It certainly does look that way. There’s been a fair bit of discussion on other threads about Naim’s current offering. But whilst there’s been plenty of heat, I haven’t seen much light. The XS series was where I started my Naim journey so I do find its departure rather sad.
In the mean time, at least one dealer is clearing out old stock, including new ND5XS2 at a very good discount and “nearly new” a few £100 cheaper still. Time to jump?
Careful calling them lifestyle products, I did that and people got upset Have a search for the other threads.
However, if you are asking if naim’s product line and strategy now revolve around all in one systems suitable for use with passive (Atom, Star, Nova inc PE) or active (Atom HE) speakers, then yes you are correct. These are their high volume sellers.
The NC separates (much higher entry cost) and 500 series components are still available of course. Low volume sales.
naim also offer the CI series, but not focused on domestic use.
naim have withdrawn from the market for lower budget separates, ceding this sector to brands including Mission, Audiolab, Rega, Cyrus and others (all with recent product launches).
And of course with the withdrawl of the Supernait 3 due to parts security, there is no integrated amp in the current range.
Good time to buy an ND5XS2, looking at offer prices. Or pick up a used one from as low as £1200 (auction). If prices drop much further (under £1k) we might swap office RPI for one. That way, if we upgrade lounge DAC the nDAC could simply move into office.
@Ian2001 The OP will need an RCA cable to connect their CDP. @HungryHalibut uses the Atom HE with active speakers. I wonder if the OP is considering that possibility?
Preowned nd5xs2? They appear from £1200. They’re pretty good as they are and can respond well to a nDac. Or go with a Wiim Ultra and even a Ndac as well for less than a pre owned nd5xs2. Ive tried that too and it’s not at all bad. I know my dealer is doing nore pre owned naim now that they were 3 years ago.
From the opening comments it looks like naim is moving away from resonably priced.
The phrase ‘lifestyle product’ gets bandied about a lot here, particular in attacking Naim. Could somebody explain what a lifestyle product is and give some non-Naim examples?
However a little looking back on auction sites shows some lucky punters have paid £1K or less. At that price, just a few £100s above alternatives often discussed on this forum, it seems like a steal.
The last batches of ND5XS2s were announced late last year. A shame as a good seller for Naim, but I know that production has not been easy in recent years due to component supply problems. However, there should be units still available at some dealers out there.
As for what might be next, as ever, we won’t know until Naim is ready to reveal…
What sort of person would buy an Atom HE? Someone who values pretty looks over high quality sound? This lifestyle stuff will never compare with real hifi. To be real hifi separate boxes are essential, with cables carefully chosen for each connection and a suitable isolation rack to optimise performance. How can anyone really believe that one little box sitting on a coffee table can sound any good? They are deluded.
Have a search for the other threads.