prc

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 10.00 votes

Price Paid:  $699.00 from Lyric HiFi in NI

Summary:
Product Review for the Nait 5 (not the 5i)
Having upgraded from the nait 3r I can say that the 5 is much smoother sounding than the 3R, but still has all the rythm, pace, and timing Naim is well know for.
The 5 brings out the musicality in a record with great timing and dynamics, but at the same time not tiring you (so can listen all night long).
As already mentioned by a few reviewers of both the 5 and 5i there a lifelike sound to the little amp. The soundstage is very very good, but dynamics and placement aren't as good as on naim's reference seperates (a.k.a NAC2** and NAP2** or higher).
Sound is improved further by adding a power supply. With the addition of a FlatCap2 the noise floor was slightly reduced, but bass output and mid and upper midrange where vastly improved. I have auditioned a Hicap on the nait5 (next model up in the power supply chain) and the improvement was almost 2 fold from the stand alone nait5 (quite surprised actually). Sound will also improve if you get the nait on some sort of isolation platform. Mine is on a 47x35x3 (WxDxH) granite platform with 3 Mitchel tenderfeet small.
Being a 30w/ch integrated, you need to partner it with easy to drive speakers. It will do the nasty on many higer powered amps, but I would still recommend easy speakers. I run Jm Lab Cobalt 816S which aren't exactly as easy to drive as they seem (on paper), and the nait still makes them boogy!
The 5 only comes with DIN inputs, but I really don't mind as my equipment is mostly naim anyway. Last bit I'd like to add is that the nait 5 still isn't considered non-Naim speaker cable friendly (requires NACA 4 or 5). I however have been using it for over 1yr with chord Odyssey4.

Strengths:
Built to last - Design - DYNAMICS - PRAT- will shame higher power amps - UPGRADEABLE (can be used as a preamp and accepts power supply). Looks (a personal thing obviously). Good number of inputs.

Weaknesses:
None from my point of view but what might bother some:
"DIN only" inputs (many companies make RCA -> DIN cables), 30w/ch so hard to drive your 1 ohm apogees. Upgradeable means you end up spending more money in the future (upgraditis). The 5 still "requires" naims's own NACA5 speaker cable.

Similar Products Used:
Adcom GTP500/GFA545II, nait 3R

toolsong

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.17 of 5, 6.00 votes

Price Paid:  $500.00 from s/h in London

Summary:
Nait5i 50W x 2 I'll reiterate what the previous reviewers have said....very musical with great dynamics. It has redefined stereo sound for all of my friends who aren't into HiFi. Source - Emu 1212m soundcard Speakers - Focal JMlab Cobalt 810 Speaker cable - NACA5 Interconnect - various (still testing) Using the recommended NACA5 did improve things...was previously Axon 8. A friend has a full bi-amped Naim system that cost many times more yet this amp gives a similar overall presentation. Recommended buying even at the retail price. As always make sure it pairs well with your speakers before making a decision.

Strengths:
Musicality, sounds great with any genre. Drums are presented especially well, musicians love listening to their own music on it. Excellent retained value on second hand market.

Weaknesses:
Less bang for your buck if not purchasing in the UK.

Similar Products Used:
Bel Canto Evo, Pass Labs Aleph 0, other older Naim.

Ade

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Having owned an Audiolab 8000A for 12 years I was always aware that something missing from the sound, even though I have been pleased overall with its sound, flexibility and reliability. Initially I was after an upgrade that offered me better sound and more facilities(i.e/ remote control). Having auditioned an Arcam A85, Arcam FMJA32, Tag McLaren 60i, Rega Mira - I felt that none of these offered significantly better sound than I already got through the 8000A. Then I heard the Naim Nait 5i - what a difference! Here was an amp that revealed the musicality and dynamics of a recording with incredible timing and verve - finally I'd found what was missing in the sound I'd had before. Now it was a real, lifelike and live sound. Instruments have real depth and harmonic structure - this is particularly noticeable on jazz and classical recordings and well recorded pop/rock. One thing to note in particular, is the reproduction of bass - it has excellent timing and plays tunes very well. The Audiolab always had good extension and control but was somewhat "one-note" in its reproduction of tunes in the bass - not so with the Naim! I also run a REL Stampede subwoofer with my Dynaudio 42's and this integrates very well, meaning that dub reggae shakes, rattles and rolls! Nuff said!

Strengths:
Dynamics, timing, subtlety, real "live" sound, runs cool(stops the cat sleeping on top of it!), remote control

Weaknesses:
Lack of inputs, no phono stage or headphone socket

Similar Products Used:
Audiolab 8000A Arcam A85 Arcam FMJ A32 Rega Mira Various Japanese makes

peterlow777

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
1.50 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $650.00 from Birmingham/uk

Summary:
i purchased the Naim Nait 5i last year, it's by far the best integrated amplifier i had ever brought. I totally enjoyed listening to this amp unlike the Roksan Kandy MK3 and the Cambridge Audio 640A amplifiers which i also bought last year.The Naim was such a joy to listen to, which i didn't get from the Roksan or the Cambridge. Very emtional experience!

Strengths:
Musical, effortless, superb timing

Weaknesses:
none

ivdz

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
2.82 of 5, 11.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1225.00 from Ghijssens - Belgium

Summary:
I recently bought the Naim Nait5i as part of a new 2-channel music system. The Naim 5i is part of following set up: - Nait 5i amplifier - Naim CD5i cd player - Pioneer DV-565A DVD player - Wharfedale Pacific Evolution-30 loudspeakers - SNAIC-5 interconnect - NACA 5 speaker cable After installed the equipment, the Nait5i immediately proved to be a very musical and rhythmic amplifier playing with enormous "ease". The Nait 5i is not the amplifier delivering every detail in brilliance, but it just excels in playing music at an extraordinary level of rhythm. I hadn't heart this before. One of the preliminary doubts was whether the Nait 5i was able to drive the loudspeakers adequately in a large living room. When first playing with the amplifier these doubts proved to be wrong: the Nait 5i has tremendous power and reserve also proving to play with lots of drive and power on low volumes. Experimenting with interconnects from different brands, it was immediately clear Naim's own SNAIC-5 din interconnect proved to deliver the best quality. Highly attractive is the "unity grain" option allowing the Nait5i to work as an power amp when connected to a home cinema amp or processor. The only disadvantage of the amplifier is the remote control working cheap and clumsy. Buttons are to small, the remote needs pin-pointing very strict to the amplifier to work and the whole thing doesn't work intuitive. This amplifier is a class-act and strongly recommended for those listeners who put 2-channel music first and occasionally listen to 5.1 recordings. Within its price range the Nait 5i is hard to beat. The RCA inputs show a lot more flexibility now to products of other brands.

Strengths:
- rhythm - ease of drive - highly musical - quality of the case - built-in connectivity to 5.1amp/processor

Weaknesses:
- remote volume control works clumsy - remote control requires close pin-pointing - user manual is not always clear

Similar Products Used:
Onkyo CR-70R Arcam