November 01, 2019

System Synergy! Creating A Great Sounding Home Hi-Fi System Using Naim, Rega & Acoustic Energy

November 01, 2019/ Reading

According to Wikipedia, Synergy, is the creation of a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. At Audio T we have a wealth of knowledge and experience gained from working over many years, with a multitude of different Hi-Fi manufacturers and their products. This collective knowledge means we can suggest and created great value, balanced and musically satisfying home audio systems. We also know that partnering a series of 5 star award winning products doesn’t always make for a great sounding Hi-Fi system!

So, with that in mind, we thought it would put together a complete mid-level Hi-Fi system for small to medium sized rooms, that would cope equally well with reproducing vinyl, but also introduce the option of entering the world of high quality music streaming. We wanted to put together something that would straight away get to the heart of the music and the artists performance, in a thoroughly enjoyable way.

To meet our brief, we have put together some new outstanding products with an old but good favourite. So what have we lined up?

· Naim Nait XS3 amplifier

· Naim ND5XS2 streamer

· Rega Planar 6 with Exact moving magnet cartridge

· Acoustic Energy AE500 bookshelf speakers

The talented individuals - but do they excel as a team?

Naim Nait XS3

The new Naim Nait XS3 amplifier makes a simple, elegant and powerful music playing solution. The amplifier is all analogue, with a wide and flexible range of inputs; the moving magnet phono stage is a new introduction for this model to reflect the resurgence of vinyl. It makes a great low-box pairing with the matching ND5 XS 2 streamer

Naim ND5XS2

The ND5XS2 uses the latest innovative new streaming platform from Naim with an expanded feature set. This is a versatile player giving access to a full range of streaming options including Tidal, Spotify, Internet radio etc. Naturally you can additionally install a server should you wish to stream local files; ripped CDs, Hi-Res downloads etc. It’s also Blutooth and Chromecast enabled. The Naim software can be operated from a mobile phone or tablet. The ND5XS2 can form part of a multi-room setup with other Naim streaming products too. The quality and versatility of the Naim streaming app is very good indeed.

Rega Planar 6 and Exact MM

The Planar 6 benefits from the trickle-down technology derived from ongoing research at Rega. It follows the Rega design ethic of a low mass but rigid structure, to minimise unnecessary distortion. It comes with an advanced anti-vibration motor circuit powered by a separate NEO power supply, tuned to each individual deck. Regas’ attention to rigidity is further enhanced by a double brace between the tonearm and the hub pillars to further accuracy in playback. It is clear that a lot of thought and engineering detail had gone into this simple but elegant package.

Acoustic Energy AE 500

The AE500 is a new compact stand-mount loudspeaker from the flagship AE 500 Series. It features a newly developed carbon fibre tweeter and mid/bass drivers, to enhance musical power and accuracy, but with improved self-damping for a smoother, more transparent sound. It is an attractive speaker, well put together and surprisingly heavy, given its size!

Well, the important bit is how does the system sound?

It sounds very balanced and dynamic, able to easily convey the depth, richness and dynamics available from vinyl. The voicing and phono stage of the XS3 amplifier and the Rega combine to provide a very convincing and immersive sound.

The ND5 XS2 benefits from classic Naim engineering and fastidious attention to detail ensuring that it delivers natural, engaging sound quality from all streamed digital sources. Its musical and technical performance is highly satisfying and informative.

Throughout all this the XS3 provides a solid, powerful and musically coherent, tonally accurate foundation, to allow the system to really breathe and unleash the music.

The AE 500’s more than hold up their end of the bargain being rich, dynamic, insightful and faithful to the intensity of the performance. Given their size they cannot defy the laws of physics and produce prodigious bass, but they nonetheless give a very solid foundation to the music.

Together, it is a great system that makes you forget what kit you are listening to and instead become immersed in the musical performance. Everything works well together to produce an exceptional result. That is true Synergy.

If you are looking for a system built around compact speakers, you need to have a listen to this!

All items are available for demonstration at Audio T Reading.

Rob - Sales Consultant.

Naim Hi-Fi products are available from all branches of Audio T.

Rega Hi-Fi products are available from all branches of Audio T.

Acoustic Energy HI-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T: Bristol, Cheltenham, Enfield, Online, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Swindon

October 25, 2019

The Deconstruction (No pun intended) Of Queen's 'Somebody To Love' Used By A Customer Choosing His New HiFi.

October 25, 2019/ Oxford

The other day, we had a customer, who happened to be a both a huge Queen fan and an ardent drummer. During conversation, he admitted that when listening to music, he always tuned into and appreciated the drums. if the drums weren’t doing it for him, then the system didn’t either!

I’m a big fan of radio or TV programmes that ‘dissect’ classic (normally) rock tracks and I love to hear how they were created and assembled. It occurred to me, that it might be a useful exercise to listen to how exactly Roger Taylor plays the drums. It is, however the only time that I have listened to one such piece as part of a customer demonstration

Christian James Hand is a Californian DJ who does just that. He runs a whole series of radio programmes that analyse classic rock tracks and one of these looked at the composition of ‘Somebody to Love’ (Freddie’s favourite Queen song). We listened, in isolation, to Roger’s hard hitting, repetitive bass drum beats, ending with that great crescendo and used this as a reference point for when listening to the track as a whole.

We started off with a mid-price Japanese separates system but this just wasn’t cutting the mustard. After a couple of changes, we decided to up the budget and focus on a system that really majors on timing: Settling on the new Naim Nait XS3 amplifier with the Naim ND5 XS2 Network Streamer as a source, accompanied by Dynaudio Evoke 30 speakers.

Wow! suddenly the separation of each instrument became clear, but with all of them (along with Freddie’s amazing voice), both gelling and timing perfectly. For the customer, it was a revelation, and one that he could not do without. The system is now ordered and waiting to be installed in his home.

Whether you are a musician or not, you may well find Christian Hand’s programmes interesting. Please click on the link to hear how the song that we used, sounds, when it is stripped down to its very bare essence.

Naim Hi-Fi products are available at all branches of Audio T

Dynaudio loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T: Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Manchester, Online, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

October 19, 2018

Naim Audio Heavy Weight Music Network Players ND5 XS 2 And NDX 2

October 19, 2018/ Cardiff

The new Naim streamers have landed! We have been extremely excited about the arrival of the ND5 XS 2 network player and we have been enjoying our initial listening while running-in this neat little box.

Naim ND5XS2 with control app displayed on a smart tablet.

This is the entry level network player from Naim and has a perfect partner in the Naim NAIT XS 2 amplifier. This 2 box power house is a sublime introduction into the streaming world.

Built in, is the new Naim streaming platform with an expanded feature set to the previous model. These features include high-res UPnP streaming, Airplay, Chromecast built-in, Bluetooth aptX HD, Spotify Connect, TIDAL, Roon compatibility, internet radio and multi-room streaming. That’s a lot of streaming features!

Whether you are running a NAIT 5Si entry level amplifier or the more powerful NAIT XS 2 the new ND5 XS 2 is a must when looking for a new digital music source for your system. When partnered with the NAIT XS 2 a control cable can be run between streamer and amplifier allowing full control over the volume from the app, so no need to pick up that remote control when you need to adjust your listening levels.

This entry level network player does not have a large colour screen like its slightly older sibling the NDX 2 so all functions are controlled from a smart device such as a smart phone or tablet using the Naim Audio app available for free download from the app store.

Part of the Classic series, the Naim NDX 2 is an upgradable network player offering you all that the ND 5 XS 2 offers and more. This unit incorporates a large 5” colour display, first seen on the new Uniti range including the Nova, Star and Atom.

Naim NDX2 5” colour display on front panel.

Now this beast has really had a leap forward in its performance over its predecessor the NDX. You can pair the NDX 2 with an XPS DR Power supply for upgraded performance and if you’re feeling really flush why not add the 555PS but we will touch on that another day.

We think the ND X 2 is highly immersive and will get your foot tapping. Its output is lively and energetic with bags of detail to draw you into the stereo image.