like that a good valve amplifier (triode) into sensitive speakers gave a more natural sound but they don’t really.
Not to say I don’t like a good valve amplifier because I do and currently use one.
But I actually think I prefer a bit or maybe a lot of colour in an amplifier ! SS or Thermionic.

Only four!! There has to be a mistake here surely!!

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Hi
Another batch of well-deserved awards!
I just had a Muso QB on demo loan from my dealer (HiFi Lounge) and for its size its amazing. Ordered one to go in our sitting room to complement the main Classic system in the lounge and the Muso in our garden room.

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I have the Qb1 with a Nova. It’s fantastic, has been flawless. Excellent pair. With both, no trouble, great sound.

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Nice one Naim!
So how long have Naim been winning awards?
Pls tell me the Nac 52 and nap 135 have been sweeping the floor for years :star_struck::partying_face:

I still have the What Hifi Awards issue from 1984(?) where the original NAIT wins. There’s a value element to the awards too, so it’s not just about the best regardless of cost.

Yeah but value really only has relevance within the country of the awards. The cost differential for foreign products in the UK versus domestic brands is huge and vice versa.

For example, one of my amps is GBP 3K in the UK and puts it comparison with a SN3. But domestically is it is GBP1.4K and hypothetically if a SN3 were available here it would be GBP6K.

Product shootouts in hifi mags are always pitting product A against B based and domestic stuff nearly always comes out ahead because the reality is the comparison isn’t apples to apples.

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I’m not one of them and don’t think I’m alone. Very little hi-fi captures the texture of classical instruments as well as Naim, or the ability to hold counterpoint and different strands of play in complex works together, which is why it’s so popular with classical musicians