Damn - need a second Powerline. If it always brings this bass weight (e.g. on 555PS where it was delivered with), I do need another one
Despite iâm everything but short of Naim systems, i really canât resist to grab one. My idea Is to build a minimal systems with Ndx i also have on arrival from my dealer, at a later stage a Sondek perhaps, which i already owned many moons ago, into something like Guru Q 10. I still own three Audiotech tables especially developed by our former Linn/Naim agent, for a full 80s flavour. Anyone compared Nait50 with Nait XS 3 / S.Nait3 ?
So my NAIT 50 has moved from where I was burning in, to replace my Atom in my main listening room. I was concerned it may not push the LS50 METAs enough but, frankly, if I go any further than 10 oâclock on the volume dial it might blow the bloody doors off.
Fed from my heavily modded Pro-Ject Debut, or from the Innuos Zen Mini MK3, this little amp performs wonders. The phono stage in particular is phenomenal, offering way more pace and drive than any of the offboards I was using. It puts me in mind of the early Graham Slee stages with itâs sustained control and power delivery.
Fed with HD material from the Zen Mini via the Zenâs internal DAC itâs all about the detail. Tracks like Billie Eilishâs âXannyâ or Taylor Swiftâs âAll Too Wellâ go from being cute pop songs to real works of art and the producerâs skill. It can show up muddled production though, specifically in elements of The Nationalâs âFirst Two Pages of Frankensteinâ there are a couple of areas that perhaps suggest the band could have edited a little better in the final mix.
Small, powerful, great looking and utterly essential. This amp is definitely above the Atom for sheer musicality.
Now I have to work out which system the Atom will go to, and what happens to the amp that it then usurpsâŚ
In my opinion, thereâs a long time ago, I didnât read such spontaneous, eloquent and âdithyrambiqueâ comments about a Naim box.
Are still enough Nait50 on the market?
Because I want to order one to
Would also be interesting to compare to a 42.5/110 as that seems closer in terms of grunt.
Interesting comment as I first thought âI wonder if it would replace my 62/140â
The headphone amp is very Naim Classic in sound . It is better than my old but class A serviced Headline powered by a NAPSC . It drives my AKG 701 headphones but the volume needs to be turned up further , nowhere near 11 though .
Great headphone amp ,clarity definition and texture .
Had mine a week so itâs time for a review
Listening has been with the LP12 Akurate & Hana SH cartridge as source, speakers are ATC SCM11. Itâs had a week of playing the Denon tuner to itself during the day with vinyl spinning on the evenings.
First impressions:
The build finish is lovely, nicely weighted volume control and the source buttons give a retro clunk when pressed. Speaking of retro, if you bring it out of standby without the volume being at zero, you do get a significant pop through the speakers.
Yes, that LED is bright. In my photo the unit is in standby and that is sufficient brightness in my opinion.
Onto the sound then. Fresh out the box it sounded a bit confused, vocals were gorgeous but the higher frequencies were lacking and the bassline of some tracks seemed like it was falling out of the speakers rather than being pushed. A week later and itâs a totally different animal. Letâs get the obvious out the way first, this is not an updated Nait (1) but a modern amplifier in a box that happens to look similar. Comparisons between a 40 year old design and the new design I donât think would be fair. The original Nait is a cracking amp when paired with a similar age LP12 and some Kans (which I have) but in the context of my modern source and speakers there is more rewards with the new Nait.
What do I like about the Nait 50? Everything! The music has snapped into place now, it sounds a lot more open, the bass is taught (kick drums can be felt on your chest) and itâs filling the room nicely with a soundstage when fed with well-recorded material. ATC speakers are unforgiving of imperfections but the Nait does try to add a little smoothing of the waves in those situations too.
My previous setup was a SN3 with Hicap DR and Iâve done some comparisons but to be honest they are not even plugged in now. Donât forget this is a comparison of vinyl performance using the onboard phono stages of each amp, the Nait against a bare SN3 is certainly a very close call. With the Hicap connected things are a bit more complicated, the SN3 then has more punch but for my ears the midrange falls back a notch. Itâs like having a bigger picture but itâs too much to take in. Switching back to the Nait is enjoyable and surprisingly, the phono stage of the Nait is digging out little details from tracks that I know are in there but the SN3 doesnât make so prominent.
Yesterday I gave the CD3.5 a quick spin which was pleasant enough and then for a giggle I hooked the Hicap DR up to it. Wowzer⌠Definitely more listening required on that combination.
One last observation, the Nait gains more bass weight when plugged directly to a wall socket instead of the (DIY) MK socket block so that needs a bit of further investigation, or perhaps I need to scratch that Powerline itch ?
I like the little Lego deck âCustom build â.
Hereâs a closeup. Fluted plinth and I like to think the arm is an Ittok hybrid with black arm tube
Cracking little deck
I want one.
Does anyone sell LPs small enough to play on it?
Perfect will build one today. Very nice!
The more I read reviews here, the more I am thinking about new speakers for nait 50. too bad, but the atc11 are a bit too high for my current positioningâŚ
Maybe I will sometimes start a thread for speaker pairing
It goes up to eleven , our work here is done close the thread !
List of named parts required.
This might kick off like the â Nipper â ornaments.
I can do so⌠I will use round plate without knobs as platter
Good morning.
Itâs my first post on this forum.
Excuse me for my Englisch communications skills.
I donât know which amplifier to choose: Nait 50 or Nait XS3.
My room is small (12m square). I listen electronic music and rock. My speakers are ATC scm 7.
Down below is specification of my speakers
Sensitivity: about 80dB @ 1W @ 1metre
Max SPL: 103dB
Recommended Power Amplifier: 75 to 300 Watts
I listened my speakers with Nait xs3. I think they need more detail, more point bass and more resolution. Do you think that Nait 50 will upgrade bass, detail and resolution with my speakers.
I live in Poland and I canât borrow it (Nait 50). I can only buy it. Without trying it.
Can you help me to choose one of them?
Thank you in advance.
Canât say on the Nait 50, not heard one, sorry. Have you heard an SN3 vs the XS3? I had XS2 then SN3 - the latter had more âgripâ and was a good upgrade.