Roy George is one of the most unassuming and determinedly obsessive engineers we have ever had the pleasure to meet. He retired as Naim’s technical director back in 2018 but continued to work as a part-time consultant for another three years. The company’s first and only turntable, the Solstice, was his final project. After he helped to produce a conveyor belt of superb products over the best part of four decades, we simply couldn’t let such an illustrious career pass without the recognition it deserves.
George's connection to Naim Audio was formed in 1973, just after the company was founded. At first, he was a customer, owning an early NAC12/NAP160 pre/power combination. But after finishing his electronics degree and a stint working at Goodmans, he was offered a job as a speaker consultant by Naim’s founder, Julian Vereker. The year was 1985.
His first product was the Naim SBL speaker, which was produced that very same year. This cleverly engineered, multi-box floorstander proved a taster of his fresh, highly individual approach to hi-fi design.
From there it is fair to say that George’s fingerprints have been on every Naim Audio product made, encompassing all parts of the hi-fi chain from CD players and streamers to speakers, taking in that aforementioned record player, lots of amplifiers, cables and racks. Few engineers are talented enough to work across such a wide remit.
There have been so many superb products over that time, our highlights being the legendary CDS CD player, the ND555 (our current reference streamer) and a steady stream of terrific Nait integrated amplifiers, of which the latest one, the Nait XS3, has formally been awarded a place in What Hi-Fi?’s Hall of Fame this year.
His attention to detail is legendary among those who have worked with him, and at times could seem to border on lunacy for those on the outside. His efforts to minimise the sonic degradation caused by structural vibrations are extreme, culminating in products having sprung suspension systems to isolate sensitive circuit boards and deliberately loose-fitting mains sockets. He has undoubtedly spent many hours listening to the position of the cable ties used to keep the inside of Naim’s electronics looking tidy and the sonic changes a tweaking of a few lines of software code can make. We bet Roy George has obsessed over it all.
Given everything he has accomplished, his modesty is disarming and his straightforward manner in explaining complex technical matters is always much appreciated. Great products have laid the foundation for Naim Audio to become the powerhouse brand it is today. There is no doubt in our minds that his hard work has been instrumental in making that happen. Roy George, we salute you.
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