And it’s not as though there are not credible options. This is why I made a comment a while back about being greedy. Not pleasant for the people that have to work in that sort of environment and sad to see things go that way, but I assume it’s the only way to survive these days
I think you’re all being a bit holier than thou.
If I was in business and saw people willing to spend the same money on a cable, as an integrated streamer / amplifier I made -
I would be thinking that perhaps I can increase my prices.
.sjb
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Not really. I also mentioned the likes of Linn and possibly DCS no idea. Chord are taking the mickey with their cable prices yes with anything above clearway being ridiculous. They are all taking the mickey.
Let’s not speculate and see what happens. From what I see though, the turnover shows people are happier to go elsewhere to work. Hopefully a natural one where people move on to advance in their careers which was not possible where they were.
I really look forward to seeing how the rest of the new classic unveils in the coming years and also to see how reliable the new stuff turns out to be
Google….but I agree with you. I should have written « from what I see on Wikipedia, …. »
The fact that the traditional high-end customer is still an important customer group is demonstrated by Naim’s new Classic Line. So they will not change their customer structure entirely. And I understand that they have to respond to new client needs. So they have introduced the Uniti series with great success, which sounds good. It has allowed them to tap into a new segment of customers and it has allowed some of the earlier customers to move away from the Classic range or to downgrade their systems. And with Focal, they have opened special custom shops in major cities to appeal to more lifestyle-oriented customers. The Statement amplifiers are a reference product for a very narrow customer segment of very wealthy people, as are the Naim/Focal specialist units for very expensive cars or boats. I am not an expert in hi-fi marketing, but I can understand that a different approach to different customer groups is essential. No problem for me as long as they do not forget about their traditional high end customers. I don’t see the danger at the moment. Other products in the Classic line have been announced…
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Not quite. Remember the very first P of the marketing mix is “Price”. Even before the New Classic line, Naim have been repositioning their offering into a totally different price bracket than it previously existed. Every increase, since long before Covid, has been far above inflation. While certain products still fit the hi end separates market segment, many of those traditional customers (not just the ones posting about Australia and New Zealand) have seen Naim pulled out of their grasp. Naim was never low cost for sure. But now, the offering is very much in a different band that excludes a lot of people who were potential customers in years past. There are places to get on the ladder but more expensive and lower down the range than they were 10, 15 or 20 years ago.
Now, that’s not a criticism. I’ve tried to make it clear from the previous post that this is what companies do. They play with the marketing mix and sometimes that means a new more profitable customer segment; shedding the old customer segment (or most of it) and often with the same or similar product that was being offered before. Out of Price, Product, Promotion, and Place, we have seen the least (but still very substantial) change to Product, Then Place, (adding Focal Powered by Naim stores etc.) and then very heavily on Promotion (heavily tying the brand to Focal with packages), and finally a massive shift on Price.
If it was cars, it wouldn’t be selling Porche 911s to motorheads. It would be selling the assured Bently brand of quality to mega billionaires who want undisputable quality in a vehicle, but maybe aren’t car freaks.
Obviously anyone who can afford the New Classic of today or Statement could afford the older Classic at the older prices so from their perspective, “Nothing’s changed. I could afford it before and I could afford it now.” But for the bulk of those traditional audiophiles, I suspect it was, “I aspired to and could afford it before. But I could not afford what I have now at today’s prices let alone an upgrade. Everything has changed.”
I definitely fit in that latter category. I suspect a lot of the legacy customer base do too.
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It’s very simple. The target audience are those people who can afford to heat their homes to 21C all day long. 
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A lot of companies move away from their traditional products and adopt a more mainstream lifestyle product, as the market segment is larger, with consequently, potential higher income.
Some do this in addition to their traditional product, so they have a share of both markets.
Others move away totally from their traditional product and adopt the lifestyle choice only, which can alienate their traditional customers.
I used to collect Breitling watches, but under the present ownership, they moved towards the lifestyle choice of products to appeal to a larger market segment, particularly in the Far East. In doing so, losing the so called “Wings” branding.
To me, their styling became more garish, so not for me. I have subsequently sold all my Breitlings and changed to a different brand, more in keeping with my desires.
Not saying Naim are doing this, but they have added lifestyle products to their product line and changing the “Classic” range to appeal to a larger market.
I am happy as long as Naim continue to support their legacy models, as I have ten of their black boxes and, a way of funding that side of the business is by supplementing their models with lifestyle products.
It will be interesting to see in the short term future how they still support their legacy products, along with new Classic models.
However, as with company owned by venture capitalists, there is always a risk the company will be sold off when a certain asset value is achieved.
Until then, I’m going to continue to enjoy my present black boxes, but no plans to change to the new styling.
DG….
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I agree with you about the general price trend. It is quite extreme; in Australia/New Zealand it is even crazier… For me too, 21,000 Euros for a full set of 222/250/300 is way beyond my means. However, the new Classic range has attracted much attention (Theard “Naim New Classic Range”: 3200 posts in 2 weeks). Many have reported positive listening sessions, and quite a few have bought a 222/250 at full price on the spot. It seems that the increase in price doesn’t play the same role for everyone.
However, my experience with Naim was a different one. We had a large system (not a Naim) for 25 years, with large floor-standing speakers, a rack and all sorts of electronics. After a refurbishment of the living room, the big system didn’t fit in any more and we bought a Uniti system with standmount speakers. It fitted much better into the living room and had a higher WAF. After 25 years, it was also a big step forward in terms of usability, design and, most importantly, sound (much better than our older system). That was our introduction to the world of Naim and Uniti. Now my son will be leaving home in the summer and I have the opportunity to furnish my own room. So it makes sense for me to upgrade the system as well. I will be looking at the second hand market (SN3+NDX2, Atom Headphone Edition+ 250DR, possibly new speakers). So my path would lead from Uniti as an entry point to Classic.
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