What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
13 JAN 2009
Naim Nait XS
The Nait XS is as musically engrossing an amplifier as we've heard at this price point. It'll worry the class leaders
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The Nait XS integrated amplifier is Naim getting back to its roots.
After the please-all one-box solution that is the SuperNait, the XS marks a return to the stripped-down high performance stereo amps on which the company has built its reputation.
To sum this new amp up: take the £2350 SuperNait, strip out anything not to do with sound quality – that's the on-board DAC and headphone output for the most part – and fit everything in a Nait 5i box.
The recipe sounds simple, but Naim has developed this new product with its customary obsessive attention to detail.
Worth the extra over the 5i
Despite being around £500 more than the Nait 5i, we think many people will be tempted to stretch their budget: the difference in performance between the two amplifiers is massive.
The XS's basic sonic character is all Naim, but its authority and resolution make the junior amplifier sound oddly messy, insubstantial and lacking in insight.
Remember, the 5i is one of the very best-sounding sub-£1000 amps around, and you'll understand just how good this new product is.
We reckon the XS is good enough to worry the SuperNait, too, despite the bigger unit's massively higher price tag and greater sonic authority.
This new Nait has an exciting, upbeat sound that charges along at full throttle whenever the music demands.
Dynamics are delivered with generosity, and rhythms thunder along with class-leading precision and plenty of verve. So, if you want an amplifier to bring the likes of Holst's Mars or Kanye West's Gold Digger to life, this is it.
Effortless changes of pace
But the Nait XS is no one-trick pony. Yes, it's a thrill-a-minute listen with upbeat material, but is equally capable of charming with gentler music.
Listen to the hauntingly beautiful Earth from the Gladiator OST or Nick Cave's touching (Are You) The One I've Been Waiting For? and this amp shifts gear effortlessly.
When required, it can be smooth, refined – delicate even. It all adds up to an amp that just loves playing music of all types.
Excellent sound quality aside, there's much else to admire here. Build quality is right up to Naim's usual high standards. The Nait XS will never be described as luxurious, but it is solid and well finished.
If it ever should go wrong, you'll be in the hands of the company's highly regarded service department, which can still repair the company's oldest amps – now more than 30 years old.
All the basic features are covered
Features aren't extravagant, but all the basics are covered. There are plenty of line-level inputs, both in RCA and Naim's favoured Din plug form.
You get remote control and a front-mounted 3.5mm input for MP3 player replay. There's plenty of upgrade potential via outboard power supplies and additional power amplifiers.
That said, this is such a good amplifier we think many will just stick with it for years.
The conclusion is easy: this is a great amplifier for the money and our clear favourite out of Naim's talented integrated amplifier range. To listen to the XS is to love it.