Nait 50 Legacy

Our story begins with one man’s passion for music and weaves its way through five decades and a raft of iconic products to the present day.

Naim Audio founder Julian Vereker MBE (1945-2000) was a racing car driver, entrepreneur and self-taught engineer with a deep passion for music. Spending his spare time listening to and recording his friends playing live in the 1960s, Julian found that playback on his system at home fell woefully short of the experience he craved.

Not content with second best he decided to design his own amplifiers and loudspeakers, ignoring accepted wisdom and focusing on aspects of performance that made music burst to life. These first designs laid the foundations for a range of iconic and award-winning hi-fi products that would reach well into the next century.

When first introduced in 1983, 10 years after Naim Audio was founded, the Nait (retrospectively known as the Nait 1) sat between entry level amplifiers and high-end pre-power combinations. Defining simplicity with its ease of use; allowing the listener to just connect a turntable, some speakers and enjoy the now-classic Naim sound. It now stands as one of the most recognisable pieces of hi-fi equipment ever made with its legendary chrome bumper finish and ‘shoebox’ chassis; this iconic integrated amp sounded quite unlike any other integrated of its day and set a trend for so-called ‘super integrateds’.

Staying in the same ‘shoebox’ casing as the Nait 1, the Nait 2 arrived in 1988. The unit had the same aesthetic finish of its predecessor until 1989, when Naim introduced the celebrated ‘Olive’ finish that would run throughout the full product range until the early 00’s.

The first notable change in design came with the Nait 3. Introduced in 1993, the revised shape was wider and shallower than the previous iterations to allow better component spacing, improving sonic performance. Upped to 30W per channel for greater dynamics, a remote controlled version was also released in 1995.

The turn of the millennium saw the introduction of the synonymous Naim all-black, triptych casing on the Nait 5. A larger toroidal transformer and double regulated power supply were added for the 5, along with a remote as standard.

Launched only 3 years following Nait 5, the new Nait 5i was simplified; swapping the volume ladder of the 5 out for an ALPs potentiometer, its linear power supply used a larger transformer and increased the power output. The Nait 5i has been through various iterations across its lifespan, and the 5si is still in production today.

The digital music revolution was in full swing when the Supernait was launched in 2007. Naim adapted this next generation of integrated amp by introducing a DAC to the Supernait, as well as the ability to add an external power supply or even another power amp. Dropping the digital inputs for the SN2 and incorporating a DR regulator for the preamp stage, Naim also increased the power output before adapting once more with the vinyl revival of the late 2010’s by adding a moving magnet phono stage in the Supernait 3.

Upon launch, the XS sat between the original Nait range and the recently launched Supernait – a marriage of convenience and superlative performance. Employing the newly developed ‘floating’ PCB mounting technique, the XS benefitted from several subtle design tweaks, all made with further improved sonic performance in mind. Now in its 3rd iteration, the XS 3 continues to provide performance and increased versatility with the internal MM phono stage.

Designed exclusively for Naim’s 50th anniversary and limited to only 1,973 units, at a glance the Nait 50 looks identical to the original Nait 1. However, upon closer inspection the front and rear are now high-quality anodised aluminium, the balance control has been swapped for a headphone socket and the LED changed to white. To aid vibration damping, the volume knob has also been machined from solid aluminium.

Internally, the Nait 50 draws on the vast knowledge and experience of Naim’s technical experts; incorporating elements from across our current product ranges. The input selection uses fly-by-wire control to significantly reduce the signal path length and the new headphone amplifier has been lifted from the NSC 222. The all-new exclusive discrete transistor MM phono stage honours the Nait 1 sound signature. The pre-amp uses class A discrete transitory stages and a classic Naim class AB power amplifier comprised of custom, carefully selected audiophile components.

The Nait 50 is a true audiophile integrated amplifier.