Fifty Something - How Naim's New NAIT 50 Captures the Spirit of the Iconic Original

This issue sees Mike and David audition one of Naim's nicest products in a long time - a special limited edition integrated amplifier made to commemorate the company's fiftieth anniversary.
The guys think it's a perfect and fitting tribute to the Salisbury company's contribution to the hi-fi world. No argument there, then! Although considerably more polished sounding than the original mid eighties NAIT 1, it still really captures the spirit of the eighties.
Each episode of Hi-Fi Riff features the guys' unedited, unexpurgated views about all manner of weird and wonderful hi-fi designs. Business executive Mike has a wealth of knowledge from previous hi-fi retail experience, and David has written about hi-fi for thirty years. Now Editor-in-Chief of StereoNET, he's picked up a few things along the way.
So relax and enjoy some one-take hi-fi riffing - and please leave your comments below. And don’t forget to hit the Subscribe button, this one goes up to eleven!
The eighties-tastic title tune is called ‘UFO/Mike’s Jumper’, and used with the express permission of our old pal and rights holder Simon Lythe.
Follow Hi-Fi Riff on Instagram here: hifiriff

[@bigblueocean]

New Gold Dream is an under appreciated classic. It still sounds fresh today. Well done boys.

[@MrVinylista]

I think it's one of the best albums of the 1980s. It still sounds brilliant today, musically. And the recording quality just seems to get better as your replay equipment improves. I bought it on the day of release and it reminds me of very happy times, being 16 with so much ahead of me. What a great soundtrack to that!

[@scottthompson5004]

Have to say guys love your channel love your content, I wanted a change of direction after having a Naim unity 2 for the last 7 years & you have switched me onto Exposure! So I’ve traded in got myself a 3510 couldn’t be happier fantastic amp!! unfortunately spent all the money on the amp & didn’t leave myself for a source so clawed back my old 33 year old NAD 5220 CD player!! Wow never sounded so good!! Running with some ATC SM11 Speakers & now saving for a streaming source 🙏

[@gaetancharbonneau3902]

So true @@MrVinylista

[@sbwlearning1372]

​​@@MrVinylistaColours fly and Catherine wheel is my go to audio test track. Sadly to these ears it shows up naim as unpalatable

[@user-du1yk7uk9v]

the new one from Simple Minds is almost at the same level

[@robertleitch2016]

Deserves an encore. Not just the riff, but the revival of Naim's best style epoch. Perhaps a NAC42/NAP110, or a half-width CB streamer. I can't imagine that Naim will have any bother shifting all 1973 of these NAIT 50s, but the money they're asking would still get you a decent NAC32.5/HICAP/NAP250 with enough left over for re-capping and servicing.

[@paulwhite1109]

Great stuff as always guys. Obviously I like the hi fi chat but its the way you deliver it and the banter that makes it.

[@dougg1075]

A right proper British review gentleman. And I should know, I’m from Birmingham. Roll tide!

[@numptification]

10cc's How Dare You was/is another early seventies production master class.

[@MrVinylista]

Wasn't it just!

[@tonyjedioftheforest1364]

Great riff guy’s, I would definitely buy one if money wasn’t an issue.

[@attrktmarketing4582]

I saw one in the shop and was sooo tempted.

[@LyndonSoulGroove]

Nice, Din sockets too. remember them well into mid 80's my 1st mono cassette deckin 1983..1st time I Knew about the Din origins. Good to read your article Dave in the latest edition of Russ Andrews, so true about listening to music as you get older..

[@sh00kac]

So nice !

[@lxduc]

I Love mine with the Audio Note AN-K Lx speakers Rega RP 3 and MXN10 network player, lovely little system

[@MrVinylista]

Interesting combination!

[@lxduc]

​@@MrVinylista

[@razisn]

D Industrie Normen (German Industry Standards).

[@robertleitch2016]

I remember walking aimlessly around West Berlin on a student visit in spring 1982, and my heat leaping on finding the actual Deutsches Institut für Normung building down a quiet side street. Essentially the equivalent of the BSI, but made far more exciting by exotic audio and photographic connectors, as well as the most respected standards for measuring the horsepower and torque of internal combustion engines.

[@garth56]

New gold dream reminded me of my system years ago, this is so funny so a Roksan Cognoscenti,piano black marble finish just stunning, with an original Well Tempered tonearm, can't remember the cartridge, sitting on a Rata Torolyte stand on two paving slabs separated by a inner tube from a mini and just to keep the miss's happy draped in black cloth. The to slabs was the idea from the seismic sink which had just come out at that time fro dear old Max. The amp was an original Audio Innovations 800 with the stupidly priced choke power supply added, but hell it was incredible, for good measure and a Rotel Michi phono stage. So the point of this was both of you mentioning bass. The 800 with the choke in triode mode pushed only 18 watts and the final bit of the puzzle were the TDL Studio 1's. So when I originally bought them I thought yeah they're okay great bass and reasonable imaging. When I did all of the above to the amp and TT the bass went so low, concrete floor, the windows rattled and not only that the imaging was electrostatic. I had a friend who measured 25hz in room. I played Yello's The Race only once loud because not only at the time did I think a race car came into my room and left but the bass was the incredible. I have fond memories of this but the point of this is watts really don't equal power. Valves are always better at this but if you stuck the Naim on some 102db 8ohm speakers they'd take out some windows. The only thing I found about the original was it was a bit 1 dimensional. Sorry for this very long winded response. My speakers are 105db and driven by 8watts you def would need a pair ear defenders if I turned them up to 11 :-) Love the channel guys

[@MrVinylista]

Great story, thanks. I'm running 94dB efficient Wharfedale E70s in my second system and can go nearly deaf with 10W; 1W is loud enough for most occasions! The NAIT 50 should definitely be used with sensitive speakers, and/or relatively easy loads. Not really an ideal match for a pair of BBC LS3/5as, electrically at least.

[@stevehollingbery9744]

Highly entertaining riff and up to par chaps. Not a Naim lover but horses for courses as they say. I do note that over the years Naim have changed their sound and moved from left field to more centre based.

[@MrVinylista]

Thanks Steve - yes, the Naim sound has certainly mellowed over the past 20 years but it is still distinctively 'musical'. Characterful and fun, I would say, but with wider appeal now.

[@andrewweis5857]

I came into the Naim world post-DIN (Nait XS-3). No regrets.

[@martinrose2833]

The knob is machined metal !

[@marcse7en]

Should be machined GOLD for that price!

[@basementfortyfive]

Nice. Still trying to get a review sample ...:-) Thank you.

[@timleelim9930]

Looks like the little Nait 50 seized the Heat of the Moment

[@simonjones8111]

Great to see NS1000’s!

[@drumman154]

Greetings from Florida! Regarding the Nait 50: I’m using one in a small room fed by a Naim ND5XS2 connected to a pair of Neat Iota Alpha and let me tell you there’s nothing small about the way this puppy sounds. Synergy and all that… Thanks for the wonderful content and happy new year!

[@Hi-FiRiff]

Oh yes! We are on our way for a listen!

[@cremersalex]

On New Gold Dream Jim Kerr's voice is buried in reverb and echo. Kick drum is really loud. Have those Asia and Kraftwerk albums too from my vinyl days. And the Supertramp album of course.

[@sensational_cellar8606]

The volume knob is machined from solid aluminium, it’s not plastic. Also the front and rear panels are metal too.

[@martinrose2833]

That would be me !

[@oliverbeard7912]

Banter! 😀. Are you guys keeping score on who's delivered the greatest "burns"? Another nice review.

[@kjbunnyboiler]

The most obvious technical compliance is the addition of the mains switch on the front as opposed to the power/volume control on the original. (Looks like I’ve a faulty memory on this) I’m an old fart which is my excuse🤣🤣🤣

[@gotham61]

It's exactly the same in that regard. The right hand button on the original is the power switch

[@kjbunnyboiler]

@@gotham61 You’re right gotham61. I must be thinking of some other amp from that era, I remember old Pioneer receivers had a similar integrated volume/ mains switch. I’ll be pondering this for a while!

[@owenoneill5955]

I bought and still have an original, green led, nait as my bedroom system driving Alexander metal enclosure speakers, 🙂

[@scrunts666]

2700 pounds, you have to be kidding me !!!

[@45calypso]

This is outrageous who’s forcing you to buy this amp against your will? Name and shame I say.

[@MrVinylista]

Highly likely to be worth more than that secondhand, in a few years, such is its rarity.

[@gdwlaw5549]

And 50 p

[@briang530]

I guess listen to one? I just demo'd the thing. The price is interesting for a 25w RMS, (but actual cap enabled 225 peaks are properly impressive). Based on a recent demo, It won't likely replace my Rega Brio in powering my Dali opticon 5s but It's no slouch. At 25rms it powered a set of notoriously hard to power (well for bookshelves) 2001 AE AE2 signatures very well. Vs the current Brio it seems overpriced, and one could buy a NAIT XS3 or a used Rega Aethos for the same price. Would I buy a NAIT 50? Probably not, although if my equipment were different, I might. I guess I'd say that if everything else makes sense with one, though, it does seem more resolved, clear, and entertaining to listen to than some competing products at a similar price.

[@scrunts666]

@@briang530 There are so many options at that price, and anywhere up to it, that it makes it a bit of a joke to anyone who knows their gear. As a massive fan of Rega I would definitely agree with you on the Brio, solid amp, I have one that I sometimes use to drive my RS-3's. If I were spending anywhere near that much I would just go got a pair of Rotel RB-980 power amps, bridge them and drive anything at all. I could probably even get four of them and quad amp my most demanding speakers if I felt insane enough and have change for the matching pre-amp.

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

I was wondering about the Din cable. The one you show has phono termination on one end? Does the Din cable work better or ideally with Din terminations on both ends, and does it operate like a balanced cable? And- by the way, Thank you!Eye Candy for me! I just love looking at the Nait. Definately a great product- even tho I have never heard one...just sure about that..against all reason.

[@MrVinylista]

It's not a balanced cable, but Naim fans would tell you that a DIN to DIN works better than a DIN to RCA due to the allegedly superior sockets. I'm not so sure, but as ever I think the truth is in the execution. Naim certainly does DIN sockets really well, and hasn't abandoned its faith in this socket type, despite it being a pain to non-Naim aficionados. It's kind of like having a car with special wheel and tyre sizes!

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

@@MrVinylista thank you.

[@Scan_Speak]

The volume dial is aluminium. Having said that, with the great phono and headphone amp section this was an easy buy for me. No upgrade paths (;

[@razisn]

Putting this against the new MF A1 should be interesting. My money is on the A1 which is not limited edition and is only about 1.5K... Disclaimer I was lucky to have been given the opportunity to listen to the A1 at home for one week and was impressed all things considered. I haven't listened to the Naim. My impression is that if one isinclined to spend 2-5k on a push pull tube amp of 20-40W one should do himself a favour and listen to the A1 first. I also bi-amped the A1 with a current MF solid state amp and all I can say is wow! Sweet treble plus robust bass. If you do manage to listen to the A1, please DO check out its performance using the DIRECT function which bypasses much of the pre stage gain.

[@MrVinylista]

Thanks, great info. I'm sitting here looking at a new A1. Review coming soon.🙂

[@razisn]

@@MrVinylista DIRECT function should provide enough gain for all but the measliest of MC cartridges and phono stages. Direct function provides about 32db of gain. MF power amps happen to provide similar gain so they are emminently suitable. Bi-amping with a lower gain amp should be no problem since the A1 volume control can be used to compensate.

[@robertosacchi689]

Hi David, what do you think about Guru Q10 to go with it ? I have one coming next week, joining my 500 & Classic Naim systems. Cheers from Italy

[@MrVinylista]

Gosh, now there's an eccentric speaker! Should be big fun with the NAIT 50, although not exactly hi-fi in the conventional sense.

[@robertosacchi689]

@@MrVinylista Thank you for your feedback, i also much appreciated your records analysis witch i totally agree. Staying on such theme, i'd also include F.Mac- Tusk, Steely Dan - Gaucho and Talk Talk - Spirit Of Eden, bearing in mind that sound can vary considerably from edition to edition. About loudspeakers, i also spotted a nice pair of N.A. SBL

[@user-du1yk7uk9v]

New Gold Dream Sparkle in the rain Once upon a time ara all masterpieces and even thier last album is very very good.

[@yippie6862]

Are you two considering reviewing the 2023 Musical Fidelity A1? Another low powered retro remake. That one may be special at half the price of the NAIT 50.

[@MrVinylista]

Hi - yes, I have one in front of me now. This will likely be our next review. As you say, it's going to be interesting to compare it against the NAIT...

[@yippie6862]

@@MrVinylista Thanks, looking forward to that review.

[@gaetancharbonneau3902]

The Simple Minds New Gold Dream album is indeed a hard test for a speaker woofer, the bass is very, very heavy. For the record... the inspired keyboard solo on the "Hunter and the Hunted" song is a courtesy of Herbie Hancock. It's barely readable on the back of the cover gold typo but it's there.

[@MrVinylista]

Absolutely, that record is full of surprises - and succeeds on so many levels. It's one massive ear worm, just gets better the more you play it. Much of it was recorded just down the road at Manor Studios, close to where Mike and I grew up near Oxford. It will be 41 years old next week, and still sounds achingly beautiful to my ears.

[@sbwlearning1372]

Colours fly and Catherine wheel is my audio test track for any new thing that arrives Magnificent

[@kobush18]

Great review 👍 Can you clarify the term " musical " , it's little vague ,what do you mean by that?

[@MrVinylista]

Sorry, it's hi-fi shorthand for 'engaging and involving' - in other words, the amp has fine dynamics and great resolution of the music's timing nuances. The sound is the opposite of homogenous, drab and boring.

[@kobush18]

@@MrVinylista don't be sorry,you explained it very good,so it's all about engaging sound that makes you want to listen more and more regardless of resolution and Dynamics and other technical terms.👍

[@MrVinylista]

@@kobush18 Absolutely. I do try to avoid hi-fi reviewer jargon, as it's not always self-evident. The Naim is certainly a 'musical' amp, more so than most of its price rivals.

[@philiprichardson5645]

Can anyone comment on whether the Nait 50 sounds full at low volume levels and would it plsy well, at low volumes, with the Falcon ls3/5a? Additionally, is the phono MM / MC, or MM only?

[@frankdemita7049]

The phono stage is MM only, but it's a brilliant one. My Nait 50 drives a pair of Harbeth 20.1 monitors, not the most efficient speakers and very much in the spirit of the Falcon LS 3/5a. Not a problem. I rarely listen above about 10 o'clock on the (metal) volume knob and it's great with Electronic, Nordic Jazz, Classical Chamber. Big orchestral stuff and heavily produced rock will require a bit more welly.

[@SuperMcgenius]

Din plugs are a pain in the a**

[@timleelim9930]

You mean they can be used as butt plugs too? 😂

[@petermartin9494]

Deutsche Industrial Norm

[@njalbrekke4861]

It isn’t cheap this amp! I can get many amps that will produce sound that is not just trying to deliver.

[@zjzozn]

👍

[@simonjones8111]

Deutsche Industrie Normen, there you go

[@wcg66]

The price put me off immediately. At $4500 CAD, it’s too much considering it’s performance, even if it captures the “spirit” of 1970s technology.

[@robertgough5804]

Cd source please

[@MrVinylista]

Chord Hugo TT2 DAC

[@mediascapes2011]

Deutsche Industrie Norm

[@pitfisch1]

D eutsche I ndustrie N orm

[@revamp777]

Deutsche institute fur Normung.

[@michaelb9664]

The power output and SINAD for £2.7k is very poor. 25 watts at 0.1% THD. Damping factor of 36. I’d expect better for £270 let alone £2700 in 2023.

[@gdwlaw5549]

We don’t care😂

[@MrVinylista]

To be fair to Naim, they make much better measuring amps than this for less money. This was more about making a modern NAIT 1, than a benchmark modern amp to compete with 2x250W Technics designs! Also, the NAIT 50 sounds way stronger and feistier than the specs suggest. In this respect it's similar to many valve amps I've auditioned.

[@michaelb9664]

@@gdwlaw5549 I wonder if ‘we’ wouldn’t care if we bought a modern car for £50k that only had 60 BHP. It’s a similar comparison.

[@owenoneill5955]

The power output on the original was ''very poor'', and they weren't cheap way back then, people still bought them by the thousand because they loved the sound of them. If you don't get it you don't get it, stop reading and start listening maybe?

[@gaborozorai3714]

Power output and measured distortion have little bearing on sound quality as long as used in a sympathetic environment (speaker and room).

[@marcse7en]

Crappy Din connectors? My god, I thought I'd seen the last of those? 👎🤣

[@Hi-FiRiff]

😁

[@marcse7en]

@@Hi-FiRiff Literally, I haven't seen a Din socket for DECADES! ... Naim must be round the bloody twist? ... I'm all for nostalgia, but in my opinion, there are certain aspects of the "iconic original" that should have been FORGOTTEN!

[@neilgaydon5430]

A vision less product for Naim to celebrate its 50 years designed for nostalgic old Naim codgers ‘when winters were warmer’, not new customers. British Kef launched the ground breaking LS50 for their 50th anniversary which they thought might sell a couple of thousand but orders blew the doors off. They sold tens of thousands globally and set the world on fire by looking forward not backwards with true innovation. For the British Audio industry to succeed the likes of Naim, Mission etc need to stop looking back to their original founders for inspiration and have the confidence to move forward if it plans on being relevant.

[@stevesells8294]

To be fair, Naim's 'New Classic' range is Naim's 50th 'product'. With state-of-the-art streaming, wireless inter-product coms etc. The Nait 50 is a very limited edition production run that will sell out forever in a few months and never be made again.

[@neilgaydon5430]

@@stevesells8294 Exactly…for the Naim die hards who will pay over the odds for nostalgia with no R/C in search of reliving their past. Think Morgan and Bristol. And Naim haven’t even developed their own DAC…tut tut. A sad backward looking product with a couple of bells and whistles others did years ago.

[@MrVinylista]

@@neilgaydon5430 If you're going to criticise Naim Audio for launching an anniversary product to celebrate 50 years in the industry, then you've got plenty of other companies to criticise too. The NAIT 50 is unashamedly a nostalgic design - that's the point - and is clearly aimed at fans of the brand. On those terms, it succeeds admirably - and for those who don't want to buy it there are plenty of alternatives. Perhaps the Technics SU-G700II with 2x250W RMS is more up your street?

[@ianringstead2420]

Sorry guys, overpriced . Naim know only too well that the limited allocation will sell out quickley. Like a Rolex watch the kudos factor and too much money to spend lures people. Poor value in my opinion.

[@1jhnpennington]

Except it hasn't. You can now get an open box one for £1000 off at Sevenoaks.