Naim has launched a special edition Nait 50 integrated amplifier to celebrate its 50th anniversary at the High End 2023 show in Munich.
Launched alongside the company’s Classic 300 Series range, the amp is an update of – and a love letter to – the company’s iconic Nait 1 model, first released in 1983.
As those familiar with the Nait 1 will be able to see from the attached images, the amp manages to resemble the Nait 1 as closely as possible. It has a half-wide design with an aluminum chassis and chrome bumper style, making it atypically small in today’s market, with a compact size of 8.7 x 20.7 x 32.1 cm.
You can see more photos of the Naim 50 in the gallery below.
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It also has a fairly purist spec and list of features that give it a decidedly retro charm. First, it is analog only. There’s no digital-to-analog converter (DAC) on display, with Naim directly instructing buyers to pair it with an external DAC or streamer if they want such functionality.
The Nait 50 is based on a fully linear integrated amplifier design with an A/B output stage. It offers a modest power of 25 watts per channel into eight ohms, or 40 watts into four ohms, or 60 watts into two ohms.
Unlike its inspiration, the Nait 50 has a 6.35mm headphone output that uses a new preamp. For vinyl enthusiasts, there’s also a new discrete transistor MM phono stage that Naim says will offer “enhanced sonic performance.” Round-back connectivity is complemented by two DIN inputs (‘Stream’ and ‘Aux’).
On paper, this makes it an attractive choice for any buyer looking for a puristic integrated amplifier that doesn’t take up too much space.
The only problem is that the device is a limited edition model, with Naim only going to sell 1,973 of the units. The number is the year Naim was founded.
If you’re keen to get your hands on one, the Nait 50 will go on sale at an undetermined time in June with an RRP of £2699 / $3599 / €3000 – we’re still awaiting Australian pricing and will update this article when we the receiving.
The Nait 50 is one of many anniversary editions to be released this year. Rega unveiled the 50th Anniversary Edition of the Planar 3 earlier this month. Before that, B&W gave its Nautilus speakers a facelift to celebrate its 30th anniversary and Bluesound has updated the performance of its Node X to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
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