I’m not sure I can see the link between olive and a Montego but then I never owned the latter!! I totally agree re: the desirability of simplification though as a design aesthetic - just look how most of us fill our homes with Scandinavian design! There’s much to be said for a product like the Nait50 that does one thing especially well - takes a limited number of sources and amplifies them, takes up little space and is highly portable. It’s why the original Nait was so beloved - you could literally pick it up and take it to a mate’s house, it fitted in any room and could drive all but the most ridiculous speakers. I’ve driven Mordaunt Short’s, Kan’s, SBL’s and ATC’s with it and it’s always been a ballsy, lively, dynamic little thing that went loud enough for a decent ‘session’.
As for new classic I actually like the white ring although I would have liked to see a line running from the perimeter of the volume control towards the center so that you could quickly visually see the set volume from across the room. I also think new classic is a considerable improvement on old classic as a design.
I think best of all it’s good to see Naim forging ahead with an impressive new range while tipping a wink to its heritage.
I think the Atom covers this. That said a matching streamer 50 would be a lovely addition to the Nait 50. Regarding the older ranges I have an old but clean Nac 42 in the post to satisfy a certain cb craving…
I have to admit, I haver never, ever looked at Naim CB kit and thought of an Austin Maestro or Montego dashboard. I’m guessing here that there’s some odd association going on perhaps with memories of the two things but from a similar period of time?
That old MG dashboard though… There’s definitely a Chrome Bumper aesthetic to the radio slot cover and the crackle black finish to the dashboard with chrome edging pretty much seals it. Lovely - make mine an MGC GTS please!
It’s funny how something “new” all of the sudden doesn’t need further separation and a large power supply to be better than what’s old. It seems that all the old proven trains of thought get left behind in an effort to prop up what’s new to a higher than deserved pedestal. It’s happening with the 222 as well.
Yes , I am slightly nervous about this , though the Nait 50 is supposed to have oodles of current and reputed to be extensively tested against "difficult " loads
One part of all this is that I am contemplating moving out of my home in the countryside and into a flat nearer town, maybe a smaller amp with smaller speakers , with a decent capacity for headphones
Actually I think that’s quite an accurate observation. There’s something about those square plastic buttons and the olive colour of the dash that is remarkably similar to Naim olive styling.
That said, I’d rather own any Naim olive box than a Montego!
You want to be a little careful. How easy or hard a speaker is to drive is often inverse proportion it it’s size. A low power amplifier with small speakers might be just the ticket in a small room and at lower listening levels. Large 15" bass drivers move very little but over a large area. Anything with a small box and long throw drivers is going to need some grunt.
25w into the right speaker can be perfectly reasonable into the right speaker for high volumes in a very large room - likely to be a large speaker though and need space behind it. In truth 25w give a lot of flexibility. It’s [not] enough to let you choose whatever small speaker you like, but it is enough to work with anything you might pair with a tube amp and a large subset of (for lack of a better word) “normal” speakers.