I’ve been switching between these two for almost a year now along with my Nait 3R. It’s a hard to name any of these as superior but with the new speakers, the Nait 50 is currently wearing the yellow jersey. It’s the lower frequencies…does better than the Nait 2.
This weekend, going to try the Nait 3R and Hicap. It’s noisier but does better than the Nait 2 in lower frequencies and is surely a bright eyed and enthusiastic little thing. Eager to please, the Nait 3R.
I also have a pair of Fink Team Kim and I’m extremely happy with them.
I had an understanding that they are somewhat power hungry.
Are you saying that the Nait 50 in terms of power is adequate to drive them?
The Nait50 can dish out phenomenal peak power for its size upto 225 Watts (which could damage lesser speakers if abused) … of course you can’t play a sine wave consistently at that level, but who would?, … but peaks in music can be well dealt with.
The only consideration I say, is if you are having your Nait50 work harder, which it loves to do, ensure you have good air flow around the case, as it can get quite warm. I put mine on a top shelf of Fraim and is well exposed.
Agree, been watching a few dealers sell open box/ex demo examples and almost took the plunge on a few times. I woke this morning to an email offering a further 15% off ex demo and that was all the impetus I needed.
For me, it has been no problem. I sit 2.5 to 3 meters away from each speaker.
I like that the Fink Team Kim is easy to drive (very amplifier friendly impedance/phase plots). I also like the damping factor switch on the rear where setting 2 matches perfectly with amps like Naim (damping factor ~30).
Listening distance: 2.5 meters
Speaker sensitivity: 86db (in case of Fink Team)
Amplifier headroom: 2 db
Results:
Max level at listening distance: 90db
Amplifier power required: 25 watts
Max level for peaks: 99.57db
Amplifier power required for peaks: 225 watts
For me, getting into the mid 80s is quite loud. Average of 80db is loud to me yet enjoyable.
Amplifier headroom is more a safety factor for the amp/speakers. Make this nil and max level is 92db. There are of course other environmental factors such as how close the speakers are to room itself, amp/speaker relationship, etc….
I am not sure if allowed to post such links but there are various calculators out there where such variables can be entered. The best ones seem to be at pro audio websites.
Surprisingly the Nait 50 stacks up pretty well against that combo with a spritely presentation and the usual Naim PRAT - I really like the Nait 50
Obviously though the SN3 gives a more powerful presentation with greater weight , in comparison the Nait 50 does lose a tad in detail
Put it this way Mike - if the SN3 blew up I could happily live with the Nait 50
Both are great Naim products and to me very good value for money albeit Nait 50 a little overpriced but I can see why. The SN3 is a sweet spot for me in the Naim range and incredible value
Just to whet your appetite . Give your Nait50 a better source and it scales beautifully… you may discover like I did the Nait50 is the best mid power amp Naim have made… it’s phenomenal… in my opinion it is preferable to my previous 552DR/250. I do wonder if the lack of digital automation, remote etc, has helped here… some other high end manufacturers use that same principle.
Its ability to resolve and dish out the deeply articulated information across the pass band is grin inducing. It’s a corker with orchestral and EDM, as well as folk and acoustic with ability to resolve and deliver sub bass… but if you do crank it up for long periods (which it appears to love) make sure it has good ventilation … it will get warm… that peak power of over 200 W appears to raise the temp of those output drivers.