Naim is set to expand its network music player range at next month's Sound & Vision Bristol show with the arrival of a third model, the NDS.
The company gave the first hints of a further model in a tweet posted last week, saying that 'Something new and exciting' was being photographed, and that 'all will be revealed' at the Bristol show, which is being held at the end of February.
But the cat was let out of the bag by Naim's International Sales Manager, Doug Graham (left), in an interview published today on US website AudioStream.
Asked 'Can you talk about any new products?', he replied 'Yes. In a vague fashion.
'Given the fact that we are already successful with music performance in the digital domain and we see this as a key to future success we will continue to develop the range of streaming clients, DAC's and all-in-one products to meet what we believe will be high demand.
'In February we will launch our top-of-the-line NDS streaming network player at the Bristol Sound and Vision Show.'
Details of the specification are yet to be announced but – given that the feature-set of the company's players seems pretty much fixed now, with internet radio and streaming of content up to 192kHz/24-bit in place, and Apple AirPlay said to be on the way fairly soon – we'd expect the new model to be more about further improvements to sound quality, rather than adding more functionality.
It's also likely that, in common with other 'Classic Series' Naim products, the NDS will be in the company's full-size casework, making it look fairly similar to the NDX (above), rather than in the slimline casework of the ND5 XS.
This would also leave space for some familiar Naim design features such as uprated power supplies, and maybe even the 'floating' circuitry the company has used in other upmarket products, such as the now-discontinued CDS series CD players.
In this design, the digital and analogue sections are mounted on a suspension system to isolate them from external vibrations.
If the new player follows the route taken by the CDS3 CD player, it's possible it could be a two-box design, with the digital and analogue sections in one enclosure, and the power supply in a separate housing.
We've requested pictures, specifications and availability/price information from Naim, and will update this story as and when we receive any further details.
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