Having recently plugged in my Nait 1 with my Harbeths which I always thought sound shut in unless properly driven I’m am truly shocked at what I’m hearing. No the Nait 1 doesn’t have the power or punch of the larger amps but I’m beginning to wonder whether that even matters anymore.
I don’t think anyone will be left wanting for more power with the Nait 50 plugged into most speakers. I would know my Harbeths at 6ohm 86db.
The mid band is done so well it’s very entertaining. Kind of reminds me of the 52/135 setup but PERHAPS even more so. Aural memory letting me down right now.
if you can find one in good condition definitely buy it. I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t love it. Everything I had read about musical engagement is spot on.
I’ve got it connected to my SW1X DAC III Balanced Classic and it’s a thoroughly engaging listen.
You may be disappointed, Simon. The NAIT1 is a cracker but you’ll hear it’s limitations more clearly after running a NAIT50. Limitations aside, it’s a fun little thing and as @khan84 mentions, it’s top notch on musical engagement.
The Nait 1 is a lot less dimensional than the Naim seperates. The width and depth to the sound is noticeably less. But it delivers the musical message of every song. I think it’s what my 52/135 system did brilliantly as well. No, it doesn’t have the power but my 500 system is still switched off right now which speaks volumes about the engagement of this little amp. I think the fact that my DAC has a high output of around 2.8V helps as I don’t need much volume on the Nait 1. I am sure the fact that it’s connected to the best source component I’ve ever heard is a factor
The Nait 50 will probably be more of the Nait 1 with more power but I’ve read somewhere that it isn’t as sweet sounding as the Nait 1. Perhaps the limitations of the Nait 1 are what contribute to its excellence. Another thing I cannot believe is how gorgeous it is to look at. The fact that a 1983 design looks good in 2024 is a testament to Naim’s design prowess. I’m sure it was more form over function when this generation of components were designed but it does so well aesthetically.
N50 sounds nicely balanced with Linn Katans, fronted by '02 LP12 (Cirkus/Lingo 2/Ekos 2/Adikt). I think they’re good enough speakers to do the amp justice too.
Katan stands are quite important though and it was all sounding a tiny bit flat / out of tune with Linn K20 but K400 rounded things off nicely.
Just enough bass in a 4 x 5m room (for my needs anyway).
As many I’m running Nait 50 with Petite Classic. They’re positioned on the wooden Custom Design stands which resonate quite a bit. Thought that next step in tweaks will be some equipment isolation and started with speakers - replaced Soundcare spikes with Stack audio AUVA 50. Quite audible upgrade and especially unexpected that midrange benefited, initially I thought it would be more around frequencies extremes. Though it’s probably not a must but nice to have in such a setup if you want to save some budget.
am sitting down after a rather taxing days work listening to my NDX2 → DAVE → Nait50 → RK RED50s os SS60 stands… and boy I can’t get over just bloody wonderful and absorbing this setup sounds, … listening to Duke Ellington playing Satin Doll… sounds like he and his band are there with you … the immediacy, atmosphere, timing and vibe is striking … really really satisfying.
I have found the RKs sound best when placed directly on the S60 standard wooden platform with NO BluTak or similar… that otherwise does seem to rob a noticeable amount of realism and feel.
Read a WHF review of Petites and positioning caught my attention:
“placed on dedicated speaker stands (a must), set roughly 30cm from the back wall, and toed in slightly to our listening position to get the best stereo imaging”
I often scratch my head in such cases as mine are 1m from the wall, strictly parallel and both ports are open. So completely different from how the reviewer listened. And I always question do they really understand what the ‘stereo imaging’ is…
I remember buying something from a man with huge Tannoys (I guess 15”), we plugged in to check the device and he was elaborating about coaxial imaging and sound stage. And there was no sound stage at all… . It’s quite obvious cause you need a castle rather than a general room to properly position such speakers. I also remember that my first 2 pairs of Klipsch and Spendors didn’t really produced a proper imaging until I took ATC 20 and put them 1,2 meters from the wall…
So take it with a grain of salt maybe, if you plan to use such speakers 20-30 cm from the wall you may hear 70% of their potential, maybe less…
. It’s quite obvious cause you need a castle rather than a general room to properly position such speakers. I also remember that my first 2 pairs of Klipsch and Spendors didn’t really produced a proper imaging until I took ATC 20 and put them 1,2 meters from the wall…