NAIM AUDIO NAIT 50 integrated amplifier
+ Fast, dynamic and engaging full-bodied sound keeps you listening and well entertained; very capable phono section; limited edition numbers should help preserve desirability and likely-favourable future secondary market disposition prices.
– Price; no remote control; MM-only phono section; DIN jack-only input connections and banana-plug only speaker jacks; only two line inputs; and oh yeah, you get a thump on powering up followed by a plop when switching in from standby.
Sound: 9/10
Value: 8/10
A guide to the ratings
There seems to be no let-up in the wave of retro-styled components coming out in the high-end hi-fi space. There are many variations to the theme – some are updated reintroductions of older models which had been previously discontinued (yes, Technics and Musical Fidelity, we had you in mind), some are re-issues which are mostly faithful to the original and some are brand new in old packaging (well, at least “old style look” packaging). It is in this latter category that today’s object of desire, the Naim Nait 50 integrated amplifier belongs.
In spite of the name of this 50th-anniversary Naim being the “Nait 50”, the original is actually only 40 years old (at the time of writing). That original 1983 Nait (or Nait 1 as some call it, to better distinguish it from the following 2-, 3- and 5- series models), many units of which are still in service today, was Naim’s first integrated amplifier.
It was a bit of a departure back then from Naim’s staunch adherence to the philosophy of keeping things as separate as possible, including not even having power supplies within its preamplifiers’ chassis. It proved to be a welcome one as the original sold very well and there have been several generations of Naits (and “bigger dick” Supernaits) since.
I never owned an original Nait myself, but had heard it back in the day, it being mesmerising-ly good sandwiched in a system with a Rega turntable at one end, and Heybrook HB1s at the other. The Earth may have been flat to some, but no one could readily accuse the Naim Nait of ever sounding that in the musical sense.
FEATURES
Being a replica of the “chrome bumper”-era shoebox-shaped chassis of the brand in the 1980s, the Nait 50’s dimensions are 8.7 x 20.7 x 32 cm (h/w/d) with a weight of 4.5kg. The power rating is 25 watts per channel into eight ohms, but with peaks of 225W, as quoted by the manufacturer. There are no onboard DACs or other digital periphery, the 50 coming with three analogue inputs, one of which is a discrete transistor MM phono stage. Both the line inputs are of the DIN five-pin type, so it is almost inevitable you will need to get a DIN-to-RCA cable if not slotting the unit into a Naim-oriented system.
On the fascia are four push-button switches, the volume control and unlike the original, there is no balance control, the Nait 50 having a 6.3mm headphone output at the spot where the old balance adjuster used to be. The volume knob and switches have good feel and those familiar with Naim equipment will not be shocked to feel the power inlet and input connectors wobble to the touch when handled during set up.
The unit goes into standby if no signal is detected for a bit, so those Naim users who have been conditioned toward leaving their equipment on 24/7 can feel they can justifiably wave their hand to Greta’s “how dare you!” in this modern ESG-driven world. Naim has stuck with its traditional Class AB power amplifier stages here though, so no, there isn’t any bought-in Class D module shoved somewhere into this small form factor unit.
Also unlike the original, the power cord is not a captive lead, the Nait 50 having a standard IEC power inlet. Naim includes its own selected power cord with the purchase but for the well-heeled believer that “better” power cords are a must to eke out maximum performance from an amplifier, feel free to try some aftermarket options, including Naim’s own premium Power-Line if money is no object to you. When it comes to loudspeaker connection, you get the usual-to-Naim banana-plug only output jacks.
The local dealers generously included Naim’s own NACA5 speaker cables and a DIN-to-RCA interconnect cable with the review sample but the interconnect arrived damaged, so I used an old Flashback Sales lead from my own collection for testing the line inputs of the Nait 50.
LISTENING
As the Nait 50 sample I received had already seen use and was not fresh out of the box, I didn’t do much running in and threw it in the deep end to have it first drive my ancient Apogee Centaurus Minors with a Sony HAP-Z1ES hard disc player and Thorens TD124-SME3012-Ortofon SPU-e (with a step-up transformer) as sources. My initial reaction was “wait, this is an ‘only 25W’ amplifier?” It had a different sound signature from my regular Odyssey Khartago monoblock amplifiers, sounding more upfront and bold, even when playing at louder (but not silly loud) volumes, but it never flinched or strained itself.
Bass control and extension, within the patently limited abilities of the six-inch driver in its sealed box enclosure (the Minors are a ribbon hybrid design with a traditional cone bass driver) was impressive – I played Bryan Adams’ In the Heat of the Night and Sorcerer from the Streets of Fire soundtrack and bass had good definition and an easy to follow “distinctness” in attack and decay, while drums had weight and impact.
There was also a midband clarity and overall detailed presentation that seemed newfound to the brand. While it’s been a long time since I reviewed its stablemate Supernait 3, which had gotten along excellently with the Apogees, the same “keep you listening” highly engaging presentation of the smaller Nait 50 was obvious. It seems to me to sound different in presentation from the Supernait 3, to the best of my sonic memory (and that’s not exactly highly reliable on any day which ends with a “y”), being somewhat brighter and sharper, giving an impression of enhanced transparency and being less in the way of the music.
It was when I switched over to my Spatial Audio M3 Turbo S open-baffle loudspeakers, which give lower-powered amps a less challenging time, that the little Nait 50 got to prove what a capable little amplifier it was. With my ears close to the compression driver within the upper of two similar 15-inch large paper cone units, the little Naim had quite low noise when turning up the volume with no signal playing.
In spite of its relatively low 25W power rating, the little Nait 50 refused to sound small even if it did not have a “big amp” level of relative ease and sense of scale. When operating within its comfort zone (the volume control stayed between 10-to-11 o’clock for the most part), the sound was slightly upfront perhaps, but was solid and meaty. The pairing was capable of very good separation and ability to convey atmosphere. I felt the soundscape wasn’t exactly panoramic but overall depth and breadth was still good, front and back image separation and definition being just fine, if not quite a front runner in its price class. But it had the ability to unravel dense recordings and present it coherently, such that the music just seemed to flow freely and easily.
Among the tracks played were, somewhat cornily, an acoustic version of James Blunt’s 1973 (yeah, I know…), the piano had good tone and body, and the light strumming of the backing guitar and soft backing vocal came over clearly and cleanly. Moving on to Rickie Lee Jones’ Just My Baby, the sense of fine detail helped the track come over with intimacy. These two tracks showed me that the Nait 50’s rendering of the tone and subtlety of instruments and voices was very good indeed.
Moving on then to the louder, raunchier stuff like Black Sabbath’s Paranoid and Jimi Hendrix’s Can You See Me, the drive and momentum of the band was well conveyed, and powerful and palpable. The Dick Hyman swing band showed the little Nait 50 to have bass depth and control which higher power-rated amps I have used did not convey as well. Treble was sprightly and delivered the clean leading edges as well as clear shimmer and decay from cymbals. There was little by way of perception of the potential harshness of the early Naims, when put into an unsympathetic pairing, where you’d wager vocalists would come off stage and ask for a packet of throat relief lozenges; but again, if memory serves, is not as creamy up top as some of the classic series Naims pre the DR-era.
Headphones performance was excellent by my reckoning. While I only had Sennheiser HD414s and an Audio Technica ATH AT700X on hand, both sounded clearly better through the Naim’s headphone output than my regular standalone headphone amp. The phono stage had very little perceptible self noise to draw any intention to itself in normal use and in my view was quite a star – I wouldn’t feel the need to go looking for an outboard unit and was quite content using it.
I hesitate to say, this but I believe some of those who have a liking for the older Naim sound might find the new approach somewhat more analytical, almost like Naim wanting to beat some of the detail-oriented Class D amps at their own game. Such thoughts stay only a while when the music starts playing, though.
THE LAST WORD
I didn’t think I would be saying this when the unit first arrived, but having listened to and spent time with it, I find myself wanting one, even in preference to the outstanding Naim Supernait 3 I had previously reviewed and loved, if forced to choose (sadly, at my station in life with kids in college, that’d be happening only in my dreams). It just got under my skin when paired with my relatively undemanding Spatial M3 Turbo S loudspeakers, though it performed very well indeed with all the other loudspeaker pairings I tried.
Obviously, the Naim sonic presentation isn’t for everyone, and even within the audioFi team here, we have with us those who positively dislike all things Naim. But for those who are fans of, or not partial against the Naim sound, there is a lot to enjoy from the performance of this “retro modern” Naim Nait 50 which transcends its (hefty to most people) price tag. Speaking for myself, and I know it would not have been a rational decision, had the disposable funds been available, I’d have ordered a unit. To those 1,973 owners and potential owners out there: enjoy!
Gear
Sources: Linn LP12-Ittok-K18ii, Thorens TD124 Mk II-SME3012-Ortofon SPU-e (with step up transformer) and Roksan Xerxes-RB251-Denon DL110 for vinyl, Micromega Stage 3 CD player, Sony HAP-Z1ES HDD player, Nakamichi Cassette Deck 2 / Amplification: Euphonic Research ATT-600 passive controller into Euphonic Research Amp80 and Odyssey Khartago monoblock amplifiers, Pioneer A400X integrated amplifier, Audio Image AIME and Parasound JC3 phono stages / Speakers: ELAC Unifi BSU5, Triangle Ikoto, Apogee Centaurus Minor, Spatial M3 Turbo S / Headphones: Audio Technica AD700X / Assorted cables including Flashback Sales DIN-to-RCA interconnects, Tara Labs and Gotham interconnects, Cable Talk Talk 3, Symo LS5sx, Gotham 50025 speaker cables, various DIY wires
Price: £2,699
Malaysian price: RM16,200
Distributor: CMY Audio & Visual (+603-2143 9406) / Find your distributor.
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