Supernait 3 - Not So Super?

Sort out the volume and balance controls for starters.

Iā€™ve never had any problems with the volume or balance controls, so that is an unknown to me. Makes me wonder if there are faulty units floating around that have gone under the radar. Mine has been completely faultless in every way.

P.S I think GTauduiophile has it about right a little further up this threadā€¦I also think many here need to sort out their cables and connection practices before blaming the kit. Perhaps Naim should hold an ownerā€™s training course independently from the dealersā€¦:thinking:

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Poor wording on my part perhaps, improve the implementation, put another way, as has been the case in whatā€™s been released in 200 and 300 Series products.
I never had any issues with my SN3, I owned it factory fresh and enjoyed it tremendously.
I guess my comment is also partly driven by the fact my preamp now allows me to listen down to 1 on the volume without any channel instability or odd balance characteristics, especially at low volume levels. I always found you had to get the volume up a decent way to get the system singing.
I donā€™t have that limitation anymore.

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Exactly what my SN3 does at any volume, even through n-SATs, which are highly efficient.

The only time Iā€™ve had to deal with a mis-balance (especially at low volume) is that the unit needed servicing, badly soldered cables or not fully connected, with stressed out cabling practices.

Of course (which is highly unlikely on a new unit) one could also factor in, a dodgy volume pot(s).

I think youā€™re still missing the point here, despite having flawless performance from your own kit (which is always a blessing), if the Alps Blue Velvet pot remains the last word in performance, why hasnā€™t it been implemented in the 200 and 300 Series preamps?

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They have implemented it into their new NAIT 50.

P.S Iā€™d be rather scetchy with regard to relay controlled volume controls, they (or any relay for that matter) hardly have a proven reliability track recordā€¦:thinking:

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Naim have certainly made a big ding dong about the volume control on the new products, youā€™d hope theyā€™d selected that implementation (after 10 years of development on the new ranges) based on proven engineering, but I hear what youā€™re saying!
I did get to briefly hear the NAIT 50 and annoyingly left wanting one having enjoyed it, that, despite having no need or use for it.

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What Iā€™m trying to say here is that I find the SN3 a remarkable amplifier, like any other Naim amp Iā€™ve ever owned in the past.! Iā€™ve learned a lot , from my own inadequacies in the ā€˜activeā€™ days of owning slimline active :rofl:. Folks here slagging it off have it completely wrong IMHO. The SN3 is a beauty of an amplifier! Learn about Naim.:wink:

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Correct and it should have the new amp design (based on the NC250) with added DR Technology that they use in the current SN3. Would be a stonker if it comes out

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Ditto ainā€™t that the truth. :joy: :+1:t2:

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Yeah man. No need to fret, NDX 2 & SN3 owners are living it up, looking forward to the new ā€˜ground breakingā€™ future replacements that Naim are marinading. In the meantime, enjoy!:blush:

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naim gave detailed stats on the relay failure time on the New Classic thread.

These are new breed relays.

If I bought a NC itā€™s safe to say these relays would outlive me, based on the figure given on number of operations to failure.

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Been reading this thread for a couple of days now. I bought my new SN3 a couple of months ago and then added a HiCap DR shortly thereafter. As a fledgling audiophile I might not know how to spell PRaT but I do know great musical sound when I hear it and the SN3 is fantastic. I just ordered a used NDX2 and can not wait to get into my system!

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Thanks for digging that one out, hereā€™s another on the anticipated relay life

@Stephen_Tate - I asked about this a while back, sharing your concerns. I know any moving component has the potential for failure, but the response seemed like Naim have thought it though, and tested, which youā€™d kinda expect :slight_smile:

There was another post, IIRC, that stated the failure mode of the volume control would still allow the amp to work, just missing out the affected ā€œstepā€ in the volume control sequence.

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Congrats and enjoy! Very nice combo you have for yourself. Good choice on a used NDX2. If you are a ā€œtinkererā€ there are a few free tips that can bring nice improvements. I think Mr. Tate alluded to it. Try to get your cables hanging free and loose not touching each other if possible. I found HUGE benefits making sure power cables donā€™t touch signal cables. Shocking how little things really add upā€¦ I cleaned up the cables from the HiCapDr to SN3 and was pleasantly surprised by the uplift. Not huge but noticeable.

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Thatā€™s reassuring to know. If i had the funds (which i do not, and am happy where i am for the moment) i wouldnā€™t hesitate in ordering a new 200 or 300 New Classic system. Give it a few years and iā€™m sure weā€™ll all be there some day. It took me nearly twenty years to move from slimline Olive to Classic. Thereā€™s no rush as it wereā€¦ :joy:

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From the responses here and my own additional enthusiasm for the SN2, time to ā€˜re:naimā€™ the thread - Supernait 3. Certainly Super.

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No issue. I have had a good few Naim set ups over the years and now just run a Supernait 3. LOVE IT!

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I m really curious about the nac 332, it will not be a statement but it shares the same dna. Letā€™s hope to hear it the soonest

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I agree with GTaudiophileā€™s comments between SN2 and SN3 having done the same upgrade myself. The SN3 to me also sounded more responsive/faster in delivering the musical changes in songs than the SN2 and definately more quantity and quality of bass and more so with a HiCap DR on it.
I demoed the SN3 against the new Krell 300 because I thought my large floorstanding speakers would perform better with a more powerful amp than my SN2 at the time but the SN3 was just so much more musical than the Krell so went for the SN3.
The SN3 is a very very good integrated amplifier in my experience.

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