Naim Audio
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| private limited company | |
| Industry | High-end Audio Manufacture |
| Founded | 4 June 1974 |
| Headquarters | Salisbury, England, United Kingdom |
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Key people
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Trevor Wilson (Managing Director) |
| Products | Digital music systems, amplifiers, CD players and loudspeakers |
| Revenue | ₤18 million |
| Owner | Vervent Audio Group |
| Website | naimaudio.com |
Founded in 1973, 'Naim Audio' is a hi-fi manufacturer based in Wiltshire, UK.
Naim began when Julian Vereker started Naim Audio Visual in 1969 and created a sound-to-light box which he hired out to film production companies. His disappointment with the sound of professional recording equipment at the time led him to design his own power amplifier. The company Naim Audio, was incorporated in 1973. Sailing against the conventional wisdom dating back to audio pioneer Edgar Villchur that the loudspeakers determined the sound of a hi-fi system, and that amplifiers were simply a means to an end in moving the speakers, Vereker set about to put his ideas into practice.
The first product Naim put on the market was the NAP200 power amplifier; it was soon followed by the NAC12 pre-amplifier. The two-channel NAP 250 amplifier, launched in 1975, is perhaps Naim Audio's most well-known analogue product, as its basic circuit layout was shared by all the company's power amplifiers until the introduction of the flagship NAP500 in 2000. The Naim NAIT, its first integrated amplifier, "one of the most controversial and famous integrated amps in the history of HiFi" has acquired a "legendary" status among integrated amplifiers.
In 1983, Guy Lamotte was hired as chief designer. He successfully developed the NA T01 and NAT101 FM tuners and piloted the development of the Hi-Cap power supply and the −5 modifications to the company's burgeoning pre-amplification (NAC42 and 32) and the NAXO active crossover. Lamotte privately worked on a prototype electrostatic speaker design that attracted media attention. It was brought into the Naim fold in 1987, after the Linn/Naim partnership ended. Roy George, who attended Southampton University and who was appointed Technical Director of Naim in 1985, is credited with designing many of Naim's iconic products.
The company, and its products, such as the NAIT, NAC52 pre-amplifier, the ARO uni-pivot tonearm and the SBL (Separate Box Loudspeaker) have also assumed cult status among devotees. The company was headed by Vereker until his death in 2000, when Paul Stephenson, then sales director, became managing director (2000-2015).
Naim has a devoted following gained through a combination of its products' performance, build quality, upgrade and after-sales philosophy. In terms of after-sales support, Naim boasts they can service all products ever manufactured by them.
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Wikipedia