Naim

Naim Audio have been making hi-fi in Salisbury since 1973, and have, almost uniquely in British audio, never had to reinvent themselves. Every Naim product — the small Mu-so wireless speaker through to the reference ND555 streamer — sounds recognisably *Naim*. Forward in its placement of the rhythm section. Propulsive in its handling of tempo. Unfussy in its tonal balance. The Naim signature is sometimes described as a *pace, rhythm and timing* school of hi-fi, which is a phrase that has come, over fifty years, to mean almost exclusively *the way a Naim system plays Joni Mitchell*.

The Uniti range is where most listeners meet the brand. The Uniti Atom is, in essence, an entire hi-fi in a single small black box. The Uniti Nova is the larger sibling for rooms that need more bass. The Uniti Star adds CD playback for the listener whose disc collection is worth preserving.

Separates begin with the New Classic 200 Series — the NSC222 streaming preamplifier, the NAP250 power amplifier, and the optional NPX300 power supply. This is the level at which Naim stops being a clever box and becomes a serious instrument. Above this sits the 300 Series, and at the reference, the ND555 streamer and the Statement amplification.

A Naim system has, for half a century, been the one that listeners come back to after sampling everything else. Sometimes the music is the point. Sometimes the music is *all* the point. Naim build the kind of equipment that knows the difference.