In mine too…
3 Likes
My SN3 is the first piece if Naim kit I’ve had, extremely happy, can’t see me upgrading 
I’m in need of a better source (currently squeezebox touch->arcam ir dac), I’m pretty sure I can get better from the SN3.
2 Likes
You could do a lot worse than an ND5XS2.
6 Likes
Definitely on my short list Jim.
When I was deciding where to move on from the 5si I spent some time on the forum and found that the Supernait, XS, and other amps have a lot in common - they are a little bit picky when it comes to the electricity and grounding.
Some people were unable to solve these issues. For example, the guy who bought my 5si was unable to eliminate the hum. At that time I’d have bought the amp back, but I had already bought a new one. And of course I’ve chosen the one that does not require exercising with mains, grounding, or DC breakers, etc. Additionaly, it has a smooth power on feature which I find very useful. So, no popping sound on the amp start, and no need to heat the air the entire year.
I should admit that I declined the SN3 because I was unable to audition it. Instead, I bought an amp of the same class with a very Naimish sound signature. However, if the SN3 had been available for auditioning, who knows, I may have tried it.
1 Like
Secret ?
It’s listed in Pauel’s profile, 404 Reference (from Moonriver Audio)
For my part, the Supernait 3 with the power line lite standard cable played asleep and left me wanting more!
It was then plugged into the wall with a normal standard outlet - cheap.
I changed my standard wall outlet socket with a Wattgate Evo 381 gold.
What change!
The Supernait 3 immediately gained strength, speed, definition etc…
At that moment I saw all the real quality of the device.
I love this amp!
2 Likes
A snippet taken from HiFi Choice magazine’s 2021 review:
“Where the Supernait 3 stands out as significantly different from both of its predecessors – and indeed almost any Naim device I’ve experienced before – is the amount of delicacy that’s now on offer. A 24/96 download of Emily Barker’s Disappear is a bare-bone recording that delivers the sense of musicians being in the room, thanks to the amp’s ability to capture the nuances of the instruments and the arrangement of the performers that’s beyond what I’ve come to expect from previous integrateds. Not only are the strings of the violin and cello tonally rich and believable, but there is far more sense of the slurring movement from note to note.
Cumulatively, what the additional detail and spatial ability adds up to is a Naim amplifier that has a far greater ability to create a believable soundstage. The presentation has gently opened up with each Supernait incarnation, but up until now it has tended to sit between the speakers and deliver a focussed performance that feels fast and immediate. Now with the Supernait 3 it extends beyond the speakers and gives larger-scale music space to breathe.
What is vital, though, is that none of the sense of three dimensionality is at the expense of any of the virtues that made previous versions so enjoyable. Connected to my resident Neat Momentum 4i floorstanding loudspeaker, the Supernait 3 tears into the fury of Sturgill Simpson’s Best Clockmaker On Mars – a 24/96 stream via Qobuz – in a manner that is entirely satisfying. The deep but controlled and detailed bass that starts and stops with absolute precision means that it always sounds utterly assured in a way that only a scant number of rivals can match”.
5 Likes
This seems to be the most current Supernait 3 thread, and thus seems like the appropriate place to make my first post on the forum, seeing as how I recently acquired my first piece of Naim gear, the “actually quite super” Supernait 3.
I’m just over a week into ownership of my SN3, but am quite sure that it will provide me with many years of listening pleasure. I had demoed the SN3 and a Rega Aethos in the dealer’s room, and actually choose to bring home the Rega, although at the time I felt I could be happy at home with either amp. In my room, however, I had issues with the Aethos…it was a touch forward, especially with vocals coming across as somewhat shouty. Several ergonomic issues reared their heads…unit running very hot, volume adjustment using remote control not allowing for fine adjustment, input indicator not visible from listing position, but it was primarily the sound that just didn’t have the right tonal balance in my room.
So, the Aethos went back, and after another demo was returned (the lovely but too polite Copland CSA 100), my dealer offered a SN3 for home demo, and a few days later, I welcomed my own SN3 into my home.
It really is a great amp…dynamic, warm and revealing at once. All ergonomic issues I’d had with the Aethos are remedied with the SN3, and truth be told, it looks lovely on the shelf. Very happy to be a Naim owner, and to join this passionate community!
32 Likes
Welcome to the forum. I also have a SN3 and have gotten great advice here. Sit back and enjoy the music.
6 Likes
CB and Olive absolutely have more prat than Classic.
The reason why they are much more classic owners than olive or cb here.
1 Like
Could that be because the last NAC 52 was made over 20 years ago?
2 Likes
Both have prat. They just have a different presentation. I prefer the classic because it sounds fuller. To me.
52s were made from 1990 to 2002. 252s, which not all of us prefer, lasted about twice as long, so I too am unsurprised that there are more of them.
1 Like
Have you ever heard a 52 with 135s?
He may or may not have, but either way his experience will be coloured by the circumstances, including the rest of the system, room, music played. For a valid comparison it needs to be “all else equal”.
Welcome to the ‘passionait’ community!
2 Likes
I heard twice the olive. Don’t remember which, but I compared them to classic of the same level. It was in 2003.
The olive had a more free flowing kind of presentation, more tubes like.
However the classic had better grip and were sounding fuller to my ears.
It was the first Naim classic show at my dealer place.
1 Like