Very nice Jurgen. In my view, Naim have always had two characteristics. Great sound... and very high price! It seems that this is still the case. So you have done well. Stay Mad.
I could try, but the transformers of the Martin Logan tend to suck dry most anything they get... In the moment I use a Vincent endstage with a huge amount of transistors in (weigth over 30kg) it is soundwise ok, but not so great. I aim to get Mark Levinson Clones for this task, but they are also very heavy, shipping costs are too much, but these or Krell would be the match.
@@iam_mad Aside from the early original CLS, the best I've ever heard from Martin Logan loudspeakers were the Aerius being powered by a Rotel RHB-10 amplfier, a very special amp and quite the current monster so you're almost certainly right about needing an arcwelder amp to drive them properly.
@@georgeswanson9483 I had the Aerius 🥰and I loved them so much, they are very forgiving to the amp and behave much like the newer Logans did from the late 2000. The aim would drive them very fine since it can control the "soft" Logan bass effectively. My actual Logan is "The Quest" wich is fom mid-90ies and it is soo hungry for watts amd amperes... 😂
@@iam_mad That was a concert I didn't want to miss! I can't remember what I paid for a balcony seat. This was at the Palace Theater in Stamford, Connecticut. It was the second time I saw the Koyaanisqati movie. The first time was in NYC years earlier.
Hello!! Found your channel thanks to this video. Great work and amazing finding. I would like to purchase, but my question is if it would be able to handle the wharfedales Evo 4.2 bookshelf speakers well, with a sensibility of the 87db and a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. What do you think? Thank you in advance 🙏
Thank You for Your comment! This wharfedales are very small speakers, the NAIM is more then enough. Watts don´t say anything about the quality of sound, amps with higher wattage tend always to sound worse because they split the amplification between too many transistors or even use OpAmps or worse... For You it is only about what sound do You like, if You are more the fan of a rich sound with a breathing bass and full mids that is still precise and has a huge stage, the FM300A is the overkill, if You prefer more the dry knocking beat bass and a pronounced treble with a smaller in between the speakers - stage, the NAIM is Your best choice. I personally prefer the FM300A, but both play in a league of High End Amplification, that is far beyons todays Shiits and whatever.
People who are asking about class a clones. I built three of them. Jlh 1969, musical fidelity a1, and Nelson pass aleph 3. I liked aleph 3 the most. If you have the chance try firstwatt f7.
@@tamayaytam I have a Tim Rawson clone of the Pass F5 amp. Apparently it is poorly assembled. I have yet to use it. I will take a look inside first someday.
I almost ordered this amp.. but having seen your review.. I am reconsidering because of you mentioning the narrower sound stage..(as opposed to the other clone) and "well behaved" sound characteristics.. the other clone only has 1 RCA entrance.. the Naim has 4 and a remote control.. and they were good selling points to me. The way you describe the sound of the Naim, brings to mind British amps like Arcam.. or Cambridge Audio.. perhaps this one is better but.. I do prefer a wider soundstage and bit more visceral sound.. or a bit more Connery I guess haha ;-) Thanks for the review.
@@robertjermantowicz-uw3iw that might be true to some degree and I think the key word is synergy between those components..having said that; I'm not a scientist so I can't give you specifics as far as stats and figures.. but having tried different amplifiers with the same set of speakers.. I don't think my ears have any interest in deceiving me in regards to what is a clearly audible difference in amplification. Some simply offer more in terms of impact of sound, bottom end.. better detailing, balance.. transparency etc etc. I think anyone with a good set of ears is able to pick up on differences offered by amps over the same set of speakers.
Did You try the "Ground Lift" switch of the FM255 on the back side? This employs a resistor between earth and housing of the preamp. The humm issue comes from a charge coming from the ground/earth of Your power line. One of my followers sold his humm "affected" FM300 to the other follower, and there was no humm at all. It was clear, that the old house wiring was the issue of the humm and not the FM300 itself. There are also issues with the wires around the rectifier IC that is mounted on the ground plate of the amp, these wires are all fixed strongly together. When You open the FM and remove these zip ties (cable ties) so the cables from the rectifier IC are able to be free, this can stop some hum. See here: (maybe activate auto translation Germany/English in the subtitles) th-cam.com/video/vl7KSSD5ypY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=592RoTpStJt0x1E9&t=932 The next point is You have a signal source with a grounded power cord. Try using one source without grounded power cord, like a DAC/CD with this flat plug with only 2 contacts / no ground, and the humm may be gone. In that case You have a ground loop between the RCA cables and the power cables, then You need a ground lift on Your sound source, and/or You need to plug the amp and the source into the same wall outlet, not into different wall outlets. I hope I could be of help!
@@MasterofPlay7 I heard the FM155, it has no influence to the sound, like if You go in directly from the DAC into the FM300, no difference, I don´t like it. There I love the MP-701, it lifts the whole story to a different level, like Tube amplification with the power of the Transistor.
@@MasterofPlay7 the FM300 is a cool guy 😉 Later I will make a video about how to adjust the bias voltage on the FM300, and there You are to watch the temp of these Mexicans, they are permitted to go up to 58°C but mine never rise above 36°C when playing full power...
Yep, You are right, those DINs make me shudder... Although on the original one these are balanced connections, but on the other hand, who has a balanced signal and an appropriate cable...
@@iam_mad line balancing on home hifi is soo pointless . I even have a friend that says he can hear the difference between balanced and unbalanced ...LOL,I tried to explain ..but that was equally(and oppositely) pointless..
@@marxman00 in optimal situations there is a difference between XLR and RCA. You cannot hear doesn't mean that's the fact and there is nothing to LOL about. That's all said it should be in optimal conditions (i.e. true balanced design(DAC out as well as AMP in), high class XLR cables etc.. ) vs Optimal RCA (single ended). Then again there will be a difference.
When i listen to the unit i have a filling of slow sound. I think it is not good for fast hard rock and metal. What do you think about it? Best source and speakers for it?
No, this is a most pure amplifier, 4 lines in, 1 pair of speakers out, that´s it, according to the price point. And that is what I like, full concentration on the sound quality.
The NAIM has a very dry controlled Bass and slightly emphasized treble, while the FM300A is more melodical and tube like sounding, it is a question of taste. I don´t know this JBL, if it has relatively loose soft bass drivers that need control, You take the NAIM, if it has hard tight mounted old school drivers You better take a tube amp or the FM300A,
It very much depends on which speakers You use, which music You hear and what sound-type You are, the more clinical technical hard sound with dry bass, or the more breathing, vivid natural sound with resonating bass.
Hello Sid! Its my pleasure! The NAIM is way more powerful, has a controlled deep dry bass and a bit piched treble, that is not so clear, and a smaller stage that happens only between the speakers. It is the far end "other side" to a tube amp, more the controlled HiFi type for the consumer speakers, good for critical low efficiency speakers (less 90 dB/W). The JLH 1969 is pure Calss A, a big stage, cristal clear treble with immense resolution and a breathing lively sound, less Bass. It is way nearer to tube sound, but not so warm like the FM300A. But You need a better sensitive speaker, my Silenos build (Iam Mad German channel) sounds great with the 1969, but You cannot drive a power hungry speaker from the consumer range to full blast.
@sidfuel I have the JLH 1969 and use it with a four way Linn speaker and it has no issues driving them through to moderate volume levels. It rips up the typical cost/performance value ratio - an amazing little amp.
Hi very good video indeed and thank you for it Interesting point at 23:14 I think that this could depend on a different damping factor Imho it is very important that the amp has a high damping factor It can be checked with a response to impulse test or a square wave response at low Hz This is why tube amps are bad with fast disco music They cant control the woofers Do you have a schematic for the FM Acoustic maybe ? it would be interesting to analyze it
@@iam_mad I contacted YINYUN Hi-Fi Audio Store and they insisted that the buzzing is normal. Meanwhile I’m consulting a electronics engineer for a 2nd opinion.
Naim pays the Chinese producing it less, but has to carry a chain of dealers, taxes, customs, etc. until it reaches Your shop. The thing in my video is sold from the factory straight.
@@robertjermantowicz-uw3iw They have to pay the employees and the rent for the shop, taxes etc. nowadays it is difficultt to earn money in our countries...
@@robertjermantowicz-uw3iw maybe they add stickers here, but most parts come from China, even there is already too expensive for most markets, these clones are being built odten in the Philipines
Very nice Jurgen. In my view, Naim have always had two characteristics. Great sound... and very high price! It seems that this is still the case. So you have done well. Stay Mad.
Thank You for the comment! 😊
Naim charges way too much!
Thank you for the advice. cheers.
Its my pleasure 😊
Funny description of the sound, and I've got some more music to explore, thanks.
It would be good to know how the amp dealt with the difficult load your Martin Logan speakers present to the amplifier.
I could try, but the transformers of the Martin Logan tend to suck dry most anything they get...
In the moment I use a Vincent endstage with a huge amount of transistors in (weigth over 30kg) it is soundwise ok, but not so great.
I aim to get Mark Levinson Clones for this task, but they are also very heavy, shipping costs are too much, but these or Krell would be the match.
@@iam_mad Aside from the early original CLS, the best I've ever heard from Martin Logan loudspeakers were the Aerius being powered by a Rotel RHB-10 amplfier, a very special amp and quite the current monster so you're almost certainly right about needing an arcwelder amp to drive them properly.
@@georgeswanson9483
I had the Aerius 🥰and I loved them so much, they are very forgiving to the amp and behave much like the newer Logans did from the late 2000. The aim would drive them very fine since it can control the "soft" Logan bass effectively.
My actual Logan is "The Quest" wich is fom mid-90ies and it is soo hungry for watts amd amperes... 😂
I heard Phillip Glass and his ensemble play Koyaanisqatsi in concert while the movie played behind them.
Oh how wonderful, I envy You!
@@iam_mad That was a concert I didn't want to miss! I can't remember what I paid for a balcony seat. This was at the Palace Theater in Stamford, Connecticut. It was the second time I saw the Koyaanisqati movie. The first time was in NYC years earlier.
Hello!! Found your channel thanks to this video. Great work and amazing finding.
I would like to purchase, but my question is if it would be able to handle the wharfedales Evo 4.2 bookshelf speakers well, with a sensibility of the 87db and a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. What do you think? Thank you in advance 🙏
Thank You for Your comment!
This wharfedales are very small speakers, the NAIM is more then enough.
Watts don´t say anything about the quality of sound, amps with higher wattage tend always to sound worse because they split the amplification between too many transistors or even use OpAmps or worse...
For You it is only about what sound do You like, if You are more the fan of a rich sound with a breathing bass and full mids that is still precise and has a huge stage, the FM300A is the overkill, if You prefer more the dry knocking beat bass and a pronounced treble with a smaller in between the speakers - stage, the NAIM is Your best choice.
I personally prefer the FM300A, but both play in a league of High End Amplification, that is far beyons todays Shiits and whatever.
People who are asking about class a clones. I built three of them. Jlh 1969, musical fidelity a1, and Nelson pass aleph 3. I liked aleph 3 the most. If you have the chance try firstwatt f7.
@@tamayaytam I have a Tim Rawson clone of the Pass F5 amp. Apparently it is poorly assembled. I have yet to use it. I will take a look inside first someday.
I own the secondwatt very happy with it
@@jamesjames5715 somebody has to be the second.
I almost ordered this amp.. but having seen your review.. I am reconsidering because of you mentioning the narrower sound stage..(as opposed to the other clone) and "well behaved" sound characteristics.. the other clone only has 1 RCA entrance.. the Naim has 4 and a remote control.. and they were good selling points to me.
The way you describe the sound of the Naim, brings to mind British amps like Arcam.. or Cambridge Audio.. perhaps this one is better but.. I do prefer a wider soundstage and bit more visceral sound.. or a bit more Connery I guess haha ;-)
Thanks for the review.
You are welcome 😊
Soundstage is your speakers - not the amp!
@@robertjermantowicz-uw3iw that might be true to some degree and I think the key word is synergy between those components..having said that; I'm not a scientist so I can't give you specifics as far as stats and figures.. but having tried different amplifiers with the same set of speakers.. I don't think my ears have any interest in deceiving me in regards to what is a clearly audible difference in amplification. Some simply offer more in terms of impact of sound, bottom end.. better detailing, balance.. transparency etc etc.
I think anyone with a good set of ears is able to pick up on differences offered by amps over the same set of speakers.
if he or anyone blind test this with 3 other amps would not ever be able to dell who is who trust me!!
you cant just take his world for it !!
Did they tell you how to xix the hum? Also my FM255 has failed. The fault is in a sealed module. I do not know what to do.
Did You try the "Ground Lift" switch of the FM255 on the back side? This employs a resistor between earth and housing of the preamp.
The humm issue comes from a charge coming from the ground/earth of Your power line. One of my followers sold his humm "affected" FM300 to the other follower, and there was no humm at all. It was clear, that the old house wiring was the issue of the humm and not the FM300 itself.
There are also issues with the wires around the rectifier IC that is mounted on the ground plate of the amp, these wires are all fixed strongly together. When You open the FM and remove these zip ties (cable ties) so the cables from the rectifier IC are able to be free, this can stop some hum.
See here: (maybe activate auto translation Germany/English in the subtitles) th-cam.com/video/vl7KSSD5ypY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=592RoTpStJt0x1E9&t=932
The next point is You have a signal source with a grounded power cord. Try using one source without grounded power cord, like a DAC/CD with this flat plug with only 2 contacts / no ground, and the humm may be gone. In that case You have a ground loop between the RCA cables and the power cables, then You need a ground lift on Your sound source, and/or You need to plug the amp and the source into the same wall outlet, not into different wall outlets.
I hope I could be of help!
did you pair the fm255 with the fm300a? I wanted to try the fm255 too but so far im happy with my old pre amp
@@MasterofPlay7
I heard the FM155, it has no influence to the sound, like if You go in directly from the DAC into the FM300, no difference, I don´t like it.
There I love the MP-701, it lifts the whole story to a different level, like Tube amplification with the power of the Transistor.
@@iam_mad do you have any heat issue on the fm300a? I don't know why they don't have any vents/ventilation on the casing
@@MasterofPlay7
the FM300 is a cool guy 😉
Later I will make a video about how to adjust the bias voltage on the FM300, and there You are to watch the temp of these Mexicans, they are permitted to go up to 58°C but mine never rise above 36°C when playing full power...
How many days will you receive the product? I ordered 1 week ago and still can't check the product status. (same shop)
for me it was about 3 Weeks (Switzerland) Amazing amp!!
Sorry for the late reply, I guess 1 month is most, sometimes it takes about 2 weeks!
GREAT review!! And its got the bonus of no DIN plugs on it , whats not to like?
Yep, You are right, those DINs make me shudder...
Although on the original one these are balanced connections,
but on the other hand, who has a balanced signal and an appropriate cable...
@@iam_mad line balancing on home hifi is soo pointless . I even have a friend that says he can hear the difference between balanced and unbalanced ...LOL,I tried to explain ..but that was equally(and oppositely) pointless..
😂@@marxman00
@@marxman00 in optimal situations there is a difference between XLR and RCA. You cannot hear doesn't mean that's the fact and there is nothing to LOL about. That's all said it should be in optimal conditions (i.e. true balanced design(DAC out as well as AMP in), high class XLR cables etc.. ) vs Optimal RCA (single ended). Then again there will be a difference.
@@Jamy4ya Balanced lines have absolutely nothing to do with sound quality apart from noise reduction "in some circumstances"
When i listen to the unit i have a filling of slow sound. I think it is not good for fast hard rock and metal. What do you think about it? Best source and speakers for it?
It depends a lot on Your speakers. If they are less efficient like lower than 88dB I recommend the Dartzheel Clone NHB108
Could you run one of the AUX Inputs as a HT Bypass?
No, this is a most pure amplifier, 4 lines in, 1 pair of speakers out, that´s it, according to the price point.
And that is what I like, full concentration on the sound quality.
Finally! The review i've been waiting for!
And I hope You enjoy it 😉
@@iam_mad yea definitely, i didn't know it has a preamp inside
@@iam_mad what do you mean by lean and dry though? You mean like a clear analytical crisp sound?
@@MasterofPlay7
it seems my sound descreption in the video was not succesful 🤔
This clone also works in B class? Is the board trace identical to the original? I'm only interested in the power amp - 200.
for really good sound I advice You to the FM300A
@@iam_mad Hmm. They write that he is muddy.
What do you think about this amp paired with JBL Studio 270 ? Thanks for your opinion.
The NAIM has a very dry controlled Bass and slightly emphasized treble, while the FM300A is more melodical and tube like sounding, it is a question of taste.
I don´t know this JBL, if it has relatively loose soft bass drivers that need control, You take the NAIM, if it has hard tight mounted old school drivers You better take a tube amp or the FM300A,
you cannot that is illegal
im hunting for a good clone amplifier?, what do u recommend?
It very much depends on which speakers You use, which music You hear and what sound-type You are, the more clinical technical hard sound with dry bass, or the more breathing, vivid natural sound with resonating bass.
@@iam_mad which clone do you suggest for the breathing, vivid, natural sound tone?
@@Gilliboy82 FM300A, if You have speakers above 92dB efficienca I would go for the Musical Paradise MP-301
hello,
can you tell me what is the sound difference to a john linsley hood 1969 amp clone?
super videos, thank you.
Hello Sid! Its my pleasure!
The NAIM is way more powerful, has a controlled deep dry bass and a bit piched treble, that is not so clear, and a smaller stage that happens only between the speakers. It is the far end "other side" to a tube amp, more the controlled HiFi type for the consumer speakers, good for critical low efficiency speakers (less 90 dB/W).
The JLH 1969 is pure Calss A, a big stage, cristal clear treble with immense resolution and a breathing lively sound, less Bass. It is way nearer to tube sound, but not so warm like the FM300A.
But You need a better sensitive speaker, my Silenos build (Iam Mad German channel) sounds great with the 1969, but You cannot drive a power hungry speaker from the consumer range to full blast.
thank you for detailed info.
i know your other channel, because i will buy my third speaker, so i have seen your le petit videos, nice one.
nice time
@sidfuel I have the JLH 1969 and use it with a four way Linn speaker and it has no issues driving them through to moderate volume levels. It rips up the typical cost/performance value ratio - an amazing little amp.
🙏🏼🙏🏼 excellent thanks
Like seeing Sean Connery scenes from “Zardoz!”
I saw Zardoz in 1974. Weird movie!
I saw Zardoz in 1974. Weird movie!
Hi very good video indeed and thank you for it
Interesting point at 23:14 I think that this could depend on a different damping factor Imho it is very important that the amp has a high damping factor It can be checked with a response to impulse test or a square wave response at low Hz
This is why tube amps are bad with fast disco music They cant control the woofers
Do you have a schematic for the FM Acoustic maybe ? it would be interesting to analyze it
Have you tested any other clones? I’m trying to find a Class A with a wider soundstage
I will do a test on this soon, its really superb..
just the wattage is limited as You will know 😉
de.aliexpress.com/item/1005004184150157.html
Nice! I see one of these in my future…perhaps.
ps. Jurgen, your English is great, but please check the spelling and pronunciation of ‘weight’
thank You! 😅
Hello.(I have one)
Just to share that my unit has a buzzing sound.
Please contact the shop on Ali-Ex, they must give You support or compensation!
You can keep me updated! Best regards, Jürgen
@@iam_mad I contacted YINYUN Hi-Fi Audio Store and they insisted that the buzzing is normal. Meanwhile I’m consulting a electronics engineer for a 2nd opinion.
一分錢一分貨，只是賣外表，其它😅😅😅
A bit jealous my little friend? 😂
How can China make and sell it for not much money and Naim charges 10X ?
Naim pays the Chinese producing it less, but has to carry a chain of dealers, taxes, customs, etc. until it reaches Your shop. The thing in my video is sold from the factory straight.
@@iam_mad I assume that Naim built their gear in the UK. This would account for the high prices.
I once worked at a hi-end audio store. I saw the purchase invoices. The typical retail markup was 40%. So a good amount of profit for the store!
@@robertjermantowicz-uw3iw They have to pay the employees and the rent for the shop, taxes etc.
nowadays it is difficultt to earn money in our countries...
@@robertjermantowicz-uw3iw maybe they add stickers here, but most parts come from China, even there is already too expensive for most markets, these clones are being built odten in the Philipines
Was hält dich eigentlich davon ab, dieses Video auch, wie üblich, in Deutsch zu bringen..
!?
Nichts, Reinhard. 😉
Alle meine Videos in Englisch haben den Link zum deutschen Pendant in der Beschreibung.
th-cam.com/video/HWGF7A_JFhg/w-d-xo.html