Running the Nait-1 through some Totem Kin Minis. Most involving system I’ve heard in a long time. This reminds me why I got into Naim the first time around, more than 10 years ago.
The system back then was the Rega Dac, Nait-XS-1v2 (different fascia), and Rega RS5s. Unfortunately, back then I guess streaming technology wasn’t that great, and I went down a rabbit hole of upgrade paths - trying to fix something I couldn’t put my finger on… eventually landing on ND555/552/500…
System is wonderful (duh!) but still doesn’t capture the same involving magic.
Sure - the nait involvement gets fatiguing after a while - but what a rush!!
So - what do the Naits do that makes them what they are?
And this is the Nait-1. 30 years old or so, and no servicing. Nice grungy vibe due to no servicing.
PC with optical out into Chord Qutest is source.
Low output power, limited bandwidth, but good quality with an emphasis on organizing and presenting the leading edge of notes correctly. As you noted, it gets fatiguing after a while . . .
I had the same magic happen with my first Naim gear, the Unitiqute 2 with Dynaudio focus 160’s. It was right around the time that Daft Punk released Random Access memories (2013). I will never forget playing “lose yourself to dance” on this simple little system, the boogie factor was insane. I started chasing what comes next for the next seven years, before bailing out earlier this year.
Have you heard a SN3 yet? I think that integrated captures back some of the famous ‘years gone by’ Naim magic and combines it with a dose of the modern without it ever becoming fatiguing. A master stroke of a pure genius in my view.
Yeah - the SN3 broke in the first couple of months - used it for less than a week if that.
Sent back for fixing to naim repair center.
Apparently it’s taking longer than usual due to the covid situation to deal with intake.
How many broken naims units they get, I wonder.
And nait 1 is going strong after 30 years.
