I had a chance to demo a few of the latest offerings from Naim:
- The Nait 5si (60 wpc "traditional" integrated)
- The Uniti Atom (40 wpc all-in-one-box solution)
I heard these systems with KEF LS50 "Black Edition" on Targus stands, and Spendor A/4. No subwoofer was used in either case. Music was being played lossless streaming through TIDAL MQA and a Bluesound Node 2i, using the Bluesound's internal DAC, except in the case of the Atom, which was able to stream directly.
The demo started with the LS50s and the Nait integrated. We started off with the usual Norah Jones-esque demo lists and then ventured into some Gregory Porter R&B. And finally finished with some Sarah Bareilles acoustical tracks. The first thing that struck me with these songs, and this combination of LS50 and Naim power, was the exacting clarity and projection. The LS50's highs were superb, and mids were forward without being overpowering. The amount of bass that this amp could squeeze out of that little LS50 box was astonishing. I had 2 or 3 "where's the subwoofer" moments. Although the bass wasn't chest-pounding, nor super deep, what was there was clean and convincing, and far exceeded my expectations of what LS50s could do.
Keep in mind, I have heard LS50s a number of times before on different power plants: Plinius, NAD, Musical Fidelity, Prima Luna to name a few. I was always impressed with the LS50, but not like this. This was another league altogether. Check the specs.... 60 watts per channel? At this volume? No way! ...WAY! Either Naim has completely under-rated their new Nait series, or everyone else has been lying and THIS is what 60 wpc really sounds and feels like. I cannot underscore the realism I heard with this combination.
OK, how to top that? Well, let's try the Spendor A/4. This is a modest-looking, compact floor-mounted 2-way speaker. A very traditional design, unlike the LS50. Immediately, the Spendors produced more, deeper, bass. Which shouldn't be a surprise. The woofer has about 2x the surface area of the KEF, and an enclosure that's about 4x larger in volume. The Spendor also look....gorgeous. But looks aside, the sound they produced was extraordinary, and very different from the LS50. Midrange clarity was improved, with a little more "body" to vocals and midrange instruments. however, what the Spendors gained in low-end and midrange, they lost in the ethereal highs of the LS50. The "mouth sounds" from Sarah Bareilles were sort of lost in all the other activity, where the KEFs portrayed every lip smack and heavy breath as if Sarah was whispering right in your ear. Despite those differences, there's no question the amount of bass the Spendors produced from these seemingly off-the-shelf 7" drivers was amazing with the Nait amp.
How do you top that? Surely the compact, all-in-one Uniti Atom would pale in comparison to a purpose built traditional integrated like the Nait...Especially with lower numbers. Surely!
WRONG! The Atom, connected to the Spendor mini-towers, was a match made in heaven. The Atom defies logic in terms of how well it reproduced...pretty much everything. One of the system differences in this case was the Atom was playing directly from the Tidal MQA playlist, bypassing the Bluesound Node 2i. Because, the Atom can do that. And it does it exceptionally well. 40 watts per channel sounded like 200 with this setup. The music was clean, powerful. Soundstage narrowed slightly, but maintained its depth and texture. Acoustic guitars were lively and deep bass, even from some of Porter's R&B tracks was as controlled as I have ever heard. Fun-tastic, is a word I could use to describe the Atom in a nutshell.
For anyone who is looking for a compact, easy to use, high-end amplifier, but wants simplicity and looks...And nearly uncompromising sound.... Naim has you covered. Honestly, this setup (Atom + Spendor) for a retail price of about $6,000, was astonishing and beautiful.
The Nait + LS50 combo should run between $2700-$2800 without discounts at most places. You would have to “hunt and peck” vintage gear for a decade to get sound as good, while spending twice as much.
https://www.naimaudio.com/product/uniti-atom
https://www.naimaudio.com/product/nait-5si
- The Nait 5si (60 wpc "traditional" integrated)
- The Uniti Atom (40 wpc all-in-one-box solution)
I heard these systems with KEF LS50 "Black Edition" on Targus stands, and Spendor A/4. No subwoofer was used in either case. Music was being played lossless streaming through TIDAL MQA and a Bluesound Node 2i, using the Bluesound's internal DAC, except in the case of the Atom, which was able to stream directly.
The demo started with the LS50s and the Nait integrated. We started off with the usual Norah Jones-esque demo lists and then ventured into some Gregory Porter R&B. And finally finished with some Sarah Bareilles acoustical tracks. The first thing that struck me with these songs, and this combination of LS50 and Naim power, was the exacting clarity and projection. The LS50's highs were superb, and mids were forward without being overpowering. The amount of bass that this amp could squeeze out of that little LS50 box was astonishing. I had 2 or 3 "where's the subwoofer" moments. Although the bass wasn't chest-pounding, nor super deep, what was there was clean and convincing, and far exceeded my expectations of what LS50s could do.
Keep in mind, I have heard LS50s a number of times before on different power plants: Plinius, NAD, Musical Fidelity, Prima Luna to name a few. I was always impressed with the LS50, but not like this. This was another league altogether. Check the specs.... 60 watts per channel? At this volume? No way! ...WAY! Either Naim has completely under-rated their new Nait series, or everyone else has been lying and THIS is what 60 wpc really sounds and feels like. I cannot underscore the realism I heard with this combination.
OK, how to top that? Well, let's try the Spendor A/4. This is a modest-looking, compact floor-mounted 2-way speaker. A very traditional design, unlike the LS50. Immediately, the Spendors produced more, deeper, bass. Which shouldn't be a surprise. The woofer has about 2x the surface area of the KEF, and an enclosure that's about 4x larger in volume. The Spendor also look....gorgeous. But looks aside, the sound they produced was extraordinary, and very different from the LS50. Midrange clarity was improved, with a little more "body" to vocals and midrange instruments. however, what the Spendors gained in low-end and midrange, they lost in the ethereal highs of the LS50. The "mouth sounds" from Sarah Bareilles were sort of lost in all the other activity, where the KEFs portrayed every lip smack and heavy breath as if Sarah was whispering right in your ear. Despite those differences, there's no question the amount of bass the Spendors produced from these seemingly off-the-shelf 7" drivers was amazing with the Nait amp.
How do you top that? Surely the compact, all-in-one Uniti Atom would pale in comparison to a purpose built traditional integrated like the Nait...Especially with lower numbers. Surely!
WRONG! The Atom, connected to the Spendor mini-towers, was a match made in heaven. The Atom defies logic in terms of how well it reproduced...pretty much everything. One of the system differences in this case was the Atom was playing directly from the Tidal MQA playlist, bypassing the Bluesound Node 2i. Because, the Atom can do that. And it does it exceptionally well. 40 watts per channel sounded like 200 with this setup. The music was clean, powerful. Soundstage narrowed slightly, but maintained its depth and texture. Acoustic guitars were lively and deep bass, even from some of Porter's R&B tracks was as controlled as I have ever heard. Fun-tastic, is a word I could use to describe the Atom in a nutshell.
For anyone who is looking for a compact, easy to use, high-end amplifier, but wants simplicity and looks...And nearly uncompromising sound.... Naim has you covered. Honestly, this setup (Atom + Spendor) for a retail price of about $6,000, was astonishing and beautiful.
The Nait + LS50 combo should run between $2700-$2800 without discounts at most places. You would have to “hunt and peck” vintage gear for a decade to get sound as good, while spending twice as much.
https://www.naimaudio.com/product/uniti-atom
https://www.naimaudio.com/product/nait-5si
Last edited:
