Neverending Story: Hifi Edition

Just a place to park a spare chair lol. Never gets sat on. I like the suite tho. It’s G plan.

It’s a question of distance. Max 13’ 3 across the room vs as far as I want the other way and no back wall. I’m probably sat about 16 feet back from speakers. Most of my box swapping was down to low tolerance threshold for sound launched at me from front-firing speakers at close range. I’m even more sensitive to light, so I think I’m just a sensitive soul lol.

Kans would probably work where you suggest but Planets, Ref3as and Spicas all need space behind them that I struggle to give without being far too close. Might need some ear defenders before I unleash Nait and Kans on my ears at close range. Hard to believe I used to hear the sound they make as “normal”. You need to attune to them though. Not sure I can make that leap anymore.

I’m playing with the Digit Reference today. It’s very early, but it’s already been enough time to tell me it’s a far better DAC than I ever been able to appreciate on previous occasions with the Digit.

What’s it like. Well it’s a bit of a mellow fellow and I like that. It sounds quite muscular and meaty which is unusual for Bitstream. It has less resolution and drama than the Sonneteer Dryden and also Les seems precise image placement. But it really is very enjoyable and it is a relaxing listen.

I’m really enjoying it right now. The word that comes to mind is “organic”. It has a bit of Naim CD3/CDI relaxation about it, due to lower treble energy. Certainly
less hot” than most CD sounds, but better for it.

It bears no relation to my previous encounters with digit/Positron/Twin Positron. Not at all what I was expecting, but I really like giving another shout to stuff that hasn’t worked before. It’s becoming a regular thing to find it to be a matter of context than intrinsically good or bad kit.

Your description kinda matches my thoughts. Thick toned is true. It sounds as thoug the twin psu gives it a real boost too. Ultimately I missed the resolution of the Dryden and switching back revealed a lot of extra resolution.

I’ve been having fun playing with the Nait against the Campion and it’s given me a much better idea of what they do. The Nait seems to create a larger than life vocal performance at the expense of instrumentation. It sounds like singers have massive heads. It’s timbral qualities are a long way off the Sonneteer too. Pianos sound nothing like real piano, for instance. It’s also often hard to tell what instruments are playing together. It also doesn’t separate out harmonies from lead vocals. It’s an entertaining listen but it’s not anywhere even close to the Campion. That’s a long and growing list of amps that have fallen short when compared. I shouldn’t really be saying anything about the Campion as I want another one and I don’t need the competition driving up prices. If anyone wants to swap theirs for a Nait 1 then please shout up 😁

The Nait 1 - 3 have absolutely NO power for modern day speakers, but the mk1 makes for a wonderful soft-clipping compressor. The higher you turn up the volume, the more reverb and atmosphere comes out, but the sound doesn't really get any louder ime. The phono stage also has an 'old Linn' response shape, being a rise in the lower kHz where old fashioned MM's dip and a bass roll-off below 100Hz where some older LP12's squidge out. This was before CD was being considered by the then flat earth brigade.

Sorry to burst any bubbles Shane, but the Nait mk1 is an underpowered antique from a bygone age, although it's charming as the old 60's Rogers Cadet amp was and still is imo.

I'm fast getting to believe that at even lower average powers/volume levels, we NEED peak power available. Not necessarily so we can deafen ourselves I feel, but as with a powerful car with good torque available on a mixed-road journey, it just helps the music express itself better in a varied music session. I can't describe it properly, but those with clear sounding amps that don't get stressed on peaks may get what I'm clumsily trying to put across. I didn't spend long with the Alabaster amp I heard and didn't stress it volume wise, but at sensible levels the clarity and ease of 'dipping in' to the music was excellent.

Fad? Well since Naim's Julian V used Quad 57s I would imagine that they had a role in the Nait 1's development. Ferret about the 'net and you'll find happy owners with the combination. Why? The wee 1 is capable of pumping out the current needed. Connect to efficient speakers (91dB) and - what more do you want?

Any more than 8-30 o'clock with CD and 9 to 9-30 for vinyl and it's soft clipping I think you'll find...

In all the time I knew JV (77 onwards), he used active Isobariks at home and I remember a notable visit in 1979 or so. He got a nice sound from them too...

My dealer at the time - Rayleigh HiFi - told me he sold most Naits with Rega Elas (most punters came in asking for a Nait & Kans until he did the comparison).

A mate replaced his Nad 3020 with the Nait 1; I fitted plugs to his speaker leads (QED 79 Strand). His speakers were the original Kef Coda.

The Nait was s VAST improvement over the Nad: I was shocked at the attacking bass dynamics. At times though, which I could only put down to the mains, it was just a bit too much. The speaker's balance resulted in a hard "rocky" sound and when the mains was "off", it was just too fatiguing to listen to. He later changed the speakers to some Mordaunt Short Carnivals, which were a much better match. His next move was to replace the Nait & Carnivals with an A&R A60 and Kans. Must admit it sounded good and I was surprised at the bass, which sounded quite extended. I still preferred the Nait & Carnivals. I'll have to dig my Nait out.

A tale of amplifier/speaker/room matching - or how not to. About 7 minutes in:

JV was very much an electrostatic fan. Nobody remember the Naim Electrostatic? It was slated for release at one stage.

Some more info here:

pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/naim-electrostatic-speakers.190910/

Shame. Macca would’ve probably bought me a pair just to see the rug at my last pace go up in flames

It's no fun being too subjective for the objective-only crowd and being too objective for the 'use your ears' lot. Merits in both ways, but never exclusively I find.

I saw and heard the prototype maim (Naim even ) ELS speakers once. Great deep bass but very 'quiet' as I remember and they were the frontal size of ATC 200 or 300 soffit speakers I recall. they eventually brought out the wardrobe size DBL juke-boxes instead, a grossly awful confection I remember.

Very true. I just get bored of these people pondering what they think are deep and mysterious questions when they'd find that if they did a bit of reading the answers are well known and mostly prosaic. 

Back when we only had the magazines  to go on there was an excuse but now we have the internet it's either laziness or wilful ignorance. The laziness I can understand, it's the 'I want to believe' crowd that get on my tits a bit. I mean by all means do what you want to do with your hi-fi but don't be going on forums talking bollocks and misleading people who are trying to learn. That just risks wasting other people's time and money by leading  them up the garden path. I squandered a lot of both by believing what I read in the mags.