Naim Audio

Naim Audio is a British hi-fi manufacturer based in Wiltshire, United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1973. Following a 2011 merger with French loudspeaker manufacturer Focal, Naim is owned by VerVent Audio Group, a French company.

Naim Audio Limited
Typeprivate limited company
IndustryHigh-end audio manufacture
Founded4 June 1973[1]
HeadquartersSalisbury, England, United Kingdom
Key people
Charlie Henderson (managing director)
ProductsDigital music systems, amplifiers, cd players and loudspeakers
Revenue£27 million (in 2017)[2]
OwnerVervent Audio Group
Websitewww.naimaudio.com

History

Naim began when Julian Vereker started Naim Audio Visual in 1969 and created a sound-to-light box that he hired out to film production companies. His disappointment with the sound of professional recording equipment at the time led him to design his own power amplifier. The company Naim Audio was incorporated in 1973.[1][3] Against the conventional wisdom – dating back to audio pioneer Edgar Villchur – that the loudspeakers determined the sound of a hi-fi system, and that amplifiers were simply a means to an end in moving the speakers, Vereker set about to put his ideas into practice.[1]

Amplifiers
Main article: Naim Audio amplification

The first product Naim put on the market was the NAP160 power amplifier; it was soon followed by the NAC12 pre-amplifier.[1] The two-channel NAP 250 amplifier, launched in 1975, is perhaps Naim Audio's most well-known analogue product, as its basic circuit layout was shared by all the company's power amplifiers until the introduction of the flagship NAP500 in 2000. The Naim NAIT, its first integrated amplifier, "one of the most controversial and famous integrated amps in the history of HiFi" has acquired a "legendary" status among integrated amplifiers.[4]

R&D

In 1983, Guy Lamotte was hired as a designer. He completed the development of the NA T01 and NAT101 FM tuners and piloted the development of the Hi-Cap power supply and the −5 modifications to the company's burgeoning pre-amplification (NAC42 and 32), the NAXO active crossover and the ARO uni-pivot tonearm (developed jointly with David Beck). Lamotte privately worked on a prototype electrostatic speaker design that attracted media attention. It was brought into the Naim fold in 1987, after the Linn/Naim partnership ended.[1][5] Roy George, who joined in 1985 and was appointed Technical Director of Naim in 2000, is credited with designing many of Naim's iconic products.[6]

Following

The company, and its products such as the NAIT, NAC52 pre-amplifier, the ARO uni-pivot tonearm and the SBL (Separate Box Loudspeaker) have assumed cult status among devotees.[7][8]

After Vereker

The company was headed by Vereker until his death in 2000, when Paul Stephenson, then Sales Director, became Managing Director[9] until 2015. Stephenson saw turnover increase from £6m to £20m and led the company into digital streaming. Former R&D Director Trevor Wilson then took on the reins as Managing Director from 2015 to 2018, and since then the business has been led by Charlie Henderson as Managing Director, with revenues at or above £30m for the last few years.

Design characteristics

Naim has a devoted following, gained through a combination of its products' performance, build quality, upgrade and after-sales philosophy. In terms of after-sales support, Naim boasts they can service all products ever manufactured by them.[10]

Typically, the electronics incorporate over-engineered power supplies to ensure fast and generous current delivery to the audio circuitry. Naim also market independent low-noise power supplies to give its customers easy and effective upgrade paths for their pre-amplifiers and CD players.[1][11]

Internally, the Naim design approach can be seen by their use of materials –– the semiconductors, heavy toroidal transformers, their obsessive attention to earthing, screening and isolation from electronic and mechanical interference,[12] through to their preference for XLR connector, DIN connector and the BNC connector for phono (as opposed to the RCA connector used by almost all other manufacturers).[1][4][11]

Until 1989, the company's electronics could be readily identified by their heavy black aluminium casing. Since their replacement by the 'olive' range, the earlier vintages are affectionately known as 'chrome bumper' models[9] Electrically, the amplifiers are matched and designed to be used together. Naim warns against experimentation with other manufacturers' components,[13] particularly in the case for some "high-end" loudspeaker cables, whose L/C characteristics were said by Naim to present unstable loads to the high-current devices used in Naim power amplifiers.[4]

As with other brands such as Arcam and Cyrus, the company's instruction manuals state that "better and more consistent performance will be achieved if the system is left switched on for long periods."[14] Many reviewers have also remarked on equipment sounding significantly better several weeks after being left switched on.[15][16][17][18]

Digital audio

During much of the 1980s, Naim asserted that Compact Disc was a far inferior medium to the vinyl gramophone record. Early discs often lost something in the transfer compared to vinyl, and Naim continued to design their products in this context.[1] However, by 1990 technological advances allowed the production of the Naim CDS, the first CD player considered worthy of the Naim brand. The announcement in 1989 that the company was working on a CD player shocked the marketplace.[3] The player was unusual for a two-box device in that Naim put the digital–analogue converter in the same box as the transport and audio circuitry, whilst keeping the power supply separate.[1] The Naim CDS has since seen two major revisions (now in its CDS3 incarnation) since its launch in 1991; while subsequent lower-priced extensions to the line are often used by hi-fi reviewers as references at their respective price points. The CD555, which is the "money no object" flagship priced at £15,000, is heralded by Naim as "the ultimate CD player".

Naim's Digital Audio offering was bolstered in 2017 with the internally labeled 'New Streaming Platform' that became the award-winning Uniti range of streamers, which comprised the Uniti Core, Uniti Nova, Uniti Star and Uniti Atom. The latter received an EISA award for Best All in One System, 2018–19.[19]

Partnerships
Page of Naim Audio company calendar, February 1986, with image of founder Julian Vereker in a parody of a Mr Kipling advertising slogan

During much of the 1970s and 80s, Naim adopted a symbiotic relationship with Linn Products, and their names were often mentioned in the same breath. At that time, a Linn Sondek LP12 turntable, Naim electronics and Linn loudspeakers was the preferred combination for many a serious audiophile.[3]

The two companies had almost the same sales and marketing strategy, and shared many of the same retailers/dealers. As an upstart company, Vereker, the company's founder, was active in marketing and promotion, and appeared in the company's advertising. The company's emphasis on selling products through comparative demonstrations in a single-speaker environment was a move away from marketing space of the chain electronics stores in favour of small independent retailers [in the United Kingdom].

The two companies diverged during the 1980s, at the dawn of digital audio. This was partly due to the convergence of technology, but also because Naim had significantly fewer dealers than Linn. This presented problems for Linn dealers trying to sell Linn speakers that were specifically designed to work at their best with Naim amplification. Both Naim and Linn began broadening their product ranges and started encroaching on each other's historical areas of expertise: in 1985, Linn launched its LK1/LK2 amplification combination, signalling the definitive end of the partnership. Naim began making loudspeakers and Linn expanded its range of electronic components. In 1987, Naim announced that chief designer Guy Lamotte had been working on a prototype electrostatic speaker design, and that a product launch was imminent. However, the product never saw the light of day, having been axed because of cost escalation.[5] In 1995, Naim announced the launch of the Armageddon power supply for the LP12.

In 2008, Naim partnered with car manufacturer Bentley in the "Naim for Bentley" project, an optional upgrade in-car sound system that had a degree of customer acceptance that surpassed expectations of both partners.[1]

In 2010, Naim employed 140 staff, with products exported to more than 40 countries and half of its £15 million turnover coming from export. One-third of the business was from CD players.[9] In 2011[20] and again in 2017,[2] around 60 percent of sales went to export markets.

Ownership

At the time of his death, Julian Vereker held half of the share capital of the company. The other half was in the hands of employees, including Paul Stephenson who owned 20 percent. Vereker bequeathed his shares to be held in a trust of which Stephenson is trustee.[9]

Merger

On 19 August 2011, Naim and Focal-JMLab announced a merger of both companies. Focal & Co., the new entity to be formed to own the existing operations would employ 325 people in total at two sites, in Saint Etienne, France, and Salisbury, UK. Pro-forma annual turnover of the new company was £48 million.[21][22] The Naim and Focal brands would continue to operate independently, while collaborating on R&D.[20]

The shareholders of Focal & Co are those that respectively owned the company prior to the merger (namely Jacques Mahul, CM-CIC and the management of Focal and Naim), suggesting the merger being executed by an exchange of shares for shares in the holding company. No ownership statistics and no valuation were mentioned.[20]

Since 2014, the combined company has been backed by Naxicap Partners, a French private equity firm.[23] Focal and Naim are subsidiaries of VerVent Audio Group, a French company.[24]

In August 2017, Focal.JMLab UK Limited, the distributor of Focal speakers in the UK, was merged into Naim Audio Limited.[2]

Record label
Main article: Naim Records

Naim entered into the record business to supply compact discs which were technically and musically good enough to satisfy analogue/vinyl disciples. The first CD to appear on the Naim record label was Electric Glide by Gary Boyle, one of the company's favourite vinyl demo records.[25] Naim's Marketing Director Ryan Latham guided the record label until 2018, with James Tailby taking over in June 2018.

Milestones
  • 1971, NAP 160, first power amplifier, discontinued 1986
  • 1973, Naim Audio Limited formed
  • 1974, NAC 12, first pre-amplifier, discontinued 1980
  • 1975, NAP 250, power amplifier
  • 1975, NAPS, first pre-amplifier power supply, discontinued 1978
  • 1977, NAXO, first electronic crossover for active loudspeaker systems
  • 1980, Moved to current premises at Southampton Road, Salisbury
  • 1981, Linnk, moving-coil phono pre-amplifier (manufactured for Linn Products)
  • 1981, NAC A4, speaker cable
  • 1983, NAIT, first integrated amplifier, discontinued 1988
  • 1984, NAP 135, first mono power amplifier, discontinued 2002
  • 1984, Hi-Cap, pre-amplifier power supply
  • 1984, NAT 01, first FM tuner, discontinued 2002
  • 1985, Won the Queen's Award for Export Achievement
  • 1986, SBL, first loudspeakers made in-house, discontinued 2002
  • 1989, ARO, Unipivot tone-arm
  • 1989, Range upgraded and new look (olive casing)
  • 1990, NAC 52, flagship pre-amplifier, discontinued 2002, replaced by NAC 252
  • 1991, CDS, first CD player, discontinued 1998, replaced by CDS2
  • 1991, DBL, loudspeakers
  • 1992, CDI, extended range of CD players
  • 1995, AV1, first audiovisual processor, discontinued 1999
  • 1995, Armageddon, power supply for Linn Sondek LP12 turntable
  • 1995, Super-Cap, pre-amplifier power supply
  • 1995, Prefix, phono pre-amplifier, discontinued 2008
  • 2000, 5 series
  • 2000, NAP 500, power amplifier
  • 2002, Range upgraded (Reference range) and new look
  • 2002, NAC 552, flagship pre-amplifier, supplants NAC 252
  • 2005, n-series range of AV products including nVi integrated DVD/amp combo
  • 2005, CD555, flagship CD player
  • 2008, Superline, phono pre-amplifier
  • 2008, HDX, hard disc player
  • 2008/9, Nait XS, integrated amplifier
  • 2009, NaimUniti, all-in-one audio player
  • 2009, Naim DAC, stand-alone D/A converter
  • 2009, Naim Ovator S-600 loudspeaker
  • 2010, UnitiQute
  • 2010, Won Queen's Award for Enterprise
  • 2011, Naim Ovator S-400 loudspeaker
  • 2011, Merger with Focal-JMLab
  • 2013, Naim Ovator S-800 loudspeaker
  • 2014, Naim 'Statement' pre and power amplifiers
  • 2014, Won Queen's Award for Innovation
  • 2014, Naim Mu-so 'all-in-one'
  • 2015, Naim NAC-N272 streaming pre-amplifier
  • 2015, Naim Super Lumina range of cables
  • 2016, Naim Mu-so Qb compact wireless music system, DR upgrades
  • 2017, Naim Uniti range
  • 2019, Naim Supernait 3, Nait XS 3; second generation of Mu-so and Mu-so Qb

Source: Naim Audio[26]

References
  1. Everard, Andrew (6 June 2013). "A famous Naim for 40 years". What Hi-fi?. Archived from the original on 20 July 2013.
  2. "Naim Audio Limited: Annual Report and Financial Statements, 2017". Companies House. August 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  3. Price, David "Naim That Tume". Hi-Fi World Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 November 2010
  4. Cadeddu, Lucio ( March 2003). "Naim Nait 1 - A living legend (1983-1987)". TNT Italy. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012.
  5. Christian Steingruber (October 2000). "History of the Naim Audio FL1". Hi-fi Answers (via personal website)
  6. Everard, Andrew (19 April 2012). "Naim SuperUniti: moving all-in-one hi-fi forward". Gramophone.
  7. "NAIM CD5I". Classic Rock, pg 96, Christmas 2004
  8. Harrison, Andrew (12 May 2011). "Naim Audio UnitiQute review". PC Advisor
  9. Quaschik, Hartmut (26 August 2010). "Interview with Paul Stephenson of Naim Audio UK :Once Cult – Now Facing The Future". TNT Germany. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012.
  10. Holgate, David (8 October 2003). "Naim Audio Factory Tour". TNT UK. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012.
  11. Taylor, Ced "Naim power supplies: mods and upgrades". Acoustica.
  12. Martens, Chris (15 Jun 2013). "Meet Your Maker: Hi-Fi+ Visits Naim Audio". Hi-Fi+.
  13. Quote from product manual: "Some Naim amplifiers are designed only to work with Naim loudspeaker cable and using alternatives may degrade the performance or even damage the amplifier." Naim manuals for download
  14. http://www.naimaudio.com/support/manuals
  15. "Naim Nait 5i". The Hi-fi Journal, November 2009. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013.
  16. Dudley, Art (30 January 2008). "Naim Supernait integrated amplifier", pg1; pg2. Stereophile. Pg1, pg2 archived from the original on 30 July 2013.
  17. Loh, Joseph (22 July 2004). "To Naim a tune". The Star (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 15 July 2013.
  18. "Naim NAC 202". What Hi-fi?. [Archived] from the original on [date].
  19. https://www.eisa.eu/awards/naim-audio-uniti-atom/
  20. Newsome, Clare (19 August 2011). "Q&A – Naim Audio and Focal merger". What Hi-Fi?. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012.
  21. http://www.focal.com/en/home-audio-loudspeakers/focal-jmlab/focal-and-naim.php
  22. "Passionate about sound, Focal & Naim unite". Naim Audio. August 2011 the original on 13 January 2012
  23. Sircom, Alan (8 May 2014). "Audio's transfer window". Hi-Fi+. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  24. "Vervent Audio Group". vervent-audio-group.com. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  25. Ward, Phil (June 2001) "A Naim of Note – Recording For The Naim Label". Sound on Sound Magazine. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012
  26. Product history. Naim Audio
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