Naim NAIT

The Naim NAIT is an amplifier concept from the British hi-fi manufacturer, Naim Audio. It is an acronym for "Naim Audio Integrated amplifier", and is an umbrella term that is applied to any integrated amplifier from the company. The original NAIT is one of the most recognisable pieces of hi-fi equipment ever made. Hi-fi critic Lucio Cadeddu recognised its legendary status, referring to it as "one of the most controversial and famous integrated amps in the history of HiFi".

Having already made their name producing solid-state pre-/power- amplifier separates, Naim launched a low-powered integrated amplifier that embodies the qualities of its amplifiers, aimed at cost-conscious audiophiles.

Since the NAIT was launched in 1983, it has been re-imagined six times in all. In 2007, Naim added a high end product, the SUPERNAIT, to their integrated amplifier offering. As of 2008, the NAIT brand is a three-amplifier range consisting of the entry-level NAIT 5si the mid-range NAIT XS 2, and the flagship SUPERNAIT 2.

Up to that point a manufacturer of solid-state pre-/power- amplifier separates, Naim Audio wanted an entry-level integrated amplifier to complement their range and widen their appeal. They worked to create a low-powered model that shared the family characteristics and sound. The approach, seemingly against the received wisdom of the time that power and sound quality go hand in hand, remained nevertheless controversial, despite the fact that NAD Electronics had trail-blazed five years earlier with the top-selling low-cost audiophile amplifier, the NAD 3020. The Naim Audio Integrated amplifier (or NAIT) was created by Julian Vereker as a minimalist black shoe-box design that includes a phono and two line-level inputs – one for tuner and one for tape recorder. The phono input, for moving magnet cartridges, is derived from the NAC 32 pre-amplifier. The NAIT was launched in 1983, ten years after the firm was founded.

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