Wait! What! There’s a world outside HiFi.
Maybe so, but not for Naim 
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It was written on here a while ago that Naim decide the target price and then get the best quality they can for that price.
Water leaks, sewage and inflation. It’s probably safer to stay in bed.
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Ah, thank you, appreciated, I did not recall that correctly then
Digital/active components are more challenging to source these days = increased price. Also the qty on the BOM adds up (500 more material and components than other).
And yet the price of the ND5XS remains the same. Maybe it’s the screen. Or more likely market placement.
Can be a couple of components only. In my business I saw increase on a single Bluetooth chipset from 1.5 USD per pcs to 20… crazy times. I’m sure the increases reflect the increase in COGS.
Completely agree. I don’t think they have much of a future in Australia.
They are giving the market away to Rega. You can buy a planar 6 and an elex-r for the price of a 5SI with the new price rise.
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I have the feeling that the classic days are over and there will be no new naim component in the “old” design anymore. But of course time will tell…
I am quite happy that, contrary to many other companies, updates of Naim products are rare and you don’t get that buyer remorse you may feel with other products, where incremental updates and features are implemented with a significant price rise.
As you i am quite curious where it will all lead, as the only upgrade i can think of would be new272/250dr to keep things simple.
As for the new prices, i think that market placement is important for the lower range, as this is probably where people do get into Naim in the first place, before considering to get into the more expensive stuff where a dozen quids may not change your purchase decision.
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A change is as good as a holiday, and I’ve not had a holiday this year.
All this talk of spiralling prices got my thinking actually about if I’d even have the appetite to build the system I have today, at these new prices I’d likely pass on it.
I went to Ripcaster yesterday to drink free coffee and listen to kit I can’t afford. They said the vast majority of what the sell today is streaming preamps and well paired power amps, they have an appetite for the active speaker market as you can get good value vs passive + power amp options.
I think Naim were testing the water a bit with the Atom HE, they could justify some R&D spend there to optimise the preamp and probably use that in something larger and further optimised and likely reuse a bulk of the components as well.
The question is how long do folks want to wait and once something materialises, will it be priced attractively.
All these talk of price increases makes me glad that I have what I do have and kill the idea of going any further.
They’re pricing themselves out of the market here (Aus).
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Pricing themselves out of the market here too.
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I’m just glad I got a full service and recapping in 2021 including the 1985 CB (42 and 110) amps, CDS3 repair and matched tweeters for the SL2. That was a fair price to pay but the price rises after that were steep. Now I would even consider it was worth servicing at all.
Well for one example, the Rega Elex-R. According to what hifi, it out performed the Nait in their review. Right now, it can be had new for the same price as the Nait over a year ago @ $2300. I can’t speak for how much the Rega has risen in price but I’m fairly certain it’s not as much as the Nait.
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Cheer up everyone! Let’s keep in in perspective. Nobody is going to be buying overpriced hifi when their fuel bills are £500 a month.
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Rega is probably the main direct competitor for the integrated’s at all levels, Elex r is $2600, Elicit R is $4300 (so par with an XS 3) and the Aethos is about $7k (all NZD). The Elex is a better amp all around than the 5, the XS3 probably edges the Elicit and the Aethos is a toss-up against the SNAIT 3, if you factor in the fact you can get an Aethos and an Aria 3 as the phono and still have change from a SN3. The new distributor in NZ wants $135 a mtr for NACA5.
The other brand with competing amps at all the NAiM integrated levels is Hegel which I’ve not heard but seem pretty well specced and put together and have great digital stages…
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yeah the relative value for money of ten grand stereos is a bit of a first-world problem…
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That’s a good point. I heard about that from my parents. We do have that advantage in Aus. We have solar panels on our roof and our power bill is the equivalent of no more than 100 pounds a quarter. Even when using aircon.
Heed Lagrange $8,295 v SN2 at $9,900 and the Heed sounded very good when I heard it.
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Yes even in the case where we have both good common sense and enough money as well and not forgetting of course good taste 