Your understanding during this End-of-Life process is greatly appreciated (5si)

I understood you will go for EMM labs monos, from one of your post some days ago. Or a thought ?

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McIntosh has mm/mc in there integrated and preamps

Yes many manufactureres have put mc stages into integrated amplifiers, but naim never have. Nor have they ever had a self powered mc phono stage, the transformers have always been external.

Actually FR, in case you had not realised, I have finished buying amplifiers for now, or possibly ever - i.e. my ‘end game’ amplifiers are in place!

On my thread you will have seen that SCOTLAND won the international competition. Otherwise known as Linn Products Ltd.

EMM Labs product is very good and very musical. However there was a negative experience during the amplifier competition:- there were periodic occurrences of audible mains hum from the transformers in the EMM Labs amplifier. This was another factor that lost it for EMM Labs in the final.

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It is getting pretty brutal out there for manufacturers and dealers. One of my favourite high end dealers has become a massive vape shop. Very annoying but a sign of the times. High end Hifi is becoming very niche. My children look at my vinyl collection and wonder where the pictures come out and ask why I don’t just stream everything with an iPhone and headphones :rofl: R+D is obviously very expensive. I think a number of manufacturers and dealers just won’t make it. It would be great to think that Naim could replace all discontinued models, but I don’t think in this economic climate that it is realistic. Naim need to choose where they think the sweet spot is and concentrate on that. If they don’t then perhaps they could come under pressure. I hope not.

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Well said that man. I completely agree with your summary.

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Our children and their friends buy vinyl, it’s the fashion with the kids now.. I find it rather amusing and strangely encouraging… some then play on bluetooth record decks or some other convenient/lifestyle/off-a-container but mediocre SQ solution. Even kids are getting back into CD and cassette, but admittedly that is more the for the music heads…

It’s the later generations who tend to turn their back more on vinyl..
It’s like FB, the kids don’t tend to use that now.. there are more trendy and appropriate ‘platforms’, it’s the oldies who tend to love FB.

The times are indeed changing, but not the way some oldies think.. however I think we agree the fashion for high cost playback is not with us currently…

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My son and his partner collect vinyl. Small London flat but they’ve found space for an RP1+ and Q Acoustic active speakers. They’re very happy with the sound.

G

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You could put MC boards in the NAIT 3, but it wasn’t something Naim generally recommended. If you insisted then they offered a shielding kit, but for best performance shielding is best avoided if possible, hence why best to avoid an MC stage close to a big mains transformer.

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Hi Richard, I didn’t know that. Thanks for correcting me.

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I wish I could convince my kids of the benefits of vinyl. It is not through a lack of trying !

I would happily give my kids some of my old Hifi but they have no interest. I am glad to hear you are having more success.

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Well - I suspect at least with my kids and friends its more about its the ‘in’ thing and fashionable rather than anything to do with SQ, though to be fair there is a growing attraction in owning copies of records/physicals etc - rather than streaming everything like radio

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I posted a while ago I was in a major record store and a few young guys were having jovial browse through the records and one guy had a bundle he was going to buy.
One guy said to me sorry mate you want in I said it’s fine and I hope you have something decent to play the records on the guy with the bundle said I collect the records but just stream the music on my phone. :scream:

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Had a 5i the first, and gave it to my son, still works beautifully, of corse it already had a visit to salisbury.
My thoughts on this topic is that nature has horror of empty spaces and if naim does not deliver, them some else will…
The point is if Naim is interested in this niche market, the small “cheap” and good.

I cannot recall HIFI (to the level expressed on this forum) being that common.

Yes people bought records/tapes/cds but reality that was only way to listen to music. I recall most people had v cheap brands (now no longer in existence)

Streaming is cheap (for the user and platform, not musician), convenient (mobile).

Not sure desire for music quality has changed-not sure it existed in mainstream before.

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Just to add on this-I think there’s 2 ways to make money; high volume low margin or low volume high margin.

Volume is dropping for niche products where cheaper alternatives exists (read SLR cameras vs IPhones for instance)

So I think the only option for niche products is low volume and margin focus. So brands often re-pivot to become Uber brands and focus on aspiration (whilst hopefully being great). (For those cyclists amongst us see how campagnolo has realised it cannot compete with high volume shimano, so has pivoted to more expensive aspirational)

I haven’t a crystal ball, and maybe completely wrong, but I suspect that’s where naim will go-less products, higher aspiration. At present a key thing (for me at least) is ongoing support (a bit like Miele in the washing machine space is great at).

IMO that is an ace that Naim hold.

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Is it a surprise when lower income youth do not pursue vinyl, CD when self confessed audiophiles also ditch those formats for streaming?

Not sure it’s a yuff thing

Not sure they do in my experience, ie lower income absolutely buy vinyl .. but yes if you were on benefit and unemployed understandably you would have other priorities. I guess the youth I am talking about is 18 to 28. Its also interesting that at the merch stalls at gigs you now see vinyl, and QR code download where as it used to only be CD if anything.

But it does tend to be for people who enjoy music and go to concerts etc - and not everyone does.. some people just dont care.. and I think it has always been so to be honest.. perhaps more people dont bother now as there are so many alternative sources of entertainment.

But is refreshing to see the younger generation getting back into physicals again… go back 10 to 15 years ago everyone was fleeing this.

But we should not confuse physical media - like vinyl, cassette and CD with expensive or higher end replay equipment.. I dont see much interest with that the younger generations.. they budget for more realistically priced products - that perhaps some audiophiles would disapprove of… but I find some of its sounds quite good and conveys the enjoyment of music more than adequately. Luckily the days of diabolical Amstrad ‘Hifi’ of the 70s and 80s is well and truly behind us.

Sorry lower income wasn’t a reference to benefits or the like.

It was with reference to youth generally at start of career and having lower income for disposables (I think likely most goes on rent)