SHOP NEWS

NAIM WEEK STARTS TUESDAY 23rd MARCH
[ 19th March 2010 ]

As is customary at this time of year, Naim are putting most of their prices up from 1st April. Consequently, we are holding a NAIM WEEK here from Tuesday, 23rd March until Saturday, 27th March where we can play you any combination of Naim equipment that may interest you so that if you wish, it can be ordered at the current price.

Increases this year are moderate and amount on average to no more than 2% but rising to 4/5% for a few models.

Please contact the shop to find out possible price increases on any model that interests you.

Naim are accepting orders at the current price until close of business on Wednesday, 31st March.
Any item ordered after this time will be subject to the new price list.
Naim have had another buoyant year and their increasing popularity underpinned by a great sound.
Great build quality and reliability has meant that they have carved an enviable reputation in the HiFi market.

The second-hand value of their equipment is second to none; it remains a great investment.

The Naim Uniti - the one box solution which includes CD Player, DAB/FM Tuner, Internet Radio, Digital to Analogue Convertor, USB Player, iPod Dock Player and Network Stream Player - phew! was introduced last Summer. Its success has far outstripped Naim's initial expectations, selling more in the first three months than they expected to sell in a year. In consequence a waiting list has quickly developed since Christmas which is only now being met this March. This clever and intuative all-in-one player is only one of Naim's winning products this year.

Forthcoming attractions include the Uniticute: -

UnitiQute is a complete and compact audio system - containing multiple music sources similar to the NaimUniti (but without the CD playing capability). It also includes a digital output and pre and power amplification. All you need to add is speakers. Available this Summer.


Another winner from Salisbury, the Naim DAC which can significantly improve digital sound quality from virtually any digital source has quickly become a shop favourite. It is so adaptable, can be used with so many combinations, and blazes the way to a great sound.

Naim say: -

"The nature of music delivery is changing fast. CD has been joined by downloads, portable music players are part of the landscape, computers are routinely connected to hi-fi systems, and USB memory sticks are used to store high resolution music files. So the Naim DAC, our first stand-alone digital to analogue converter, arrives at an exciting time in the narrative of high quality music in the home. And listening to the DAC builds the excitement yet more."
As Naim CD player owners will realise, Naim CD players, except for current versions of CD5XS & CDX2, do not offer a digital output option and so unfortunately cannot take advantage of the Naim DAC.
The good news is that Naim are now offering an optional upgrade to owners of older CDX2 machines by adding a digital output thus allowing it to be used with the DAC. For this upgrade the player needs to be returned to the Salisbury Factory for modification and carries a standard charge. This is a one way upgrade - and cannot be undone later.

Naim DAC - (For the more technically minded!)

"The Naim DAC is a true high-end product that can deliver an audiophile and, more importantly, a musical performance from virtually any digital source. It is also a truly convenient way to access music. The Naim DAC is the world’s first Apple authenticated high-end DAC, which means it can connect digitally to any iPod (generation 5 onward)or iPhone and take the output digitally of anything that would have been sent to the headphone output.  This includes UPnP streaming, the thousands of internet radio stations available via apps on the iPhone or iPod Touch and all the music stored on any iPod.

Besides the usual attention to the finest detail for which Naim’s R&D is world-renowned and which will be obvious from the key points below, the special element of the design is the way in the Naim DAC that the master clock is not recovered from the S/PDIF signal as in other DACs. Instead, the incoming audio data from S/PDIF is stored in solid-state memory and then clocked back out to the DAC chips using a fixed-frequency local master clock.

This eliminates jitter caused by S/PDIF. In essence the memory, master clock and DAC structure behaves in a similar manner to the CD, master clock and DAC structure of a CD player.

Naim’s buffer or memory method of jitter removal relies on a simple concept: the audio data is clocked into the memory at the incoming inconsistently-timed rate, and is then clocked out of the memory and into the DAC chips using a precise clock. The rate at which the memory fills and empties is controlled by selecting the master clock that best matches the average incoming clock frequency. In this way, the data entering the DAC chips is completely isolated from the incoming jitter.

All that technology - what does it sound like?

Naim’s reputation has not been built on technology alone. It has been built on delivering sound quality driven by solid engineering, clever use of technology and of course consistent reliability and customer service.

The Naim DAC is no exception; its musical performance is quite exceptional.  It combines the detail, control, and accuracy of truly great digital playback with a musical sense of performance and inherent rightness that is a joy to listen to.  Old and new recordings become alive, with a sense of renewed vitality and communication".

Edited and quoted from "WIDESCREEN REVIEW" - GARY REBER.

Our Naim Week will run whilst the shop is open from 10am until 5.30pm. If there is particular combination of Naim equipment you would like to listen to then please ring in advance us to let us know so we can be sure to have it set up for you. We look forward to hearing from you.

With Best Regards,

Hamish, David, Bob & John.

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