I don’t recall them having a six pack. Heard enough about the virtues to get myself active Briks in the end though. Wonderful sound. But I overstretched my budget to be honest and when kids came along the briks went and the Nait returned in olive mk2 guise. Also wonderful.
Yes, it was at the sound organisation with the isobariks.
They had the exposure active setup the following week,
but I never heard that.
I was there purchasing an onix oa21 at the time.
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The music that stood out for me was: David Lindley (not this record?) and Dire Straights (telegraph road). I’m sure that there was other stuff but just don’t remember…
I’m sure the original Nait was very good in its time but it’s the “it has more engagement than a 500 series when kept in its performance envelope” comments that really surprise me. Enough to really want to hear one properly setup.
I mean I’ve had many Naim amps 82,52, 252, 552DR, NAP250.2/DR, NAP 300, NAP 135. How can this very modest amp beat these amps for engagement and fun?
I am in the same boat.
I prefer to think of it differently, though - by contenting myself at still being around to keep some of the young whippersnappers on this Forum in their proper place! (Sorry, Mr Dane, not trying to steal your job.)
Those early Naits were wonderful, though. I have a late Olive Nait 2 (CD version), which I am about to try to press into service in a ‘bedroom’ system with a NAT-02 and an unlamented n-Vi (reported elsewhere on these pages).
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Back then a Nait 2 would be partnered with an LP12 and easy to drive speakers. In my case a Lingo/Ittok/K18 and Royd Eden speakers on Kan II stands. Very musical and enjoyable. The front end first approach worked well and continued to do so with upgrades in the correct order.
I find these two to have something quite similar in their musical character, and attitude to life. Engagement and fun rather describes them together.
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So would you say if the speaker is easy to drive and one isn’t looking to play silly loud the Nait 1 is as good or better than the best of Naim?
For example I’ve auditioned a nait 5i with a friend and he ended up buying it for his first and only hifi system. It was ok at best. At the time I had a 252, 250DR setup. Even at modest listening levels the separates were far more engaging than the nait 5i.
You pretty much get what you pay for in the Naim range. The little Nait may be fine with undemanding music, but I expect that with complex music and a bit of oomph it will all fall apart.
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I’ve got rose-tinted glasses on to some extent as I bought a Nait 2 Olive when they were launched. 
It’s not better than my 52/Scap/250 but it was very engaging at the time, encouraging me to listen to a wider range of music.
As a car analogy let’s take a decent hot hatch from the same period say a 205GTi. It’s only got 105bhp, is it engaging? Yes! 
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Nothing could be further from the truth … obviously!
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It’s very easy to look at the Nait with rose tinted spectacles - in reality its noise floor isn’t the lowest, it can sound a bit grey and it doesn’t have a lot of power.
Saying that, it’s still a cracking little amp that just gets the fundamentals right. It doesn’t do the more audiophile things that the later amps can do but it’s fun and engaging to listen to.
For me, it’s also a timeless design which takes me back to my early teenage years when I wanted a LP12 and Nait 1, but couldn’t afford them.
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Also easy to drive speakers
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I remember that JV wanted the price of the Nait to be £150 plus vat at 15%. He missed the target by £5 so as an early purchaser, the SO in London relieved me of £178.25 back in November 1983.
The Nait was my first Naim amp. It’s a remarkable product. Used in the correct context it could be the only amp you need. It did fall apart when played loud but every amp has its limitations. It’s an engaging listen and whilst it is not perfect, its virtues are much greater than its vices.
I thought it was a very clever move by Naim; a “starter amp” which was a bit more expensive that the competition and an introduction to the marque. The fact that it’s still in high demand almost 40 years says everything you need to know.
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