The Nait 50 looks & sounds amazing in my setup. And with its high end phono and headphone sections and with no Naim upgrade path maybe I’ve even saved myself some money in the the long run (-; Joking aside, this is one amazing piece of audio gear I’ll be handing down to my kids.

I enjoy your reviews because they introduce me to musical recordings that I would've never learned of otherwise. I also love your enthusiasm; please keep up the good work!

Neat amp. By the way Steve, thanks for always sharing your music with us. I've never heard St Germain before. I listened to them on Spotify and now I've ordered 2 copies of that album - one for me, one for my son!

Wow! Thx for the review!👍

Very nice review. I recently purchased ls50 meta inspired by your review of them and hooked them to my second hand purchased naim xs2. I am so happy owner because of sound of the combo but there is more, these speakers made me to like broader range of music, for example acoustical, and there is a lot I am taking directly from you reviews. I feel thankfull for it :). And still more , this time I was also inspired by the system of the day, the power amp is very interesting. Thank you

great video, I love your shirt.!!

Enjoyed that, thanks Steve! I've got a 50 and your descriptions fit very well.

Ahh...Naim Nait 1 , bringing back fond nemories of the good old days .Steve have you ever heard of the amplifier Nytech ...

Great review... as usual...!!! Stereo gear aside, I genuinely enjoy your reviews moreso for your music selections than I do the audio equipment... I am 72 years old, so I'm guessing that we are of the same time era, more or less... Personally, I am a music lover first, then a 'gear head' second - translated = I take more pride in showing off my music collection than I do showing off my stereo system... When you brought out David Bromberg, that only confirmed my initial impressions...!!! When compared to all the other 'audiophile' reviewers that I enjoy watching, I connect the most with your music selections... I guess we're all a victim of our history - for better or worse, eh...!!!

"Audiophiliac" sounds like a MEDICAL CONDITION! 🤣 I literally CAN'T believe you said, "The knob feel is exquisite!" 🤣 You should feel the knob on my 1978 JVC JA-S22! 😲

great review. so tempting but I'm in Jadis tube territory now. My first high end amp was an Olive Nait 2 and it was amazing. I still miss it. It played music beautifully. Matched it w Spica TC-50s for a great high end budget system circa 1989.

The trumpet on The Body Acoustic from the left made me jump.

Thank you Steve for a trip down memory lane for a truly musically satisfying experience when I enjoyed listening to Linn LP 12/Koetsu Rosewood . Naim Nait 1, Linn Kans or Rogers LS3/5A back in the eighties. Foot-tapping!

Thank you Steve. Delightful review. I’m very curious what your experience will be with the Naim Supernait 3.

Good job Mr. Steve. Maybe in the future you could reach for brands such as Audiovector, Primare, Bladelius, Leben, Heed.

bob mintzer is a nice discovery , thank you

The knob feel is exquisite. huh huh..huh huh.

This is a fun review thanks Steve. I love hearing about reissue type products because the history and context adds another dimension to the hobby.

The real star of this video, besides Steve, are the Grado RS1’s with buttons!

Nice review. Steve, since each episode features a viewer system of the day, ever thought of reviewing (primary review, not old/new model comparison) some vintage products? I have an 80's era Yamaha M-80 power amp, fully refurbished that frankly outclasses most newer amps at anywhere near these prices: I know you're not a measurements guy, but check this: Class A/AB, 300w at 8 ohms, can drive 8/4/2 ohm loads, THD 0.0014% at 300w, S/N 124 ... all for less than $1500 (a few years ago). There are probably other brands that have similar stories. Maybe its time to give these old workhorses their due?

I had one of these and now have a name nait 2. It's beautifully built inside, all gold plated board connectors and hand wired and soldered. I also have naim pre amp and power amp in the olive format (the one after this) a naim tuner, Naim cd player and a pair of sbl's

Congratulations to the viewer system, it's incredible. What is the name of a bass driver you are using?

You know Steve I wouldn't mind hearing your thoughts on the 5SI from naim.

The product misses the mark for me afraid due to the price, after I got a quote on Atoll amps from a retailer in Detroit, but I'm biased against Naim them due to a prior experience with a Calgary retailer. I also think their Bryston and ProAc lines are overpriced, however. They had sold me a 1980's Quad power amp instead, and that had sounded more like the Nait 1 described; it had sounded warmed over and pleasant and didn't have the clarity or the dynamics of my current British Myryad dual class A amp which was made in 1999 (I'm always a second hand guy with amps). Glad to hear you had a good experience with the Audeze LCD-3 headphones. I heard those at the local Magneplanar retailer, and feel they had improved greatly over the years. I used to have an older pair and their clarity was lower: the traditional "dark" upper midrange/prominent mid bass Audeze house sound, not improved by turning up the volume or using different amps. The new ones seemed more balanced. They had a creamy, thick, musical sound with accurate timbre which I had found more pleasant than some more highly resolving headphones I had heard around the same price point, like Focal Clears.

I have nait 50 nait 1 and nait 3 all are excellent and i love them. I believe the nait 50 uses the same transformer as the naim nap 250 hence its speaker driving abilities.

Shades of the ‘Popeil Pocket Fisherman.’

Your estimation on the demographic that would be drawn to this amp was spot on in my case. I was looking to step up beyond powered speakers and invest in a better setup, and after testing the Naim Nait 50 at a local shop against other amps (some cheaper, some more expensive, all a lot bulkier in form factor) the choice for me was clear. I love the sound and the form factor, and it has the exact number of inputs I need in my setup. It pairs wonderfully with my KEF R3 Metas and a Technics turntable. I feel super lucky to have a local shop that carries this. Thanks for reviewing the amp! I'm always curious to hear what more experienced ears think of it and I'm sure there will be plenty of folks who find it's a great solution for their space.

Steve can you explain (to me) what makes different high end amplifiers, of the same type, sound so different . I'm not asking about tubes vs transistors, or different classes. I understand that. I asking about 2 companies making high end class D amplifiers (for example). Is it circuit topology or different individual components ( like capacitors) or what ? And again I'm referring to high end companies trying build a superior amplifier using high quality components. Thank you, Richard

Steve reviews all things audio like one would review wines. “This one is light and airy… not as full bodied as the Glockenspiel 42A… but good while eating fish or fowl.” I subscribe, enjoy watching, and basically learn nothing. I can’t afford any of the stuff. It’s 9 AM and time for breakfast. Going to the refrigerator and getting a beer.

PPS caps all around with axial Polystyrene/Foil caps sprinkled all around in there too… I expect it to be Buttery smooth…

Steve Great insight 👍 Do you think it would benefit from a phono stage separate?

As a NAIT/KAn/LP12 user, I was so happy to see the new new revtialised NAIT improved over the original one!! Again, another great review which Ithoroughly enjoy! Kudos

great video and review! i how might this compare to the sugden a21? i’m looking into getting one of those but this seems interesting as well. thank you.

I have the exact same Buddy Holly record I see in the background of this video.

Re: Searingly bright white LED. LED lens covers are available for guitar effects pedals with searingly bright LEDs. They are available in a variety of colours. So, turn your Nait 50 LED red or green, if you must.

I would never buy an amplifier with a built in DAC, and it really galls me that so many of the big names are taking that route.

In this inflation era, a budding audiophile, a $200 chi-fi will do.

“It’s designed for people just starting out in their journey” -> costs almost $4k 😅

This is interesting ... I always found the MF A1 lightweight on the bass through the line inputs -- it was the phono stage was a little saggy/boomy in bass and hard in the midband. I'm a bit ambivalent with Naim ... I hate the interconnects and have had similar sonic competency, more inputs, better damping factor, more stored energy in the PSU and ability to drive complex loads for 50% to 75% of the price .

Hey Steve, was your Nait 1 recently serviced (updated caps+devices, etc)? As that makes a HUGE difference with Naim units (speaking as a long time Naim owner).

Steve, when is the review for the Emotiva xda-3 coming? I am really curious about its sound compared to the Ares? I have the Ares12 but would really like a DAC with a remote. Thanks for all you do, and thanks for the tip about St. Germain, loved it!

you floored me with the "even the hip hop episode" 😆😆😆, being a hip hop fan, i almost fel insulted 😆😆😆 does that mean that the audiophiliac audience is only made of classical or jazz fans ? 😃

As a long term Naim fan (about 40 years) I have owned a lot of Naim equipment. Your description of the vintage Nait makes me wonder if it has been serviced to Naim standards over the last 40 years.

What does the mains button do?

I use my two Rel T/9i's as night lights. Keep forgetting to buy some electrical tape to cover its lights.

I think that this product has a real narrow targeted audience. I also believe that Naim completely understands that and it may be why the pricing on this unit is what it is. They aren’t producing 10,000 of these.

Great review Steve. But I think it's way too expensive.

steve is my favorite hifi fluffer, so likeble while shilling.

Wow, the 2 ohm rating is surprising. With the limited connections and no remote, it seems to be designed for small spaces and headphones.

I really can’t afford this amplifier. I have now noticed the original ones are now going up in price too!

Hi Steve , Nick here on a question of someyelse I would really like to know your opinion on the Maggie’s lrs verses Bucharts s400 mk2 which one do you like better or what is different about the midrange and the highs? I have the lrs and considering the s400 , my equipment in Hegel 360, jays cdp mk 2,and ps audio perfect wave dac thx so much for any input you can give me Nick

lot of haters and ignorants on here, but as happy owner of a Nait 50, Nait XS3, NAP100, Nova and Atom, I can assure the ones who are sincerely sceptical that this is the most NAIM amp i've ever owned so far, pure Naim bliss through and through. Paired with my 705S3, this little devilish amp got my foot taping every days for hours, litteraly. For those complaining about the price, i can get that, to each their own. For the haters and ignorants complaining about the spec sheets, go listen to it for yourself before judging on numbers, but not through some shity 95db efficient speakers. Choose speakers rated between 85 and 87db at most, not necessarily neutral but on the warm side and still revealing enough, a good streamer and you won't probably believe your ears. Unless you get wax in them. Naim amps had never been about numbers and spec sheets, they are far from being neutral and have limited bandwidth, all granted, but boy do they sing !!!!!!` This is an amp for the grown ups, those who have hair on the chest, not for boys, it's not a toy, it's for people who love music and not necessarily for people who worships the gear, instead of enjoying the music. I absolutely love that it's perfectly imperfect !! It has a soul, love it 😆

One thing Mr. Guttemberg seems not to have taken into consideration while comparing the NAIT 50 to the NAIT 1 is that the latter is 50 years old and some of its components need to be replaced such as capacitors, unless he had it done.

The new Naim 200 and 300 Series is just amazing. As a Naim audio owner I certainly upgrading. This 50 year edition is a little too expensive but they sell. Last point, I nearly choked on my tea when you mention the knob feel. 😂😂👍🏼

I would hesitate to knock down a product that I do not own or have any type of experience with. As for me personally, I purchased a Naim Nait 5i, many years ago. It rocks! Extremely well built, high quality product. Well worth the extra. It sounds amazing. It probably is the smallest integrated amplifier that can comfortably drive LRS+ with out totally running out of steam. Even the way the power cord plugs into the rear socket is high end (suspended). One thing about Brits: they buy things that are well designed, sound great and will last a lifetime. The extra money going in gets amortized over a very long time. Just a different mentality, one that is easily defendable. Naim products are indeed different. Either you like…. Or you don’t. We are all free to choose.

Sir, most people who love music but don't afford expensive audio.

And it's made in Salisbury very nr where I live .and the city is proud of naim audio based in Salisbury.very nr Stonehenge

Very nice review, as always, except one comment on the A1, which seem to be judged on one (1!) and speaker combination, only (not mentioning source, ancillaries). That might explain your judgment, which seems rather unique when compared with its reception in other media.

Really enjoying your reviews and the viewers systems. Why do you not review any musical fidelity products??

How does it compare to the new musical fidelity A1 what is the differences, and what do you prefer between the two Steve.

Like Creek, Cyrus One, Musical Fidelity A-1

You don't buy a product like this for VFM or perceived VFM. In other words you can get more features, more power, better warranty and arguably better sound for much less. Just like Harbeth P3ESR, it either pulls on your heart strings or it doesn't. I bought a Nait XS 2 integrated in 2013, just before Focal took over the company and sent the prices through the roof. It kept its resale value really well over the years. I still enjoy it and am in no hurry to swap it out for something else. Would I buy its successor at the current asking price? Not a chance.

I own a Nait 1.. I use it in one of my systems with Royd Conniston's and/or Ls3/5a's. a manticore mantra w musician arm and a Grado prestige Gold. It sounds great.. The Buchardt loudspeakers do not fit it well at all. The Nait 1 is low powered compared to Nait 50. I also own a A1x amp as well as an A100.. the A1 atleast the onie have wont like the Buchardt either. What you are hearing i guess is allot down to the 50s ability to deliver ampere. It has a steady increase of wattage all the way down to 2 ohms.

I have always loved the "Naim sound". You can't really pin point what it is but there's just something very special about it. I remember that Linn back in the 80's advertised their products as "not hi-fi but music". Of course that's a bit of a cliche, but that's actually how I would describe the "Naim sound". And yes, Naim products have always been overpriced. But to me Naim amps are absolutely worth it.

I tried one for a month,it's very good,but,there are many integrateds out there with a more musical delivery,more real world power,better aesthetically,and,more importantly, much lower prices.

Hey Steve, I think you have a Hot Topics Comments with this review.....

I'm surprised such a low powered amp could drive a pair of Maggies.

he said nob feel, lol.

i think I'd start with a pair of Buchardts and a Heaven Eleven Billie amp and backfill from there. I'd leave this one for the nostalgia crowd with too much spare pocket change.

$3500, 25 arts per channel, no remote, you need an odd extra cost adapter Din to RCA cable, and the power LED burns your retinas out. What's not to like? Better get in line now before they are all gone. OR you could bet a great beginner entire audio system for $4k. .

I'd guess the NAIM still does PRAT better than most.

They only made 1973 pieces. So really limited.

Hilarious !!

I'm sure there is a market for Naim-Heads, and every unit will be sold and many will end up being resold for thousands more. But I'll take the MC-225 and ARC SP-17 that I bought this year for almost the same amount of money any day of the week. I've never understood the Naim "fan boy" mania -- so many other choices that are as good or better for less cash.

Loads of negative comment on here about the price or Naim in general. Look no one is forcing anyone to buy it. I’m pretty sure they’ve sold out most of them already, at least here in the UK. The DIN only is a bit of an odd decision, but you don’t need to go with Naim’s cable. I personally love the retro look. Think of it as if you’re buying a Leica but for HiFi instead of photography.

Wow! They want a lot of clams for that bad boy!

I had an original sold it on Ebay about ten years ago for £300...sellers remorse😢

I can easily understand why someone would buy this aniversery edition, like a similar retro product, the A1. You would definately have to be someone who values the Brand and what it has represented in the Audio industry. That is not nothing, and if you can afford it and you want to support the brand, why not? Bon appetite!

What modern home audio uses DIN connectors out of curiosity?

Gosh for the money it seems like the Musical Fidelity is much more worth its price. More connectivity and pure class A design. If going for that retro vibe I’d spend my money on the A1 and buy better speakers.

I almost spit out my drink when I heard the price. So you could either buy this thing that looks worse than a DIY kit amp and weighs 10 pounds or a Parasound Halo Hint 6...hmm tough choice.

Price is TWICE as much as a new Musical Fidelity A1 amplifier . (see previous video ) Be honest Mr. Guttenberg you think that is worth it?

and if NAIM amps are so good, why do they sell external PSU ' upgrades' ? are you telling me £ 4,500 for a NAP250 still needs a better PSU ? just daylight robbery to people who dont know better

It needs a remote.

There could be some German parts in there.as like car manufacturers they get the very best parts

I'm may ask you I'm a music photographer.i thinking they may let me take some photos .and I do photography The end of the road festival.snd there sponsors

Naim Audio confuses the out of me. I would love to add Naim to my collection of options as most reviews of Naim products in terms of sound quality and being distinctive in sound unlike anything else are highly rated such as the case with this review. Then I hesitate when I see reviews about hissing Naim amplifiers, questionable amp measurements, and amp measurements not given by Naim. Furthermore heritage designed circuits of Naim amps do not use output inductors, so Naim brand speaker cables of a minimum length are recommended to avoid amp problems. Steve you mention that the knob feel is right on but then I read about how Naim volume tracking sucks, with a limited useful zone range between 9-12 on the volume knobs due to excessive circuit gain. Reports of the sound staging being flat and meh. When I compare NAIM NAIT 50 to say the REGA BRIO I see this uncanny similarity inside of the units. I'm not sure if Naim is bravo or busted, same goes for the Naim price tags

No remote means it’s s desk amp…how is noise floor? Hiss from 3 feet?

Woot First!!

Hi Steve , I used to be a Naim fan boy I had bolt on power supplies for everything , In Naim ( Vereker ) i trusted . Now , IMO Naim may still make fine sounding equipement ... BUT its simply not worth the money being asked , its become a fashion brand a status symbol brand for those with too much cash ££ which can be outperformed for much less by lesser profile products .

Red plastic tape blocks an annoying white light.

No way!!! more than 3k for 25 Watts? that is an abuse to costumers

I bought the original nait in my 1983 had to sell it in 1986 .Big regret

Sorry to say, and despite all the admiration I have for some of Naim's achievements... But this is the kind of statement and product that make younger people getting into the hobby feel like this is a world of crooks!

Nice review Mr. G but your description of Naim as a British company has not been true for a while, and is becoming even less so. The are owned by a French venture capital investor and production is being moved away from England to a plant in Slovakia ( the poorer half of what was once Czechoslovakia ).

I’m no expert but 25watts per channel for $3k sounds like a bargain to me

Not to pick nits, but the Naim 1 red light is not an LED, which would not be available for many years.

Knob feeeeel.....

£ 2,700 for a small class AB amp ? absolutely ridiculous pricing,. all NAIM products are vastly overpriced to give the impression theyre super special. Theyre not, most are based on a 1960s RCA amp design

4K, lol, and no remote - WTF