Crikey. I got my Atom when they first came out. I would swear blind I’d only had it 2 years. You’re right: time does fly !
And Rega got umpteen awards , including for the Aethos .
If I were starting afresh with same budget as existing gear I would certainly go XS3 /Flat Cap and then look create synergy with speakers.
Naim should really be aware of the Aethos as it inroads into SN3 territory
Very aware of the Aethos, which took Supernait 3’s slot in this year’s Awards 
Supernait 3 remains a five-star product that is highly likely to suit many people better than the Rega, though, Even What Hi-Fi prefer to use the Supernait 3 as a reference unit at its price in their testing, as you’ll see from many recent speaker reviews…
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Indeed - there will be more awards, including higher-priced ‘Temptations’ awards, announced in the second phase, on November 5th.
Plenty of higher-priced products with lengthy reviews on the whathifi.com site, including for NDX 2, ND 555 etc
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Out of interest, does what hifi buy for full price their reference components such as the ND555 and Supernait 3?
If they don’t then I would say that naim has indeed advertised in the mag over the last two years and that would be by product placement.
Product placement is a totally different marketing concept - that’s when a manufacturer pays to have its products featured somewhere (TV show, movie etc); you need to provide the goods for free AND pay (usually a large sum) to have it featured.
I can assure you that is NOT the case with What Hi-Fi (or any other magazine!)
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Hi Clare. Was the Naim stuff in Tina’s flat in Cold Feet a placement? I always thought, perhaps naively, that the programme makers provided it. I wasn’t aware that Naim do placement. Out of interest, why do you think that the SN3 might ‘suit many people better’ than the Aethos?
No idea on this one - way before my time! Often production companies hire actual people’s houses and use everything in it (like we do for lifestyle photoshoots, for example), so it may have just been a Naim owner’s house.
Higher-level TV shows/movies tend to build sets, which is where the more formal product placement comes in.
Re the Aethos - it’s harder to partner than the Supernait 3; has a leaner sound, and doesn’t include an integrated phono stage. And it’s not Naim, obvs 
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Hi @Naim.Marketing , if I may ask, what Naim kit do you own personally?
What’s your system, and why?
I always liked what hi-fi myself, and enjoy reading the reviews every month on the website.
I also noticed that what hi-fi use Naim sources as references, but not as much Naim amplifiers (although they gave a spectacular review at the time to the 252/Supercap/250)
Is there any reason the 552/500 amplifier was never reviewed by what hi-fi?
And why is the current Gamut amplifier reference so highly regarded by what hi-fi?
I am not personally at all interested in moving away from my Naim amplifier but still curious
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Hi there! I had a fully bought-and-paid for Naim and Focal system long before I joined the company - I have upgraded it since, too…
Current main set-up is ND 555/PS 555, NAC 552, NAP 300 (saving up for the 500!), driving Focal Sopra 2 speakers (incredibly tempted by Scalas…). The home office has a Uniti Nova driving Focal Kanta 2 (glorious visual and sonic combo), and there’s a Mu-so Qb (first gen) doing multi-room duties. All fed content by a RAID-configured NAS drive with more than 5000 albums, plus Qobuz for streaming new stuff. Clearaudio Innovation covers off the vinyl side of things…
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Re What Hi-Fi not reviewing the 500 Series amps - again, this is lost in the mists of time; not a clue!
You’d need to ask What Hi-Fi re the Gamut: it’s probably because they reviewed it, loved it and thought it had the right criteria (flexibility; neutrality) to be a reference component
Thanks Clare, that makes sense. That’s a nice system you have, the only thing missing being a pair of proper Naim speakers…
Did have Ovators back in the day - upgraded to the Sopra 2 speakers about five years ago; sound better and look better!
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Hi @Naim.Marketing thanks for being so accessible, these places can be dangerous for unsuspecting. We’ve ambushed Richard on a few occasions re this and was hoping you maybe able to let us know if there will ever be an opportunity to purchase some marketing stuff that is often available at hi fi shows. Surely a run of tee shirts that were available online through the forum or the website wouldn’t be a big ask. Those of us that live outside the UK have no chance of getting our hands on anything and it seems local disturbers aren’t that interested. Sorry to put you on the spot but it seems as good of time as any to try again.
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Happy to be here and help if I can! I had years of experience with the What Hi-Fi forums, so know the good, bad and ugly of Community spaces 
Re Naim merchandise - definitely something we’d like to do, but as i’m sure you understand, our main product lines and key projects have to be a priority right now.
As soon as we have anything to announce, we’ll let everyone know!
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272 successor ?
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Nice try, but you won’t be getting ANY hints from me! 
Note the ‘proper’ in reference to Naim speakers…
Saucer of milk for Mr Halibut
But seriously - as you’d imagine, I have had the privilege of seeing and hearing a LOT of different brands and ranges of speakers over the years.
Focal Sopra is a superb sonic match for Naim Classic/500 kit - it was my choice to buy them long before this job.
Now I can fully appreciate the R&D synergy between the Naim and Focal teams, and the incredible expertise involved, I understand why.
There are so many misconceptions about Focal speakers - maybe based on older designs, or poorly matched demos in years gone by - but i’d encourage anyone whom hasn’t heard the latest ranges to have a demo. Think with your ears, not your prejudices