Naim & Harbeth

[JBGood]

Greetings everyone,
New to this forum. How do Harbeth speakers and Naim electronics play together? Do they mate well?

I currently own the following system:

Naim Nait 5i-2 integrated amp (may be upgrading to Naim XS integrated)
Naim CD5x (will probably add a FlatCap2x power supply)
Naim NACA5 speaker cable

I mostly listen to jazz/classical/vocal/instrumental music. Not a rocker. Don't tend to listen at high volumes.

I have done some searching on this website, but did not come up with a wealth of info. I also searched & posted on the Naim forum, but found little info and got few replies.

Thanks in advance.

[John Geisen]

Hello JBGood,

Welcome to the forum.

Being both a Naim and Harbeth dealer, I want to assure you that the two products go together very well, indeed. Harbeths are not demanding on amplifiers however you can easily hear differences between different amps. That being said, I'll admit my prejudice for both products so you need to see what other folks say. Good listening.

John Geisen

[JBGood]

John,
Thanks for the warm welcome. Good to hear from somebody who is familiar with both companies.

I couldn't quite tell from my early searching on these forums, are there many Harbeth+Naim folks around here?

Regards,

JBGood




Hello JBGood,

Welcome to the forum.

Being both a Naim and Harbeth dealer, I want to assure you that the two products go together very well, indeed. Harbeths are not demanding on amplifiers however you can easily hear differences between different amps. That being said, I'll admit my prejudice for both products so you need to see what other folks say. Good listening.

John Geisen

[sunshine]

Hi JBGood,

I'm using a Supernait/CDS2/Compact 7 ES-2, good combination i feel.

Cheers,
Sunshine

[John Geisen]

I think you will find there are many Naim / Harbeth advocates as there are many advocates of other forms of amplification. I hate to use the metaphor but it is almost like asking which flavor of ice cream is the "best". Everyone has an opinion and their opinion is valid for them. I hope I haven't made this more confusing for you; but just there are many Naim enthusiasts, you will also find others prefer tubes, or integrated amps, etc.

All the best as you search for your personal musical connection.

John Geisen

[JBGood]

John,
I agree that, ultimately, there is no substitute to your own ears when making audio equipment selections. Note, I was not asking whether Naim+Harbeth is the "best" combination. Rather, I was wondering if this is a common pairing among the Harbeth forum crowd.

As we all know, a good magazine review or a popular system combination can at least help point a buyer in some good initial directions- to develop a good "short list" to consider. The rest is up to our individual ears.

Unfortunately, I will probably have to travel to find a dealer that stocks both Naim and Harbeth.

Regards

[vaughn3d]

JB, I use a Supernait, CD5x, FC2, Compact 7es2 and am very happy with the setup. If you enjoy vocals I would be very surprised if you weren't happy with Harbeths at the end of you Naim electronics.

[macraddy]

I auditioned the 500 series electronics with the SHL5s. Extremely nice!

[LGCS1]

282/250 with SHL5. Happy with combination.

[JBGood]

Gosh it's nice to find a civilized forum! Thanks for all the replies.

I know it's hard to put into words, but can anyone describe the general character of the Naim+Harbeth combination? For those of you who decided on this combination, why did you choose it?

I look forward to auditioning with my own ears, but I do not have a local dealer who has the right stuff.

Regards,

JBGood

[garmtz]

I am a dealer of both NAIM and Harbeth and the combination is one of the best I can think of. If you like the NAIM sound, you will love it through Harbeth speakers. They bring out the best in each other I find, although others of course may prefer other combinations.

The NAIT 5i or XS with either the P3 or C7 is magic!

[hifi_dave]

My first post.

I have been a Naim dealer for many years and have just started to stock Harbeth. I can tell you that the combination is very good indeed. From the Nait 5i to the NAP 300, the results with Harbeth are truly excellent and you should try to get an audition yourself.

Actually, the Harbeth's are very amp friendly as I have had great results with EAR, Puresound and Croft tube amps and Rega, LFD and even Amcron solid state amps as well as the aforementioned Naim products. You shouldn't encounter any problems.

[Vlado]

.....as I have had great results with EAR and Croft....


Hi Dave,
please give us some ideas how the C7's sound wih Croft and EAR. Although I'm a lazy dog and wont make a step without remote control..
Kindly

VA

[jasontan]

I am a dealer of both NAIM and Harbeth and the combination is one of the best I can think of. If you like the NAIM sound, you will love it through Harbeth speakers. They bring out the best in each other I find, although others of course may prefer other combinations.

The NAIT 5i or XS with either the P3 or C7 is magic!

Am using Nait 5i-2 with M30s. It's my alternative for an Audionote Kit 1 single-ended triode amp (300Bs, 8-9 watts) for 33 celsius days and nights.

i love em both, and of course my m30s, and hope to post more about this apparently chalk and cheese duo soon.

[hifi_dave]

Hi Dave,
please give us some ideas how the C7's sound wih Croft and EAR. Although I'm a lazy dog and wont make a step without remote control..
Kindly

VA

How do I answer this ?

The 7's, with whatever amp I've tried, sound natural, easy, unforced, communicative and fun. You don't need to thrash them, as you do with some speakers and they simply allow you to enjoy the music. With the two amps you mention, you just hear what the amps do. They are different to each other but both are a good match with the Harbeth's. I wouldn't like to make the final choice - you need to audition them yourself.

David

[Vlado]

How do I answer this ?

They are different to each other but both are a good match with the Harbeth's.

David

Hello David,
thank you for answer. I don't want to replace my Electrocompaniet gear, I'm just curious.
I never had the chance to hear EAR or Croft amplifiers, but heard a lot of good things about them.

Best regards

Vlado