■ REVIEW Naim Statement Revisited TEN WEEKS AFTER FIRST POWERING UP, THE NAIM STATEMENT PRE-/POWER COMBO CONTINUES TO IMPROVE, AS MARTIN COLLOMS RELATES trail of visitors have been arriving at substitutions of music sources and a variety of highly my listening room eager to hear Naim’s regarded pre- and power amplifiers. With the Magico ambitious new amplification, so I was in a S5 in particular I had to break down the system Aposition to monitor their reactions and record their completely and carefully rebuild it, experimenting opinions, while also charting my own continuing with several alternative combinations before I was at experiences. Checking back to my first reactions last able to make useful progress with that review, as and observations, one might expect that some of the loudspeaker turned out to be less coloured than the initial wonderment might have worn off, but I my carefully selected system. still consider that from almost the beginning I was The Naim Statement turned out to be another right to judge the Statement as potentially excellent. very revealing product. Once again it exposed the Indeed, had it never got any better with further innate characteristics of my system, specifically use, it would still have received a very good review, the mains supply arrangements. Long experience though without doubt some lesser issues were up for has taught me that an amplifier that is relatively discussion. However, as with most Naim designs, indifferent to the mains supply arrangements is often a prolonged running in period has brought subtle over protected, over-filtered and may well not reach changes to the sound. These have continued to make beyond a certain performance level. Conversely, quite themselves heard, and this will likely continue for a often those amplifiers which have a high attainment few months or more, after it has left my premises for potential and that are revealing of source and set up its next review outing. quality, also demand paying close attention to the mains supply quality – in my case this is normally Disruption a strip of well used unswitched sockets fed from a For audio reviewers, equipment introductions such single 60amp spur. Using this arrangement, certain as the Statement amplifiers are both disruptive and shortfalls in meeting the Statement power amplifiers’ constructive. Disruptive because they question particular needs were reflected in some audible the status quo and challenge the reviewer and his roughness and a significant loss of absolute detail and reference system; constructive because they open timing precision. a window to the possibility of substantial sound This initially led me to bring in my second spur quality improvement, rather than merely incremental supply, using one for the S1’s pre-amplifier and performance gains. source (in this case a Naim NDS with 555DR), while I recall an awkward experience when reviewing the second was used solely for the monoblock power first the Magico Q1 and then the Magico S5. With amplifiers. I felt that this arrangement significantly the benefit of hindsight, I now know that instead improved the sense of timing, and it certainly of successfully assessing the issues associated with brought substantial improvements in the already these review loudspeakers (particularly the Q1), I high levels of detail, focus and depth. However, was instead hearing numerous and complex sound encouraged by a colleague’s experience with star quality aspects of the reference system that was mains cable sets with Naim equipment, I managed to ostensibly being employed to review them, as if for borrow a four output cable set powered from a single the first time. Colorations in particular, which at first plug, which was custom made by a dealer using sight are almost instinctively blamed on transducers, Naim Powerline components. (No Powerlines were particularly the loudspeakers, were found to be more harmed in the making of this review!) associated with cables, equipment supports and Following this ‘star’ single supply connection with the system electronics, after the painstaking (and noting that we were now about five weeks into 22 HIFICRITIC JUL | AUG |SEPT 2015 REVIEW ■ MARTIN COLLOMS a running in pattern of around 10 hours a day), experienced and evaluated many great amplifiers I initially felt that spaciousness and finer textures down the years, from Levinson, Krell, Cello, Cary, both showed a loss, and that focus was a little less Goldmund, Conrad Johnson, Audio Research, Audio AUDIO EXCELLENCE pinpoint than before. Conversely, while it had Note, D’Agostino, Spectral, Naim, Constellation, previously been no slouch, the rhythm, swing and Vitus, Burmester, MBL, VAC, Karan, and Robert dynamics now took off in style, with impressive bass Koda. I’ve actually owned a number of these, slam and power, and notably solid timing. Brawn and more models from brands such as Soulution, “Not only could we was now winning over brain, however, and musical Dartzeel, Gamut and CH Precision may also be not find grounds for performances of all genres – rock, jazz and classical relevant and important, but hitherto I’ve only heard complaint, we have just – were grabbing me by the throat. Furthermore, as them at shows. this custom-built Hydra mains cable set settled in, Where does Naim’s Statement fit into this about all run out of the amplifier’s continuously improving and high hierarchy? Does it lean towards the speed and superlatives to describe standards of detail retrieval and timing began to crispness of a Spectral; the near hyper-transparency, its quality. However, erase that first impression of a mild loss in space huge dynamic range and polished timbral delicacy I can imagine that and texture. (In retrospect I suspect that some of heard from Constellation; the particularly focused these improvements derived from this amplifier’s exposition of dynamics and rhythm typical of good Naim aficionados more continuing running in process.) Naim designs? What about the grace and poise of used to the traditional a Vitus; the warm yet dynamically and musically Naim sound might well Running In involving envelopment of a VAC; the almost be taken aback by the In the earlier stages of evaluation we had wondered concealed power, scale and richness of a D’Agostino; how the amp, both pre and power, could possibly the meticulous detail and agility of a Goldmund; Statement’s very natural, improve on the high standards it had already the almost perfectly natural timbre and resolution neutral approach, and demonstrated after the first few days (following of the Robert Koda’s midrange; the fluid continuity might perhaps anticipate a suitable warm up and the lab bench testing). and musicality of a Conrad Johnson; the sheer bass more obvious overall However, Naim folklore has it that the final voicing control, slam and effortless power of Krell’s classic of its amplifiers is not confirmed and signed off until big monoblocks; and the intellectually focused clout, more highly driven it has passed crucial subjective in-house criteria after timbre and precision of a Levinson. dynamics and midrange about three months of intensive use. As mentioned At this moment (and I have not in any way attack, and more forceful in the technical section of the main published hastened to a conclusion), and at the present state (perhaps somewhat review (Vol9 No2), Naim favours certain electronic of my and colleagues’ experience, the Statement hits components (especially both polymer film and solid as many of those desirable aspects of performance exaggerated) mid-bass electrolyte tantalum capacitors) for their long term as one could reasonably imagine or expect. Not punch” sound quality, particularly in respect of timing, only could we not find grounds for complaint, dynamics and definition. we have just about all run out of superlatives to Very awkwardly, these components do not show describe its quality. However, I can imagine that their best audiophile qualities until they have had Naim aficionados more used to the traditional Naim some use in an audio circuit, with both correct sound might well be taken aback by the Statement’s polarising voltages and audio signals. Otherwise very natural, neutral approach, and might perhaps they sound a just little dead, two dimensional, anticipate more obvious overall clout, more highly obscured, edgy, and mildly ‘squashed’ dynamically driven dynamics and midrange attack, and more and rhythmically. Such a scenario could not possibly forceful (perhaps somewhat exaggerated) mid-bass be suspected from first hearing the Statement, since punch. these factors already seemed to be held to a very low It can fairly be argued that the usual language level by this point. But as the running in process of high fidelity is somewhat inadequate to describe unfolded it was in just these areas that the Statement the experience of listening to a reasonably run in got better and better. In any case, this amplifier uses Statement in a well ordered system. A compromise quite a number of those ubiquitous power supply may be found by describing how familiar material and decoupling electrolytic capacitors, and it is well sounded, judged against a backdrop of many known that their electrical and audio signatures will thousands of such previous comparisons1. (And it is only stabilise after many weeks of use. worth pointing out that the best quality material was not absolutely necessary in order to reap much of the In The Marketplace available musical reward, as the splendid quality is so There are some great amplifiers out there which blindingly obvious.) will impress experts and enthusiasts when used in Certainly it sounds even better with top quality a well balanced hi-fi system, and rightly so. I have sources, not least with classic vinyl from the pre- HIFICRITIC JUL | AUG |SEPT 2015 23 ■ REVIEW digital era when the innate naturalness of analogue depth of which this amplifier is capable needs recording technologies are plain to hear, but I should either Naim’s Super Lumina cables, or a similar also add that it sounds just great with fine CD reference quality equivalent (even though such releases at 16-bit/44.1kHz.