Apart from the sound obviously for me it has to be the used market in Naim equipment.
I have been able to buy and sell my way to multiple Naim systems that I would never have been able to afford to buy without resorting to credit which personally isn’t for me.
Buying up and down in this way has let me experience so much more of Naim Audio than if I had just walked into a shop and bought say a 282/SC/300 and I have to say at least 90% of it has been exceptional with the other 10% just excellent.
I’ve never bought a dud (I don’t think) have never had a unit fail on me and with one exception every person or company I have traded with has been a pleasure.
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There is no used market where I am so anything I buy cannot be traded in or sold at anything other than a massive loss (like new to 90% value loss instantly).
So for me it really has to be the sound quality alone that justifies its existence in the home. I suppose style-wise, I do like that it is understated. Simple back boxes don’t go with everything but they don’t clash with anything either.
Biggest engineering plus is upgradeability. The more integrated you go, the more you get to a stage where your upgrade path equals starting from scratch. I am a bit concerned about the range rationalisation of late. We’ve lost so much that overlaps with the Uniti range in price but that leaves some who prefer separates looking elsewhere. The hifi as Lego concept is still strong at the higher end but we have lost it at the lower end. I think that was the best non sound quality thing about Naim so that is a real shame.
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I like the fact that Naim people actually care about the sound quality of the products and the service that the company provides to its customers.
Very fluffy, value-driven stuff I know, but it seems to underpin the ethos of the company and the decisions that it makes in a good way.
Best regards, BF
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Yes, there are not many companies that you can pick up an amp from a range of 20 or so (or more) years back and get it serviced to bring it fully up to spec. Unfortunately due to the nature of the kit, this won’t apply so much to the network products where component obsolescence will make servicing or repair difficult (as well as obsolescence due to changes in formats, services) as these things age. Something that affects all products in these categories so it’s not unique to Naim. One thing is a shame, is the Naim stance on transferable warranty. There are a few Uniti Nova’s appearing but I’d be put off with no warranty on a product like this.
Given the product range, its abilities and the backup provided it’s easy to see why people just stick with the brand. It delivers at many levels.
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Actually recapping and that kind of service is not unusual at all. It is just unusual in the US, UK and EU.
Most Japanese brands, even lower end ones like Denon, advocate recapping and even post recapping price lists on their sites.
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They are black …
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Yes. Good resales are one of the reasons I like Naim, partly because of the servicing that can be done. I have gone slowly from: 32.5/Hicap/250 in 1986, servicing in 2001 to 52/300 in 2004 finally to 552/500 ( these bing second hand ). Not possible without good resales. (Linn turntable, now Klimax which I would love to Katalyst)
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Reliability.
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Couldn’t agree more, I feel servicing and resale value are key attributes of any company and these attributes is what drawn me from Linn to Naim. With that being said, thanks for bringing me up to date Mr. Ross:
" Linn’s 4th Generation DAC Architecture
Our new Katalyst DAC Architecture performs digital-to-analogue conversion with greater precision than ever."
If an company is to be successful in the 21st century they must adjust to this postmodern era!
PS. Linn is on point, the millennial market share!
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Apart from SQ and the cool stealth design that pretty much fits in everywhere, let’s not underestimate the benefit of being able to swap one black box for another without one’s better half being able to tell! 
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This forum
Roger
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No chance with my other half she noticed the extra buttons when I went from 202 to 282 and when I added a new psu to my record player she noticed the change in sound .
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I will also add build quality which absolutely top notch.
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Understated minimalist design, run cool, solid build. Good resale value and I could probably get away with swapping my Nait XS 2 for an XS 3 without my girlfriend noticing. Unfortunately the price for Naim gear has skyrocketed in Canada so I’ll probably be holding on to my XS 2.
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You are very fortunate, you’ve converted your better half into an audiophile. 99% of the human race couldn’t distinguish an Arcam receiver from an 552!
You can get away with murder!
Typo a receiver LOL☺
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My wife has come to understand (I hope, by now!) that words ‘Linn’ and ‘Naim’ are near sacred in our home, and are central to my ongoing wellbeing! She did not like the black boxes when I had separates, but the XS2 got a “cute” response 
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So when I was first thinking about getting a proper hi fi after many years – back in 2011 – a local dealer recommended Naim as one option. I started reading online and found the prior Forum. Honestly it was the Forum, the passion for the brand shown by the participants, and their helpfulness, that ‘sealed the deal’ for me with this brand. Plus it sounded lovely of course.
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She has incredible hearing and can detect even subtle changes in the sound of our system. I once had a GL75 record player whose speed controller had lost it’s way a bit but the 45, 33 & 78 rpm settings can be reset relatively easy on the GL75 especially with the strobe scope which I’d lost so we reset them by ear and only on 78 rpm was she slightly out 78.3 rpm but on 45rpm and 33 she was spot on and believe me that is much, much harder than it sounds.
We used an iPhone app to test her settings and when I got a new strobe scope I was surprised at how accurate the iPhone app was too.
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If that’s the one where you plonk the phone on the platter as it spins and it uses the accelerometers to calculate the speed beware!
It seems fairly good but centrifugal force cause my iphone to fly off the platter almost taking the cantilever assembly out, and not doing much for the phone either!
First time I tried it it was ok, second time I either balanced one end of the phone on the spindle or took the felt mat off - whichever it was it was enough to allow the phone to fly off.
SERVICE
The best thing was walking into a local HiFi dealer who was patient when I walked through the door the first time. He spent the time to discuss options after listening to what I was looking for and what I wanted to spend. A the the end of that first visit I was going home with a NAIT XS 2 (70w), Marantz CD6006, a used pair of Chord speaker cables and KEF LS50 speakers.
I was not happy with LS50 speakers so a week later I was back and listened to speakers and ended up picking out a pair of ProAc Response D2 Speakers and a pair of NAIM NAC A5 Speaker Cables.
A month later the Marantz CD player was returned and replaced with a ND5 XS.
Over the past two+ years the Pro AC D2 were replaced with Ovator S-400 speakers, the XS 2 replaced with a Supernait 2 and ND5 XS with a NDX then a NDX 2.
During all of this time the dealer allowed me to listen to combinations in his demo room and at home. The dealer also responded to phone calls and emails when I had questions. I also had a problem with a new NDX. The dealer shipped it back, provided a NAIM CD player as a loaner, and a few weeks later the repaired NDX was returned.
All my transactions have been seamless and great value for the money spent.
SOUND
The music has been fantastic from day one!
FORUM
I was reading the NAIM Forum as well as others before I went shopping. The information and enthusiasm of the members here put the product in a great light which had me step out on solid footing to find a NAIM dealer. The advice from members over the past few years has been priceless.
SUMMARY: Great Service - Great Products - Great User Community
…at least that is been my experience.
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