Rega Aethos
We’ve long had a soft spot for Naim’s Supernait. Now in its third generation, this amplifier offers everything we like about the company’s pricier pre/ power combinations, but in a neater package and at a more affordable price.
Of course, an integrated amplifier costing £3500 is still premium, but when it has us questioning the need to spend more, this suddenly seems great value.
Take a look around this new amplifier and it feels distinctly familiar. The previous generation of Supernait was launched around six years ago and this new version adds a moving-magnet phono stage and features a simplified and tweaked power amplifier section. At first we are a little underwhelmed to find so little has been done between generations. The arrival of hugely capable new rivals such as Rega’s Aethos certainly puts more pressure on.
The casework feels suitably hefty with the amp weighing in at almost 14kg. It feels like a quality product, but as is Naim’s way, never really exudes a luxury aura. Our only complaint is that if you decide to use the front-panel dials, rather than the generic remote handset, they’re a little too thin and rounded for a comfortable grip.
This is about as well equipped as an all-analogue amplifier needs to be. There are four line-level inputs, each offering the choice of conventional RCA or Naim’s favoured Din options. We prefer Dins simply because this input tends to sound just that bit better, particularly when using Naim’s Din-equipped sources.
There’s a variable line output available with both socket types, in case you want to add an additional power amplifier or subwoofer. The upgrade potential doesn’t end there, with the Supernait 3
able to make use of Naim’s Flatcap (£939), Hi-cap DR (£1419) or Supercap DR (£4599) outboard power supplies.
While we can’t see many Supernait owners stretching to the Supercap DR option, the other two look tempting when the urge to upgrade strikes. This is an area where the Naim has an advantage over its rivals – neither the Rega nor Roksan can be improved so easily.
Some may question the lack of digital inputs. The original Supernait had some, but these were dropped for the sonically superior Mk 2 version. Naim’s thinking was that including such inputs not only raises costs, but also has the potential for affecting analogue performance. In our experience, built-in digital modules rarely perform as well as carefully chosen outboard units. Most times, something as humble as a Chord Mojo does the job better.
Attention to detail
Take a look inside the amplifier and it’s hard not to be impressed by the neatness of the build or the obsessive attention to small details such as the deliberately loose fitting mains socket, which reduces the amount of vibration fed into the casework. There is a hefty mains transformer, and the use of good quality motorised Alps potentiometers for volume and balance controls.
Given a suitable amount of time to settle, this amplifier turns in an assured performance with a source of suitable quality. We used Naim’s range-topping ND 555/ 555 PS DR music streamer for much of this test, though the likes of the ND5 XS2 (£2299) or NDX 2 (£4999) are likely to be more usual partners.
The Supernait 3 sounds solid and muscular, as if it can handle whatever you want to throw at it in terms of music and partnering speakers. We try a range of alternatives to our reference ATC SCM 50 monitors and the Naim never sounds as if it has to try hard to make them bend to its will. Such confidence works wonders for the listener. When that subliminal messiness of an amplifier struggling isn’t present, it’s easier to focus on the music instead. That’s what the Supernait, regardless of generation, has always done best.
We start with Four Tet’s There Is Love In You set and the Naim sounds as happy as a toddler in a sandpit. It has a fast, punchy sound that’s backed with real heft at low frequencies. We’re impressed by the organisation and the amplifier’s ability to track a multitude of musical strands and still tie them together as a cohesive and musical whole.
Things are equally pleasing when it comes to rhythmic drive and precision. The Supernait 3 conveys the changing momentum of this music well, capturing the various mood changes between tracks with conviction.
Switching to Dvořák’s New World Symphony shows off the amplifier’s fine handling of dynamics. It delivers crescendos with venom, but has the grace to handle low-level shifts of intensity well too.
Detail resolution is good, and it’s easy to get insight into the recording and the production methods used. But it never feels as though the Naim makes this a priority. It’s simply about getting to the heart of the musical message and feeling the emotion that the artist intended.
This integrated can generate huge scale with recordings such as this and deliver a fine stereo soundstage. While not the most expansive or spacious (the Roksan Blak edges ahead here) the stereo imaging is layered enough to convince.
There’s a little more clarity here compared with the previous generation and a slight increase in agility. It’s a useful upgrade in performance, but we don’t think anyone with a Supernait 2 needs to change to this one.
We fit a Goldring 1042 MM on our reference Technics SL-1000R turntable and the amp delivers fine results. The phono input retains the entertaining character of the line stages and is quiet as far as hiss and unwanted noise are concerned. We can ask no more than that.
The front-panel headphone output is similarly pleasing. It can be a box-ticking exercise for manufacturers, with most sounding compromised compared with the speaker outputs. That’s not the case here. We try a range of headphones from the Beyerdynamic T1s to Grado’s RS-1S without issue. The Supernait produces an informative and enjoyable sound.
The previous generation of Supernait wasn’t broken so Naim didn’t need to fix it. But, in adding a good quality MM phono stage and tweaking the power amp section, it has made a great amplifier that bit better