What’s in a Naim?
Contents
Inside we see that the power supply is neatly separated from the rest of the components. Next to the power supply, we see a whole row of capacitors, which should, among other things, provide a stable signal. We see that all inputs are individually decoupled to minimize noise and interference. Naim’s research team searched for possibilities to make the amplifier react even faster and optimized a number of transistors for this purpose. An Alps volume control completes the picture. So this is not just an XS 2 with a phono stage but a reworked amplifier with some useful adjustments.
Setup
We connect a Metrum Onyx to the Nait XS 3 via a Supra Sword rca cable. A Nad M50 goes balanced into the Onyx via a Grimm TPR aes cable. Of course we connect our Rega Planar 2 to the MM phono input. We connected multiple speakers to the Nait XS 3 but mainly used the ATC SCM19 V2 monitors because they are in the same price range. They are a little more difficult to control but the Nait XS 3 has no problems with it
We recently started using Roon to manage all our music and we like that very much. High-res files (Flac, Wav), MQA streams via Tidal (continues to cause turmoil) and CDs are our digital weapons and a limited selection of vinyl (jazz) provides the analogue hatch
The sound of Naim
Much has been written about the aspect PRAT (pace, rhythm and timing) with especially Naim amplifiers and this is certainly a characteristic we hear. But there’s more to it than that. Yes, this is a rhythmic amplifier but it is also transparent and silent. It’s a finely tuned amplifier with enough punch that propels the music without looking back. He has a delightful tonality, is musical (makes music) and is sufficiently insightful
This amplifier gets the most out of every speaker we’ve used. The 70 watts are extremely stable and keep our ATCs under control without any problems. Some will prefer a rounder view, but we think there is sufficient foundation in the view. Everything is balanced without adding too much. We’re involved in the music and album after album flies by