Hi everyone! I’m new to the forum but have owned a Naim Nait 5si for a couple of years. I have a pair of Focal Aria 906, qed xt40i speaker cables, rca nordost red dawn. The Naim power cable is Nordost Blue Heaven. primary listening is with Cambridge cxn v2 and tidal/qobuz. I would like to upgrade and was thinking of replacing the amplifier with a Supernait 3. I’ll start by saying that I don’t have a perfect listening room, the system is in the living room of my house, a room of around 40mq with very large windows. my doubt is to buy components that are wasted for my situation. I accept any advice, thank you very much! Forgive me for my not perfect, or rather terrible, English!
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Hello and welcome.
Many people like to set up the hifi system and speakers to make full use of a room. Speakers well away from corners and sometimes well away from the back wall. Although this isn’t mandatory.
You could designate an area within the room that creates a listening spot away from other activities.
Hi, depending on how well/if you have a more defined listening space in the overall room and how more amplification you feel you need, you may also consider and demo the XS3 which might work quite well? At least I would…
At the moment, your system is nicely balanced. The Supernait is a fine amplifier, but you’ll find that the Cambridge becomes a limiting factor. I think you’d be better using the budget for an ND5XS2 and Nait XS3, or even a Nova if you like the idea of a single box.
Your speakers are quite small, and in your larger room you might want to think about some larger floorstsanding models. As you like your Focal 906, one of their larger models may be just what you need. They are easy to drive and the Nait XS3 or Nova will be fine.
If you do decide to go with the Supernait, an NDX2 or ND5XS2 would be a good match.
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unfortunately I don’t have the possibility to install floorstanding speakers due to the shape of the room. bookshelf speakers are an obvious choice. I might think about replacing the nait with xs3 and a new streamer, but is it really worth it?
new streamer, definitely. ND5XS2 would be a great upgrade. Pairing it with an XS3 and eventually bumping up the size of your speakers would be nice upgrade path
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+1 on exploring the source upgrade route, an ND5 XS2 will suit you well all the way to a SN3 later as required.
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I got a SN3 to replace Linn Lk140/Kairn and it has blown me away with its qualities.
However, as others have said, it highlighted other weaknesses, notably the front end.
I had a squeezebox touch as transport feeding an Arcam IR dac, in turn feeding the SN3.
I sort of knew I had a relatively ‘weak’ front end, but the SN3 exposed it.
I tried a friends NDX and was really pleasantly surprised at the uplift in overall quality of sound, it seemed a veil had been lifted.
So, I have now a ND5 XS2 which I’m very happy with, it’s still running in but already the uplift is obvious and I couldn’t be happier.
I have Harbeth P3 XD stand mounted speakers in a very difficult room and I know I can get better out of my system by altering room layout and speaker placement etc.
I am open though to the idea that I can get better audio by replacing the Harbeths.
Bottom line is the SN3 is a really fine amplifier and will ‘take’ a fair amount of front end and speaker upgrades.
If you do go the SN3 route, you will love it, but you will most likely be spending more.
Hope this helps
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Dear Alemiele,
Your speakers are 6dB more efficient than mine and have a slightly better frequency response. The XS3 will handle them without a problem. However, when I came to purchase a new amp, I walked away with an XS2 and was very happy. Having said this and crunching the numbers years later, I would have been better off purchasing an SN2 when I had the money for the possibility of future speaker upgrades and my low-efficiency Celestion SL6Si.
It is well said that purchasing an XS3 and spending the money saved on an ND5XS2 would be money well spent, and you would have a lovely XS system. However, if I had my time again, in my case with 84dB speakers with a minimum impedance of 3.9 ohms (Yours are 4.6 ohms), I would have purchased the SN2 at the time when I had the financial resources available.
You will not be disappointed with an XS3 amplifier. However, at the back of your mind, there will always be the question “what if.”
If you never plan to upgrade and obtain the most value for your dollar, then go for an XS2 and a ND5XS2. If you have the money now, I would be tempted to buy an SN3. With an SN3, you could always save for an NDX2.
I hope this helps.
Warm regards,
Mitch in Oz.
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