The only way you’d know that figure with any degree of certainty was if you worked for Naim and held a position that required you to know that, they don’t publish unit sales data publicly.
A rough estimate in the lifetime of production between 2019 and 2025 could be in the region of 10,000 units globally distributed.
Just a guess, or any logic behind that?
I’m no apologist for the still sub par website content, but they do have a few things about their history on the website:
Plus a few pages of text about the company and it’s story
Just my wet finger in the air estimation based on publicly available data points like serial number increment, likely share of unit sales across the ranges and availability windows and so forth. As to the actual number manufactured and sold, my guess is the best I have to offer to the question!
Happy to hear that, enjoy your XS3!
The xs3 is great!
Agreed.
Are the serial numbers sequential? That would be a very good indication
The Serial Numbers aren’t unique or sequential per product, apart from an exception for Statement NAC S1 and NAP S1. So based on year of launch, promotion of the SN3 at time of launch and averaging out unit sales across specific categories like analogue integrated amplifiers and streaming sources you get some rough boundary points to work from.
The suggestion of 10K through the lifetime production window is averaged out, so the actual number could sit many thousand units either side of that, it does give a reasonable ballpark for reference, any granularity beyond that would be challenging to refine further based on what is publicly available and considering competing products in the industry as a whole, regional bias in purchasing decisions and availability and capability of regional distributors and resellers.
I would imagine certain products have a higher regional share of unit sales when comparing UK domestic, EU and global markets also.
I have a lot of respect for the Supernait as a product, I owned all three of them at one time or another and it formed an important part of many of the steps through my system evolution journey. I also owned the NAIT XS and XS2 along the way.
When I made the move towards 200 Series I had the sense Naim would do what they’ve done to this level of the portfolio which motivated me to repurpose the value of my then SN3 and NDX2 and use my Linn Selekt DSM as a stop gap towards adding the NSC 222.
I was able to trade in my Selekt and the various modules I’d accumulated for it for a new NSC 222, I did run the Selekt as a streaming preamp in to a NC NAP 250 for a period of time in the interim and found that an enjoyable mix also.
It did mean I had to sacrifice the Selekt from a secondary system to cover trade in values to make the full move to a 200 Series system, but given I’d built up the Selekt over time through buying ex demo and using Linn offers the depreciation on that investment was negligable.
I certainly found the Selekt (which I’d owned from not long after it was launched and built up as a 5.1 surround system) was an easy product to live with and very flexible to configure.
I ran it in multiple configs from 5.1 integrated to 2.1 and 2 channel integrated and in its final config as a balanced output streaming preamp in to a NC NAP 250. It allowed me to trade in my previous SN3 and NDX2 without any downtime or significant cost to upgrade. I’d certainly consider one again in the future, perhaps as a streaming preamp to active speakers and based on Organik DAC’s, a system config many others have found a sweet spot with or even paired with NC NAP’s for example.
You can see how the evolution of the Selekt in to its current form fills the gaps across the current Naim portfolio spanning products like the SN3 and NDX2 through the 200 and 300 Series, and has found a lot of happy homes as a result of that as individuals look to maximise performance and minimise system complexity. The refined Edition Hub, Organik DAC’s and Utopik PSU all being evolutions on the original concept and modular nature of the Selekt as a multidisciplinary product.
I very nearly went that route myself and considered adding Utopik PSU and Organik DAC’s to my Katalyst level Selekt (Classic/Original enclosure) but all things considered, it would have made more sense to move to the Edition Hub version and comparing cost was a bigger leap than the simpler and far cheaper trade in route to the current 200 Series system I have. I may evolve that to a 300 Series eventually or another DSM + active speaker arrangement, no rush today, and enjoying what the 200 Series offers and potential for more refinement beyond that in to 300 Series!
That’s a very comprehensive answer. Thanks.
I’ll buy your logic. 1,500ish SN3s per year is not out of the realm of possibility. 500/600 for the US, and the rest for the UK & RoW.
I’ve kind of forgotten where I was going with this point. But coming back to the XS3, it will be a shame to see it go. Unless we get that 100 series integrated.
One of the few NAIT’s I never owned the XS3. I did own the XS and XS2 which followed some steps through the 5 Series before it.
I echo others feelings of what these ranges provided, true refinement and affordability whilst still enabling stepping stones to system development.
The old ranges were overly complex with too many building blocks so you can understand how Naim ended up at the 200 and 300 Series.
It’ll be interesting to see what they do I agree. Not everyone drawn to what Naim offers as a brand wants to or has the means to spend 10’s of thousands on their systems. The XS and NAIT’s gave you a lot of that magic at a sensible price.
I still think that applies with respect to the Uniti Atom, arguably one of Naim’s best products overall and still a solid choice for something affordable, compact and one box.
The Nait 50 has also found an interesting fan base especially amongst those downsizing from much more complex and expensive system up to 500 Series.
I’ve combined the Atom with the Nait 50 and it’s a wonderful sounding system. It also gives me the option to split them in the future if required.
Interesting combo, it does mean you can make two systems easily later as you say. The NAIT 50 seems quite happy driving a diverse range of sources with seemingly universal praise on its performance capabilities.
An NDX 2 or Chord DAC and streaming transport seem popular system choices. I use my Atom connected to my TV over HDMI and primarily for audio from the TV and connected sources to my in wall Focal speakers. It’s on daily duty and never misses a beat 
It’s a wonderful piece of kit for sure.
Interesting.
My Nait 50 has replaced my Atom in an office setup. I never thought of trying it with the Atom because of the preamp duplication, but I’ve hung on to the Atom, so perhaps when I’ve some spare time, I’ll give it a try and compare with my WiiM/Qutest front end.
Roger
Star and Nova are more different in sound quality then just 10 extra watts. Both are very nice gear but the Nova really has a better amplifier that can get more out of “ appropriate “ speakers at that pricepoint.
If you really want to use your CD collection, have more limited speakers and/or budget the Star has its merits. Otherwise the Nova gives you a bit more sound quality while still offering a convenient and stylish one box option.
Still that comes at a premium since a XS set might offer a bit more in sound.
It would be nice to see a NAIT 100, a full width integrated based on the NAIT 50 but in the new classic case. 50w, a couple more inputs and a remote please.
We’ll have to wait nearly 50 years for that
I think the challenge here is how you range that with respect to power supply and source.
There’s only the current NSS 333 source and NPX 300 power supply in the current portfolio.
You could provide balanced pre outputs to allow connection to a NAP 250 but that still presents an issue for Naim on keeping the power supply ranging simple and compliant across the hierachy.
You could do a cheaper simpler version of the NSS 333 (like an NSS 100 aligned with spec of the ND5 XS2) but would Naim build an equivalent of the HiCap again? They could repurpose the NPX TT potentially, a NAIT 100 would have simple power requirements.
The challenge in extended ranging by adding a 100 Series is also cannibalising their 200 Series footprint and growth whilst still providing something uniquely special and with potential to move up through 200 and 300 Series systems over time.
I’d hope they’d do the NAIT justice and honour its important contribution to Naim’s history with a forward looking perspective, whilst the NAIT 50 is well received it’s a niche within a niche and not what your average new user is looking for or asking for in the broader market context.
It’s also a one-off limited edition and so not really suitable as a mainstay in the range.
Roger