Please don’t post links to items for sale. Please read the forum rules if you haven’t already done do. Thanks.
100% for buying from a dealer, have a look at Tom Tom Audio www for their pre-loved list.
Seconded Tom Tom, the guys there have an absolute ‘shed’ full of fully working Naim gear. They know how it works and how to fix it. Well worth a look.
I haven’t. Read it again, Richard. I’m asking if it’s a good buy! I’m not selling anything!
You cannot use live links to commercial websites, which is what ebay is.
When the 5 was discontinued, it was effectively replaced by the non upgradable 5i and the upgradeable 5xs. The 5si is Naim’s latest entry level player, evolved from the 5i. So you can’t really say if it’s better or worse than an original 5. They sound different and it depends on whether you want the ability to upgrade with a Flatcap. One of the XS variants would be a more flexible choice. It depends what you want.
Good point! Thanks!
It was not my intention to contravene the forum rules. Just a link to point out what I was considering as a potential purchase, and seeking opinion.
Ok, that helps me understand the range. Many thanks.
Of course it wasn’t, simply an innocent mistake. Hopefully you’ll be able to find a nice fully functioning amplifier that meets your needs. The idea of speaking to Tom Tom is a good one. You’ll pay a bit more but it will be fully working and guaranteed. Buying on eBay is fine but you can come a cropper if you don’t do your due diligence.
Thanks. Well… I wasn’t posting an advertisement so I was surprised at the response. Clearly you can’t post a link just to ask opinions about it. Lesson learned!
Naim product prices are a mystery to me. A Nait 3 is on EBay at £349, and a 5si at £155, currently! There were two fives at £240 when I bought mine. Given that some people may well ask optimistic prices, there’s still a huge variation. I wondered if some particular models were valued higher than others.
Your and other comments about buying from a dealer are entirely valid. I certainly wouldn’t buy without hearing it. I think the seller was innocent of the fault, given that she posted a photograph with the led lit, when powered by the power amp. I bought my Royd Sorcerers on EBay, I heard them when I collected them and they are still superb sounding. I’ll certainly have a look out at dealers first, Tom Tom have impressed me with their efficiency, so I’ll ask them to keep me in mind if they have a trade in. Once again, thanks everyone for all the help.
Les, An article was once published in Hi-Fi World which discussed the various merits of the different Naits through the years. It was entitled ‘Naitology’. You may be able to find it on the web. At the time that it was written, the Nait 5i was the most current. AFAIK this has morphed into today’s Nait 5si.
C.
E-Bay is no guide to pricing, its what people are prepared to pay, & as far as buying from the bay, buyer beware - & then some.
Have you looked at Tom Tom’s ‘preloved’ list yet, thats the market price & with a no nonsense warrantee.
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Many thanks Chris! I’ll see if I can find it. That would be really useful to read. The chap from whom I bought my Sorcerers had a Nait amp and CD player. I wish I’d bought them at the time! Ten years ago now. We still send Christmas cards! He is a carpenter. He made me a box in the shape of a book, and I made him a silver plated fruit bowl in exchange, as I was a lecturer in silversmithing. It’s really rewarding to meet people you hit it off with.
Thanks again,
Les
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Thanks Mike,
I’ve just found the Naitilogy article by Tom Tom Audio which Chris mentioned. All adding to my education!
Thanks again,
Les
You may also want to think about options like the original NAIT XS for example. They tend to come up used fairly often via the dealer network or auction sites and might prove a more tangible option in terms of age, upgrade options and overall performance.
If you are leaning towards the NAIT 5 vintage then someone like TomTom is a sensible choice given their experience and credibility. A NAIT 5 is going to be close to 20 years of age and if nothing else could well fall in to the window of needing a service. Typically you can expect the service interval to cycle every 15 years as a guide, 10 for some of the higher spec kit like the 500 Series.
You can check the model history and serial numbers of all Naim products on their website as well which helps work out the age of something you may be looking to purchase.
Good luck with the search.
Thanks. Well, my budget is £250. I’ve a feeling the XS is going to be too rich for my purse. I have a Cyrus One amp and tuner which I’m going to sell. I could put what I get for those to the £250. The point about the serial number check is very interesting! I’ll enter this one and see what comes up.
Thanks again,
Les
The Nait 5 looks like a totally different beast compared to the Nait 5si…
I’ve always been intrigued as to how it compares to the more recent littlest Naits.
Definitely worth checking, the older NAIT’s are highly desirable and will bring a lot of enjoyment if you find a suitable example.
I make the point about checking the age and serial number as even if you find and purchase a NAIT 5 and it works as expected, it may well not work as well as it was intended to do when it left the factory, so do factor that in when you’re looking.
The original NAIT 5 was in production between 2000 and 2003 followed by the 5i between 2003 and 2007, the 5i between 2007 and 2013 and the 5si from 2013 onwards.
They aren’t simply improvements on the original 5, they have their own characteristics and configurability to consider as well.
Working from the serial number check in the Support section of the Naim website, you can at least get a feel for the year of manufacture and how that relates to what to expect from it out of the box and if you would need to factor in a service at some point in the future.
The 5i was a more ‘back to basics’ version and lacks the upgradeability of the original 5. Given that either will be at the age where a service is advised the 5 may be the better bet…
All good information, and appreciated very much, thanks! A question. Are some models better suited to particular types of music? I don’t need a lot of volume. Sound staging and an intimate feel is more appropriate to the music I listen to. Baroque, played on original instruments very often. So precision, and the ability to hear a soloist physically in front of the rest of the orchestra, which has usually only 12-15 instruments.