Naim AV1 - poss audiophile minimalist 4 channel surround?

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,598
5,403
1,278
E. England
Guys, I'll be AMAZED if I get a response to this one. But I'm really looking for thoughts.
In the mid '90s, Naim released the AV1 as Dolby Pro Logic/Surround/AC3/DTS was taking off, at the height of the popularity of laserdiscs, just prior to the launch of DVD.
True to idiosyncratic form, Naim's first foray into the mkt was not a copycat Dolby processor, but a hair shirt minimalist tech.
A box w/volume control (preamp style), that came out of the main system preamp. It would then feed a power amp, and a pair of full range rear speakers.
So far, so boring.
But...the AV1 contained a proprietary chip that applied, I believe, a Hafler like process, in effect a digital delay of 10-15ms, fixed not variable (only adjustable for volume), and then switched channels around before going out to the rear power amp/spkrs.
In effect this was to be one of the few processors at the time to be used for music duties as well as movies. Resulting in, Naim said, audiophile 4 channel (NO centre channel, in fact front soundfield unaltered).
It was touted as a way to gain an ambience rear channel sound, and since the musical signal was not altered/degraded (from a pure music point of view) by Dolby decoding, just a simple delay applied, it would not be anathema to the audiophiles out there who would die rather than have an AV processor in their rigs (remember, home cinema was just developing as a market in the mid-90's).
A criticism at the time was that it didn't do "bells and whistles " like the Dolby processors of the time, so lost out to the Yamaha etc units of the day, was actually better suited for music duties, but could not break the strict audiophile adherence to 2ch.
So it became a product w/out a market, and was dicontinued 5 yrs later, when the AV2, w/Dolby on board, was launched.
Preamble over.
At the time, I liked it, but at £1750 was a steep ticket. But demos esp on music were very interesting. It's very subtleness was a big plus point to me, despite the movie guys hating it.
I've just picked up a unit for £99, and am seriously considering trying to integrate it into my rig. I will borrow a pair of full range spkrs, and see how it sounds.
I would just like others' opinions based on what I'm likely to expect, up and downsides.

To summarise - fixed 10-15ms delay. Minimalist otherwise. No Dolby etc. Proprietary Hafler perhaps? Switches signal around to rear channels. Runs signal full range w/delay requiring similar spkrs to front pair (not limited satellites).
 
Last edited:

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing