NAIT XS 3
Major performance upgrades and now with added love for vinyl
In the six years since the last NAIT integrated amplifiers were released, our research and development team have worked on a range of amplifier improvements.
The result is upgraded power amplifier sections for NAIT XS 3, delivering greater pace and intimacy to their musical delivery – whether it’s driving a pair of loudspeakers or your favourite pair of headphones.
The NAIT XS 3 has received significant performance upgrades, including a built-in phono stage, making it a perfect partner for turntables, as well as for streamers, CD players, or any other music source people want to enjoy with the signature Naim sound.
The NAIT XS 3 offers much of the performance of our reference quality SUPERNAIT 3 in a simpler, slimmer package combining a 70W power amplifier with five analogue inputs plus a phono stage. Its high-performance preamplifier stage is as transparent as you would expect from a Naim Audio amplifier, and it also shares the single-ended class-A headphone output of its larger sibling.
The NAIT XS 3 can be upgraded with our external power supplies, power amplifiers and even cabling upgrades to get the best from all sources.
With our typical obsessive attention to detail – all in service of achieving the most authentic musical performance – the NAIT XS 3 benefits from the following features:
- Class A headphone amplification
- Alps Blue Velvet volume control
- Reed relay input selection
- Ceramic insulators for the power transistors
- Galvanically isolated microprocessor control section
- Microphonic-isolating PCB mounts
The upgrades in more detail:
- Our R&D team has found a way to more than double the speed of the voltage gain stage, which in turn doubles the rate at which the speaker output stage can react.
- The second gain stage transistors have been optimised, so they no longer need to be shielded by a cascode stage transistor. Removing the cascode means less amplifier stabilisation is required: that doubles the slew rate and delivers another uplift in sound quality.
- The phono circuit topology comprises 3 stages: the gain stage, passive equalisation and final gain and active equalisation. This enables excellent noise performance, extended RIAA equalisation beyond the audio band and great overload headroom.
- All RIAA equalisation capacitors are ‘through-hole’ mounted film designs, with low microphonic pickup and excellent transient performance. As phono stages are 1000x more sensitive than other inputs, this greatly benefits the sound quality.
- Input impedance is 47kΩ in parallel with 470F capacitive loading; the gain is perfect for 5mV moving magnet cartridges
| MM Phono Input | via RCA, 47k parallel 470pF input impedance, suitable for 5mV cartridges |
| Line Level Inputs | 130mV sensitivity, 47k input impedance, suitable for 2V |
| Power Amp In | DIN Socket |
| Powered Accessory Sockets | +24V for Naim phono amplifier |
| Speaker Outputs | 70W per channel into 8 ohms (4mm sockets), 100W per channel into 4 ohms |
| Line Outputs Variable (level) | Pre-amp (DIN), Sub (RCA pair) 775mV, <50 ohms |
| Line Outputs Fixed (level) | AV (DIN), Stream (DIN) 130mV, 600 ohms |
| Headphone Output | 1/4 inch (6.35mm) TRS Socket |
| Updates | 1 x USB mini-B |
| Remote Input | 1 x 3.5mm Jack on rear |
| Case | Black powder coated |
| Front | Brushed and black anodised |
| Shipping Weight | 12 kg |
| Shipping Dimensions | 200 x 590 x 500 mm |
| Weight | 8.5 kg |
| Dimensions (HxWxD) | 70 x 432 x 314 mm |
| Power Consumption (max.) | 350VA |
| Mains Supply | 115V, 230V; 50 or 60Hz |
| Power Consumption (quiescent) | 16VA |
| Supplied with | NARCOM-5 Remote Control, Mains Lead, Link Plug and Safety Manual |
| Front Panel | Volume control and front panel buttons |
| Remote Control | Infra-Red (RC5) |