Naim Core


Hello to all fellow audiophiles,

after a months of use/waiting i think i have right to point out few words about famous Naim company and their "famous" support because obviously i cant be only one with this problems and want to point out to possible buyers to beware...

my first problems started at the end of last year...after months of waiting finally Naim released by their words "Reference" server/music store Core...i finally bought the machine from my dealer and wanted to check it out but nothing...nothing...nothing...i called my dealer to tell him that something is wrong to find out they did not released app for Android but only for iPhone and when he ordered machines Naim did not pointed out this obviously great information to him...ok i said...WTF...i contacted their support and they told me android app will be released 2-3 weeks after iPhone app...ok...never mind i feel like second class citizen i wont give back machine and make problems...i will wait...to make long story short they postponed release of android app so many times i quit to count (any Core android user can confirm that)...they finally released app after 4 MONTHS of waiting and doing absolutely nothing with my machine...of course they took my 2500 euros right away when i was buying it but they did not have decency to point my dealer that they made HALF PRODUCT...and i believe my dealer with life he would not make up things just to make few bucks more...

...finally i could use my long waited machine but something strange happens i have not experienced on ANY server/streamer from cheapo to as they like to point it out "Reference"...music i have collected for decades and have on my external HDD cannot be recognized by Genre if i import it from HDD...i immediately contacted their support to find out that only if you rip with their Naim Rip music can be recognized by Genre...real cool info for me and all people who dont have CDs and dont plan to do Naim rips but have HDD collections...cuz i now have about 40000 songs of jazz/classical music/metal/rock/electro all messed up together and can only access by Albums and Artists...but not the most important search...by Genre...this thing is so trivial that i dont believe that they did not make that and i am forced to write this post... few months before they released android app in chat with their support they told me that they dont plan to make option to browse files like on PC so you can imagine how big disappointment for me was not able to access my music by Genre after a months off manually tagging of Artist Genres and Albums in my collection...massive sadness i admit...i must point out they did not make/finish about dozen of other simple options man would expect from "Reference" server of this price tag but it would take litany to point them all out and if someone wants i will gladly write it all...the saddest thing is that Core really does sound fantastic in contrast to PC and other even more expensive severs/streamers but sad reality is that this is not a finished product even after 8 months of its release and i wanted people to know what they are buying...i guess some owners are perfectly happy but if you dont have your collection on CDs beware of great disappointment...i noticed that many problems arose when Mr. Paul Stephenson left the Naim...can someone tell me what is happening...why they tell they will release product then they postpone it 8 times...did any of you bought the expensive car from respectable manufacturer and got no tires with it....did any of you bought iPhone and pay full price with half of functions not finished? Does word "Reference" gets prostituted now days...does this behavior makes Naim more professional or more charlatan company...i know what i think...

what would you do? and what do you think about this case?

Kind Regards

128x128raindog031
Hi raindog031,

Thanks for sharing your unfortunate experience with the Naim Core.

I almost bought it instead of the Aurender N100H but was saved by the dealer who has known me for years with respect to Esoteric products which he also carries. He simply dared not let me order one as he told me there were problems with it.

I can only hope that Naim iron out all the bugs for you asap.

J.
@Raindog031 - What do I think? Hmmmm

This not a good story and bound to confirm many peoples opinion of the poor direction the company appears to be taking.

NAIM has a "cult like following" that is akin to lemmings going over a cliff! (go to their forums - it’s pittiful to see adults so brainwashed), believing NAIM can do no wrong - anything with the word "NAIM" on it must be the best!

Unfortunately - a few of their newly released products end up being less than stellar i.e. initially, as in this case.

I think a lot of the time in this kind of situation that it’s a case of the accountants/marketing overruling the engineers

Being a NAIM owner myself, it pains me to see posts like this, but I live in hope that someone at NAIM will read this thread and report back to HQ that their actions are undermining customer confidence.

Most of their products are extremely good performers, but some of their design choices (e.g. DIN connectors and not XLR) leave audiophiles wondering if they are living on the same planet.

Companies can become too confident in their products success and arrogance sets in. They also forget their customers are their "front line" ambassadors AND their greatest sales force.

I have exchanged a few calls/emails with them, and I was glad when I no longer required their assistance - their arrogance almost made me buy a different brand. (Simaudio Moon springs to mind)

We live in a time when it is unacceptable not to release working software supporting the two most popular platforms i.e. Apple and Android

Also, for a company like NAIM - not offering stellar customer support when things go wrong can be interpreted as "a lack of respect for the customer".

I hope you get your problem resolved to your satisfaction - I hope it’s worth the wait an the aggravation.

Regards - Steve
Jon and Willie thank for "listening" me...and thank you for good wishes but i am not the only one with this problems so i hope it resolves on behalf of other people to...not all users go on forums...i can imagine that many people hassled with their obviously uninformed dealers or customer service for info on such a basic things so it is just energy waste...for example you can make playlist and add songs but you cannot delete songs one by one...you must delete your whole playlist!?...keep in mind that i am talking when you import it not rip it...so to use many really basic options of this "Reference" HDD player they practically force you to rip...but...you can import music...i mean how stupid is that...somebody tell me i am not crazy...i dont want to sound like i want to bash Naim...on contrary...i like them and they are respected firm...but i measure companies loyalty by how they treat those 10% of customers having problems...do i ask too much...is so much hard to make firmware to fix that...i could get it back but machine "worked"/sounded great and it is in sweet spot in pricing/sound quality for machines who lose their value rapidly each year on because of fast going technology...i thought that respectable Naim would fix such trivial thing but months have passed and they do absolutely nothing regarding this simple controls...i know they are busy but cmon...finish and test your product and then release it...thats why the whole white world pays premium for when buying products from known brands...their leadership is obviously weak...so my conscience advised me to report my expensive experience on greatest audio forum on earth...over and out...