Naim launches special anniversary edition Nait 50 amp – but you’ll have to move fast to get one

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

Naim has launched a special edition Nait 50 integrated amplifier to celebrate its 50th anniversary at the High End 2023 show in Munich.

The amp was launched alongside the company’s Classic 300 Series range and is an update on – and a love letter to – the firm’s iconic Nait 1 model, which was first released all the way back in 1983.

As those familiar with the Nait 1 will be able to tell looking at the accompanying images, the amp succeeds in looking as much like the Nait 1 as possible. It has a half-width design with an aluminium chassis and chrome bumper style, making it atypically small in the current market, measuring in at a compact 8.7 x 20.7 x 32.1cm.

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You can see more shots of the Naim 50 in the gallery below.

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Naim Nait 50 three quarter view hands on shot — (Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

It also has a pretty purist specification and feature list that gives it a distinct retro charm. For one, it's analogue-only. There’s no digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) to be seen, with Naim directly instructing buyers to pair it with an outboard DAC or streamer if they want such functionality.

The Nait 50 is based around a full linear integrated amplifier design with an A/B power stage. It offers a modest 25 watts of power per channel into eight ohms, or 40 watts of power into four ohms or 60 watts of power into two ohms.

Unlike its inspiration, the Nait 50 features a 6.35mm headphone output which uses a new preamp. For vinyl lovers, there’s also a new MM phono stage with discrete transistors that Naim claims will offer “improved sound performance”. Round-back connectivity is completed with two DIN ('Stream' and 'Aux') inputs.

On paper, this makes it a compelling choice for any buyer looking for a purist integrated amp to join their rack that won’t take up too much space.

The one rub is that the device is a limited-edition model, with Naim only set to sell 1,973 of the units. The number is the year Naim was founded.

If you are keen to get your hands on one, the Nait 50 is set to go on sale at an unspecified point in June with a suggested retail price of £2699 / $3599 / €3000 – we’re still waiting on Australian pricing and will update this article when we get it.

The Nait 50 is one of many anniversary releases to arrive this year. Rega revealed its 50th Anniversary Edition of the Planar 3 earlier this month. Prior to that, B&W gave its Nautilus speakers a facelift to celebrate its 30th anniversary and Bluesound updated the performance of its Node X to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

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Alastair is What Hi-Fi?’s editor in chief. He has well over a decade’s experience as a journalist working in both B2C and B2B press. During this time he’s covered everything from the launch of the first Amazon Echo to government cyber security policy. Prior to joining What Hi-Fi? he served as Trusted Reviews’ editor-in-chief. Outside of tech, he has a Masters from King’s College London in Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, is an enthusiastic, but untalented, guitar player and runs a webcomic in his spare time.