Naim 5 Series Slimline Electronics
by Roy Gregory
In an industry in which polemic options seem to be a way of life - valve versus transitor, moving magnet versus moving coil, analogue vesus digital (the list goes on) - there are few companies that can claim possession of one corner, placing all corners across the way in the other. Design aproches, complete technologies, those are the rallying banners behind which the protagonists generally mass. For a single company to hold such exalted status is unusual to say the least, yet wherever audio enthusiasts gather you'll find that, pro or anti, there are few who don,t have an opinion on the subject of Naim Audio and the equipment they produce. vociferous opinions in the main, because Naim's customers exhibit an almost religious loyalty to the brand, and for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. why this should be (the pro side of the argument, if you like) is easy to understand. once you set foot on the Naim road to audio nirvana, your course is cast in stone, your feet falling on the easy steps of a clearly defind upgrade path. Gone is that insidious gnawing uncertainty that afflicts the mix and match brigade - what do I change next and where should I get from? that sence of logical order is a persuasive commodity in a world where so many customers suffer crises of confidence. But there are other benefits too. because of the upgrade path, there are always people ahead of and behind you on the trail, which means a ready market for secondhand equipment, easing your progress along the way. Naim equipment holds its value better than most, a serious consideration once you start spending around a thousand pounds a box. Secondly, you are buying a system, along with all the very benefits terms of musical coherence that come with that. Thirdly issues like
cabling that can make or break mix and match systems are taken care of for you, cheaply and effectively.
Because the designer of your electronics and speakers knows exactly what cabling will be joining the whole
lot together, its characteristics and shortcomings (and all cables have them) are taken into consideration as an essential part of the equation. It also means that you are buying a known quantity. Naim systems
are amongst the most recognisable and consistent out there.

Everybody knows exactly what to expect, and the results you hear in a demonstration are going to be
aa lot closer to the results that you hear at home than is often the case. Finally, lets not ignore the virtues
of the company itself. Its products are extremely reliable, and most changes are retrofitable. The quality of its customer service is exemplary, and the company itself is extremely successful, all of which means that anything you buy should give a long working life, and if you do have a problem or want it updated then the company will still be around to do it for you. All in all it's a powerful package and it's not hard to see why it attracts the kind of customer loyalty that most companies (in any field) would kill for. Why then the opposition? Well, it rests on three main things, but by far the most important is the sonic character of the products. This is both one of their greatest strenghts and their most intrusive weakness, depending on your point of view. Basically it all stems from that a hi-fi system should concern itself with the meaning of the music rather than trying to recreate a facsimile of the original performance. Once you accept this, it radically alters your priorities when it comes to system performance. The accurate presentation of pitch and timing become paramount ( those things which seperate music from noise, and which, historically, hi-fi manufacturers had been taking entirely for granted): at the same time traditional concerns such as frequency responce, stereo imaging and bandwidth all become less important. The butchering of a single sacred cow is
enough to bring howls of protest from the traditionalists: you can imagine the effect of the wholesale slaughter of the complete herd. Beset on all sides, Naim founder, the late Julien Vereker, along with his erstwhile and even less diplomatic ally, Ivor Tiefenbrun of Linn Products, argued their corner with gusto, which of course did nothing to calm the ruffled feathers of the audio establishment. The fact that, in market terms at least, they went on to win the argument convincingly, merely entrenched the conflict even deeper. All of which is historically interesting, but the fact remains that the balance and musical presentation of a Naim system differ, in some cases radically, from most of the competition.

The second and third factors are really extrusions of this. The very difference of the Naim approach and the electrical incompatibility of their products with other makes created a perception of instatutional arrogance.
Not only were Naim products different, they were perfectly happy to be so, and stand or fall on the responce of the market place. The fact that they are now one of the UK's largest and most succesfull audio companies suggests that their confidance was well placed. However it's not the first time that an excess of self confidence (and nobody that knew Julian would quibble with that description) has led to accusations of arrogance. And to reinforce the point, Naim's plain Jane approach to aesthetics has almost wantonly ignored the advent of industrial design within the hi-fi industry. It was almost as if the " plain and proud of it " image was the visual equivalent of giving the proverbial finger to the pretty boys that sold on looks: a stark reminder that it's the sound that matters. Such obvious challenges to the bristaling egos that inhabit the microcosm called hi-fi could hardly be ignored, and they weren't. Which is why everybody interested in audio seems only to willing to offer an opinion on Naim, their products and their way of doing things.
Of course, the clearest indications of a designer's priorities are found in the cheapest products, laid bare by budget constraints. As you ascend the upgrade ladder there's extra money available to graft those elements that get excluded by the Darwinian process of evolving the most basic acceptable performace. It's no suprise that it's the cheapest products, the Naits, IBLs and CD3s, that have attracted the most scorn from the opposition, and have attracted the fiercest loyalty from the devotees. The took the " it's the message that matters " doctrine to it's logical extreme, and in the process they tested the Limits of aesthetic acceptability.

But the times they are a changin', and when the CDX, XPS and CDS II appeared, suddenly we had Naim products that would sit only to happily in other systems. The NBL was next and the svelte elegance of it's lines was such a contrast to the stubbornly boxy speakers we were used to that most of us did a double take. The NAP500 marked a move up-market, and if the elevated price demanded an unprecedented performance from a Naim amplifier, it also dictated dramatic improvements in fit, finish and presentation. Of course, all these are expensive products and it was easy to see them as luxury items that needed the benifets of an aesthetic facelift. But now it's the turn of the slimline series, Naim's cheapest electronics. Now we can no longer ignore the changes that are afoot. Where are they taking the company, and who's invited along for the ride? Lets take a look and see.

The 5 Series consists of the CD5, NAIT 5 integrated amp, NATO 5 tuner, FLATCAP 2 power supply, NAC 112 pre-amp and NAP 150 power amp. They all share the same slimline casework and styling , and it is this that sets them apart from there predecessors. The new box has a three bay front panel that is derived from the flagship NAP500. It's sculpted contours are complemented by a new illuminated badge, and far more importantly, wonderfully tactie dome push buttons that replace the utilitarian square latches of the older products. To say that the new appearance is an improvement is a gross understatement. Whereas the 3 Series electronics were a constant source of embaressed apology ("Yes darling, I know they look awfull, but they sound really good!"), Victoria described the 5 series as " Some of the best looking hi-fi you've ever brought home." In fact, for various reasons we wont go into, she ended up actually collecting the review kit, so ' ownership ' might come into this somewhere. However, as far as looks go, there's no escaping the fact that the new slimline electronics haven't just caught up with the competition, they've leapfrogged into the lead. And the casework is more than just a pretty face. The front panel is a Zinc die-casting, the top and bottom are identical aluminium castings, and the sides are formed from extrusions. Once machined, these components create an extremely rigid and inert box, complete with all the internal mounting hardware and bosses, ready to accept the internal componants. The end result is a box that should be mechanically superior, and which makes assembly significantly easier. What have Naim done with their fancy new casework? Well, internally the CD5 and FLATCAP 2, which along with the NAIT5 form the review system are essentially refinements of the 3 Series models. You still get the die-cast swinging CD drawer, but the CD5 now has a more sophisticated onboard power supply with seperate sections for the analogue and digital stages. Also, and in commen with the other 5 Series electronics the circuit boards are compliantly mounted to offer further protection against mechanical interference. The FLATCAP can now also power two units, such as the analogue stags of the CD5 and the seperate Stageline phono section. In this system it supplies low noise regulated power to the CD5 analogue stage and the Nait 5's pre-amp. The Nait 5 is another story. If the CD5 and Flatcap 2 are refinements on an existing theme, then the Nait is more of a complete redesign. Not only is the output circuitry based on the topology developed for the NAP500, but the pre-amp section and its power supply has been completely been revamped. At the centre of the line level circuitry lies a micro-processor driven volume control, constructed from a ladder of discrete resistors. The same processor is used to control switching and balance functions, as well as allowing the owner to adjust individual input sensitivities. And before you throw your hands up in horror at the idea of digital electronics polluting the analogue environment, the processor only powers up to respond to a command, sitting dormant the rest of the time.There's also a unity gain opition should you(shudder!)want to use the Nait with an AV processor.The pre-amp runs from its own seperate winding on the transformer(unless you are using the Flatcap 2 to power it)and all supplies are now double regulated.The Nait 5 is, of course,remote control,and both it and the CD5 arrived with a Narcom system remote,which will also drive the tuner.

Hookup is straight forward ,although those new to Naim equipment might do a double take at all those Din sockets,and the fact taht speaker cable aside,you actually get all the necessary leads supplied.Given a notional budget of 15% or so on cabling(and in many cases that is inadequate)this has a significant influence on the price and value of the final system.I used the slimline electronics exactly as supplied,with power straight out of the wall.The new compllantly mounted boards mean that the sockets can wobble ,and it's worth making sure that the cables aren't dragging them against the casework and short-circuiting the suspension.They were sat on my RDC rack and left to play music for a couple of weeks before i sat down to any serious listening.Main speakers used were the NHT 1.5s,although the Indigo Model is and Living Voice Avatars also saw action,the latter with a surprising degree of sucess.But before we launch into the sound,two other things are worth a mention:the excellence of the remote control,which would work flawlessly from any part of the room,and the fact that i tended to play the system a little louder than normal.Especially with the NHT's it was much the happier for having the volume control past the 12 o' clock point,below which it could sound rather grey and lifeless,but this could be a function of that particular combination.

The success of the Naim/Living Voice combination says a great deal about the new slimline series.The efficient floorstander majors on instrumental tone and a coherent soundstage.Naturalness is its midddle name,and the 3 series would have been a marriage made in hell,the 2500 pound speakers simply showing you the price you weer paying for the amplifiers snap and rhythmic coherence.The 5 Series are altogether more rounded and balanced performers,tonally more sophisticated and with better low level detail.The Avatars make the most of their strenghts,the weaknesses being far less intrusive.And before you ask,yes they did image.Not like a little valve amp for sure,but well up there with the solid state competition.

Back in the real world and the 600pound NHTs,a more likely and certainly more appropriate match.This was the combination that i started with,and it's the one i spent the most time with because,as a system it really clicked.Right from the word go there was an easy pace and coherence to music.Even really sweeping productions like Coral attoll' from The Thin Red Line soundtrack(RCA 09026 63382 20)hung together ,and despite the limited bandwidth of the speakers(there's some serious subterranean bass on this track)The music was full of drama and atmosphere,just as it should be.It's this ability to retain the creative tension in a piece that always sets Naim amps apart,and its still present and correct in the 5 Series.The carefully structured opening of Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances(Telarc CD-80331,the Zinman/Baltimore Symphonic Orchestra performing rather than my more usual Johanos/Dallas)works really well on the Naims.The careful structure and ramped dynamic graduations are clear and convincing,but so to are the individual instrumental hues.The swelling momentum and tension in the music makes perfect sense,culminating in the release of that shattering opening cresendo.The accompanying cymbal crash is wonderful for its colour and decay,the vibrant promptings of the of the repeated violin motif build the tension,contrastuing with the skittering glissandi.The pause before the transition is perfectly pregnant,and the layered woodwinds spreading the new air of tranquility show the greater tonal sophistication of the new products.music is not nearly as stark and obvious as it was with the 3s,and if that makes it less immediately approachable it's a price that i'll happily pay.

Why is this?In sonic terms,i think it comes down to two things.The sound of the new amps is less edgy,a quality which made the older onesseem crisp and dynamic.Instead,the 5 Series map leading edges more accurately as well as the decay or tail of the notes.The increase in low level resolution is entirely consistent with improved power supplies and mechanical isolation,while the loss in edge goes hand in hand with better isolation from the mains,as we've aleady seen in the case of the CDS II and other Naim products.The results may be less dramatic,but they are also more real.I've concentrated on a large scale acoustic work because it's here that the developments are more developments are most apparent.Switch to small scale recordings like Kieran Kane and Kevin Welch's live album(DEAR 0019) and the new sophistication simply grafts seamlessly onto the expected rhythmic integrity.On 'While I Was Loving You' the increased tonal and low level information brings out the naturalness in the recording ,the clear chemistry between the two performers and the distinctive identity of the seperate instruments.The improvised percussion 'squeeks and and scratches' from Kevin Lock into the insistent rhythm and the music just springs to life.It's a great recording, but on the Naims its bloody sensational.How good?If i was making my living from selling this kit i'd be ordering a spare copy today.

The smaller scale pieces are always where smaller systems score.Their speed and agility counts for a lot.Wheel out another favourite Shawn Colvin's Steady On,and again the slimline 5 Series does its stuff.Fabulous as an LP,the CD suffers from atouch of hardnessand an occasional slight glareThe Naims do nothing to hide this,reminding me where they've come from,but at the same time they inject the necessary jump and attack into the music.These are jagged songs with astarkness all of their own.Let the system pare them away any more and the results can be quite nasty. The 5 Series stay just onside,fastening to the rigidity of the drum tracks, revelling in the flexibility of the melodies laid over the top.The title track is a case in point.Over emphasise the base or leave the busy percussion exposed and your attention wanders from the heart of the song.The Naims get it just right.Like I said,these are balanced performers.Balanced enough to handle the infamous Slobberbone.The agrresive edge on 'That Is All'survives intact,not rounded or smoothed,but there in all its offensive glory.As is the elastic phrasing,feedback,general sense of desolation and the strangly truncatedcoda.Fantastic.

These electronics represent a genuine step forward for aim.They are better balanced than their predeccesors,more versatile and far,far better presented.In many respects they offer levels of musical sophistication that you used to only get much further up the Naim ladder.In moving away from the 'plan and proud of it' school of hi-fi design they retain their traditional virtues while adding the aesthetic and tonal sophistication that was the exclusive preserveof the competion.They might have lost the transient edge and chopped bass that made the 3 Series so appealing,they flushed out the structural elements too,which make sthem less like a diagram and more like reality,but the bottom line is that the 5 Series will be more rewarding for longer .Whether or not you prefer the old sound,and there some taht will,misses the point.The 5 Series brings Naim's musical and structural integrity to the mainstream which can only be a good thing.I've enjoyed them enormously.I suspect that even more customers are going to feel the same.Quite how the opposition will feel i think you can probably guess.

Second Sight
By Jason Hector

So what happened to the 4 Series?Are they forever to exist,like the Naim electrosatic loudspeakers or tape deck,as a cult product that was just too good(read expensive)to be released?Could their existence have beensuppressed by the audio Mafiosi?Well no the explanation is boringly simple,the number 4 in the East is unlucky,and sales would have sufered,so 5 Series it was.I am acting as a second reviewer on the 5 Series,and in my capacity as one of the resident Naim users,i have a whole different perspevtive (and set of prejudices)to RG..Firstly i was a massive fan of the 3 Series these boxes replaced,even though as Roy rightly says,the build and apperance did leave a little to be desired.But once you sat down and listened,the musical ride was more than adequate recompense-i just loved the sheer dynamism of the old system.So what has changed and do i think it's an improvement?Let's get the one disappointment out of the way before i fully recount my pleasure at using the new 5 Series components.,and that is the aesthetics of the new badge.On the new units the whole semicircular badge is clear plastic with the Naim logo moulded in relief.Fine except taht it lights up like a beacon. Parked on shelves surrounded by my other Naim gear the badges looked a little garish and out of place with both the old gear and the otherwise superb build quality of the new. Perhaps it would be possible to mask the logo a little so light only escaped at the edge and through thee letters, or move to " smoked plastic"?(don't give up the day job Jason! ED.)

But enough of this petty criticism, how do they perform, how do they sound? I normally use an 82, Hi-Cap, 250 set-up to drive my Shahinian Arcs. Scources are an LP12, ARO, DV17D2 with a prefix and Hi-Cap to step up the signal, and a Micromega Duo transport and Pro Dac. The equipment sits on the excellent hutter racks, and is hooked up with Music Works mains lead. I simply plugged the 5 Series straight into the system, using their own mains leads and retaining the prefix as, in yet another sign of the times, the Nait 5 arrived without its optional phono stage. this gave me ample opportunity to explore the sound of the new products, both in their own right and in the context of an older Naim set-up.
Conclusions? Well I can safely say they are excellent devices. however, I think that fans of the 3 Series might find them something of a shock, because they sound very different and challenge some old and pretty well entrenched beliefs. I always felt that the 3 Series excelled at presenting the emotional content of the music at the expense of some subtlety in the message, a sacrifice which was usually worth making. The new 5 Series has taken a large step away from this compromise. There's a reproduction in the 3 Series' obvious dynamics, but in its place you get a certain poise and far more natural tonality. Although some are bound to be less enamoured, personally I beilieve the 5 series will be capable of providing much longer term listening pleasure, as they are less fatiguing and more evenly balanced, ultimately drawing you further into the music. The structure and timing is still there, it's just that now it's got clothes on. As I said less instantaneous appeal but very satisfying over time. Are thy better than the 3 series? Ultimately the awnser is yes, but it's not really that simple: they are treading a very different path which makes direct comparison problematic and to some extent mis-leading. If you compare them and expect the 5s to give you the same as the 3s but more so, then you'll be disapointed. You have to approach the new units on their own ground to understand why they work. Ultimately it's irrelevent anyway, as the 3s are gone and the 5s are here to stay.

So much for the generalities. The other part of my brief was to look a little closer at the Flatcap2 and it's sonic benefets. RG always ran the system as a three box set-up with the power supply connected. I also wanted to experiment with my Musicworks mains leads as, as unlike the 3 series, the 5 series are equipped with "proper" IEC mains sockets, lending themselves to more experimentation and tweakery. Adding the Flatcap2 to the CD player was nothing short of remarkable, the positive difference in sound quality making the Flatcap upgrade incredibly good value for the CD5 alone. If you can't afford it when you buy a CD5 don't listen to it or you won't be satisfied till you do have one (And of course your Naim dealer isn't going to demonstrate the benifets unless you ask him to- I don't think.) Don't get me wrong the CD5 is a very good player for the money, its just that the Flatcap2 puts it in a different league. Put simply, the system seemed to throw off some off some metaphorical shackles, the sound really opening up into the room with much more detail apparent. And here I mean musical detail, not just spurious information. For example what had previously been a steadily rising note was revealed to be subtly stepped, a small but very important difference. Returning to the big system confirmed that the new presentation was correct, not that I really needed to check as it sounded so much better that it had to be the original intention.

So far so good then, next the Flatcap2 was removed from the CD5 and attached to the pre-amp section of the Nait5 and again a marvellous improvement was heard. This time we gained detail, but this seemed to come from a reduction in the noise floor. It removed a whole layer of murk from the system, injecting energy and quicker dynamics into the performance. Each instrument in an ensemble was given a little more space to breathe and this was achieved without sacrificing the overall coherance of the music, a neat trick if you can pull it off. Mind you, Naim have been doing this sort of thing with power supplies for many years. The Nait5 had already impressed me power-supply-less by the ease with which it allowed me to really fine tune the downforce on a new dynavector 17D2 carteridge by ear. It is a revealing amplifier, but with the improvements wrought by Flatcap2 addition this amplifier has become very transparrant to the scource. It wasnow apparent that the Nait5 is also a more powerful amplifier than the rating suggests, and has also markedly improved on the load tolerance of it's predecessor. Remember, these are Salisbury Watts and 30 of them were more than enough to drive my Shahinian Arcs, the sound staying clean to high levels. Used as a system as intended, with the Fklatcap2 powering both the CD5 and the Nait5 we had most of the best of both worlds, although, I felt that although the gains for each component were less than when they had a Flatcap2 to themselves (shown using the Micromega CD spinner and LP player as scource to the Nait5) the sum improvement was still greater than just powering one component. So next step on the upgrade path looks like a second Flatcap2 then.But are there cheaper improvements to be had in the meantime?

Assuming you have a suitable equipment support and aren't going to mess with the Naim signal leads(and i personally don't think it's worth it with Naim equpment)that leave the mains.On issue 2 and 3 i reported on the extremely positive results i have had with Musicworks mains leads and distortion block,success which was at the time surprising,as my previos experiments in this direction had failed miserably.,So would the 5 Series respond in the same way?Simple answer,yes,although the gains weren't as great as with the larger equipment i normally use.In the Musicworks review i spoke of grunge removal as being the most obvious improvement in the sound which allowed both more detail but also better coherence.This was again apparent with the 5 Seies but due,to the lower starting point the improvements weren't quite so exciting.I still think anyone buying this system should try the leads ,as they offer very good value once you've got the Flatcap2 into the system.

So was i tempted to downgrade?No,because although they share attributeswith the better gear they simply don't do it as well!And should a 3 Series user trade in?Probably not.If you choose the 3 Series you liked what it did.,and as these devices are a little different they may not be the answer.I think people in this position should save a little longer and try to reachfurther up the ladder.The 5 Series components see a slightly new direction for the Naim and i am pleased with the resulting equipment it has produced.These units produce a balance of virtues taht was only previouly available much further up the Naim hierarchy,while retaining the typical Naim musicality and real emotional connection with the performance.