Naim 5i powerful enough for KEF LS50?
I don't plan to buy a new amp in the next couple of years.The idea is that you sell the amp (I got £580 for my Nait 5i two years ago) and add the money to your speaker budget. That should - just about - get you the latest version ADM9s which have their own amps, DAC and remote controlled pre-amp all built in.
I don't plan to buy a new amp in the next couple of years.The idea is that you sell the amp (I got £580 for my Nait 5i two years ago) and add the money to your speaker budget. That should - just about - get you the latest version ADM9s which have their own amps, DAC and remote controlled pre-amp all built in.
That was my thought, but there might still be the earlier versions available at the outlet I mentioned. That's where I bought mine and they were considerably less than the new RS model.
I don't plan to buy a new amp in the next couple of years.The idea is that you sell the amp (I got £580 for my Nait 5i two years ago) and add the money to your speaker budget. That should - just about - get you the latest version ADM9s which have their own amps, DAC and remote controlled pre-amp all built in.
I understand that. I actually bought my current amp second hand in the summer of 2010 for less than £580. So selling them now for a similar price is not really realistic imo. I don't have the intention to sell them right now too to be honest. I like the Naim sound signature a lot too. I maybe should have stressed that a little bit more in my opening post.
Spot on.
This afternoon I was able to audition these speakers. First impression: they are very small and have a really beautiful buildquality. I heard them on a NAD 372BEE amp and NAD C565BEE source. I don't need a lot of words to describe how I felt: I was totally blown away!
During about 45 minutes I was able to listen to a mix of musical genres and I loved every second of it. The LS50 has an effortless, spacious, musical, fun and extremely detailed sound to my ears. Voices are nothing short of phenomenal, never heard anything quite like this. Saxophones and trumpets sound sensational too on these gems.
I got offered a 7% discount and couldn't reslst it. 
They will be delivered on Thursday. I am very confident they will sound great with my Naim amp and source too.
Thanks WHF for the glorious review that aroused my interest in the KEF's! I had never been impressed by this brand before and wouldn't have bothered to audition them. Thanks to all the posters in this thread too!
Of course I'll give my impressions this weekend! 
This afternoon I was able to audition these speakers. First impression: they are very small and have a really beautiful buildquality. I heard them on a NAD 372BEE amp and NAD C565BEE source. I don't need a lot of words to describe how I felt: I was totally blown away!
During about 45 minutes I was able to listen to a mix of musical genres and I loved every second of it. The LS50 has an effortless, spacious, musical, fun and extremely detailed sound to my ears. Voices are nothing short of phenomenal, never heard anything quite like this. Saxophones and trumpets sound sensational too on these gems.
I got offered a 7% discount and couldn't reslst it. They will be delivered on Thursday. I am very confident they will sound great with my Naim amp and source too.
Thanks WHF for the glorious review that aroused my interest in the KEF's! I had never been impressed by this brand before and wouldn't have bothered to audition them. Thanks to all the posters in this thread too!
Of course I'll give my impressions this weekend!
They just get better the more hours you use them.
Much to my suprise the speakers were already delivered this afternoon. Hurried home from work of course.
Have been listening for about two hours now and I am delighted by the sound. Mediocre recordings do get a rough time with the KEF's. But that's is inevitable as you move higher up the hifi-ladder I suppose.For me Naim is a better match with the LS50 than NAD. The presentation has more excitement and oomph imo. I do need to turn the volumeknob a bit more open compared to the B&W 685's. 11 o'clock now, while 9 o'clock used to be enough.
In a nutshell: I am very happy with these little babies. 
The presentation has more excitement and oomph imo. I do need to turn the volumeknob a bit more open compared to the B&W 685's. 11 o'clock now, while 9 o'clock used to be enough.
I found that with the Kefs as well.
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Well, to answer the original question. I don't think a Nait 5i will have any problem powering the KEF's. I've heard the Nait 5i on a full size monitor gold speaker and it could get it to painful volumes.
It's always nice to talk about combo's with speakers but always try to hear the match first.
Things can seem perfect in your head while the actual execution may leave much to be desired for.
It's nice to know that the Nait 5i is able to do power such speakers. Although being able to reach high volumes doesn't necessarily mean that an amp is powerful enough to get the most out of speakers. It's a postive indication, but no guarantee.
I'll try to find a dealer who has these speakers and ask if I may audition them with my own amp.
Active speakers are a bit too expensive for me at the moment. I can just about stretch my budget to buy the KEF's.
I don't plan to buy a new amp in the next couple of years.