https://the-ear.net/review-hardware/naim-new-classic-and-the-rhythm-divine/
Probably the first review by audio magazines.
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@frenchrooster . Thanks for sharing ! I have my NSC222/NAP250 for exactly one month now and i totally agree with the way the reviewer describe the sound . Can’t wait to add the NPX300.
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Quote - “Naim New Classic feels like an affirmation of faith for both the faithful and those in the wilderness who have yet to discover what truly great electronics can do for their music.”
I think they liked them…?
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Not without first finding significant faults on image depth and tonal balance:
Quote - “The emphasis on rhythm is so infectious that you don’t care about the relatively limited image depth it presents or the slightly lean tonal balance, when the music is this much fun such aesthetic considerations are no longer important.”
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That quote is the 250 into a boring AVM CS 8.3 Black Edition pre/streamer/DAC.
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NPX 300 will turbo charge your NSC 222 just nicely 
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Interesting read like the , got its mojo back, i think the Naim signature sound was lost after the olive series, good as the now old classic was i lack relentless PRaT.
I had overlooked a demo but this has me interested now.
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I was surprised to read that. I don’t find Naim have lost his mojo since the after olive series. A bit weird.
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It’s quite exactly what I wrote in the main thread , after my visit to the dealer : clear, fast, but with a recessed soundstage and a bit lean, vs a reference as 282/hicap / Ndx2 / 250 dr.
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Yes but as Slamdam has already pointed out those comments relate to new classic NAP250 and a completely different front end that you didn’t actually listen to. Just for clarity for those that use these threads for reference.
Okay so let me then quote the very next line for the record:
Quote - “Bringing the NSC 222 and NPX 300 into the equation did nothing to undermine this impression”
Okay let me finish sentence for context:
“if anything there was now more compulsion to stay up all night playing favourite tracks.”
Harsh criticism indeed if one chooses to interpret it that way.
I’m not interpreting, I’m quoting, the reviewer didn’t say that adding the NSC 222 and NPX 300 improved either image depth and tonal balance, that is your interpretation, apparently.
Er…
If you read it carefully you might have noticed that the comment is aimed at the album.
Let me put in the full quote…
Playing The Art of Tea on vinyl Michael Franks’ band had a distinct spring in its step, a move which rescues this album from becoming overly schmalzy and makes it sound like the west coast jazz classic that it deserves to be. The emphasis on rhythm is so infectious that you don’t care about the relatively limited image depth it presents or the slightly lean tonal balance, when the music is this much fun such aesthetic considerations are no longer important.
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Actually, your quotes are very selective and clearly intended to misrepresent the reviewer’s comments. What are you try to achieve here?
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That statement about Naim having got their mojo back lacked credibility when the same reviewer stated in his review of the 250DR This is easily the best sounding Naim amplifier I have reviewed, and one of the best power amps I’ve reviewed period. It has transparency, pace and bandwidth that caught me by surprise.
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Hopefully more informative and useful reviews will and should come out.
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It was one of those reviews where you need to read between the lines. And the comment that Naim now have their mojo back, implying that the 20 years of classic gear is somehow wanting, is plain bizzare and lacks credibility.
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All quotes are selective by definition. It should be quite clear from the beginning that I’m highlighting the negative points on the review, because I saw it coming that the army naim apologists here would simply ignore them. Ignoring the downsides of a review constitute misrepresentation, pointing them outdoes not.
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