naim news summer 16pg

CD Magic

Inter-connections

13/6/70

summer 2006

One Box Home Theatre

12:35 AM

New Speakers

Antonio Forcione

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New Naim Label Releases

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Its been a while since the last newsletter but as youll see from the contents of this one, weve been busy. Busy with our best ever CD player, the CD 555, busy with AV perfection in a box, the n-Vi, busy with the first ever in-house designed interconnect, the Hi-Line and Air-PLUG, and busy with a range of AV speakers.
Our exclusive remote handset, Flash, has had a make-over with new interface software and a new, flashier, look. Flash is included with the CD 555 CD Player and NAC 552 Preamplifier, but will control any of our players or preamplifiers to perfection. So if you deserve a little gift, and who doesnt, Flash might be just the thing.

Flashier

Welcome
Along with reading about such exciting new hardware youll find in the following pages an interview with Naim Label artist Antonio Forcione, a Naim test drive offer and a rundown of recent Naim Label releases. Youll also notice weve indulged in a little corporate graphic make-over - part of which has been a return to the traditional Naim green. We hope you like it.
They're Still Talking About Us

Competition!

While writing the Naim Label feature on page 14 we were lost for a link between pianist Laurence Hobgood and recording engineer Martin Levan, so perhaps you can come up with something. There are copies of Laurences and Antonio Forciones latest CDs for the first person to suggest a non Naim Label link between Laurence and Martin. A link could be projects they both worked on, artists they have both worked with or any other obscure connection. Get the idea? Email thenaim.label@naim-uk.com with your suggestions. First valid one, funniest one or cleverest one, wins.
There have always been good things said about our products, and reading them still gives us a buzz. Here are a few recent highlights.
What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision, Ultimate Guide Spring 2006 DVD5 (five star review) ".but what really takes your breath away is the performance of this machine." What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision, Ultimate Guide Spring 2006 n-Vi (five star review) "This is a great movie solution and a high quality music player." What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision, December 2005 CDX2 ".a musical entertainer of the highest order." Gramophone, April 2006 n-Vi ".all in one unit offers excellence all round." Stereoplay (Germany), 2006 CD 555 "Neue Referenz"
Naim Audio Limited, Southampton Road, Salisbury, England SP1 2LN Tel: +44 (0)Fax: +44 (0)4702 www.naim-audio.com Naim Audio North America Inc., 5657 West Howard Street, Niles IL 60714 USA Tel: +Fax: +e-mail: sales@naimusa.com Dimexs Inc., 9998 Lajeunesse, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3L 2E1 Tel: 3737 Fax: 7207 e-mail: info@dimexs.com

TWO news summer 2006

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Test Drive a Naim System. and Bring Your Music

to Life

There is a reason we are all so easily moved by live music. It has life. It stirs emotions, conjures moods, excites and stimulates and it is precisely because Naim capture the spirit of the performance, we believe you will be equally moved by the sound of Naim in your own home.
As readers of the Hi-Fi press, musicians and music aficionados everywhere know, Naims commitment to excellence cannot be questioned. Unfortunately, until you actually experience a Naim hi-fi, its too easy simply to dismiss everything we say as just another manufacturers exaggeration. Thats why we want to invite you to try a hi-fi system in your home so you can hear it for yourself. All you have to do is contact your local Naim retailer to make arrangements to hear this wonderful system in your home. All of our products are engineered to the highest standards and we truly believe they are the best in the world. After a weekend listening to your music on our system, we think youll believe it too. It really doesnt matter what genre of music you listen to, the Naim system will make it enjoyable and enticing. Jaw-droppingly good. Alan Sircom, Hi-Fi CHOICE, 2004. Hi-Fi for the home like youve never heard it before. This UK company are World leaders in music reproduction, this combo offers stunning performance and value Chris Thomas, Independent specialist Hi-Fi journalist, 2004. Musically, in a class of its own, imbuing a richness and life that CD frequently lacks Hi-Fi News, 2004.

NAIT 5i Integrated Amplifier. The finest-sounding integrated amplifier ever to carry the Naim logo. Hear why Naim is legendary for rhythmic drive and musical integrity. One Hi-Fi journalist described the new Nait 5i as jawdroppingly good. CD5i CD Player. Every Naim CD player is built in the belief that recorded music can be as inspiring and passionate as the real thing. The new CD5i will make you believe it too. Ariva Floor Standing Speakers. No matter what music you listen to, Naims Ariva speakers are built to make it sound better. You have never heard recorded music sound so effortlessly lifelike, or so completely natural.
Offer only applicable in the UK.

news summer 2006 THREE

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It never ceases to amaze us that the CD format still has more to offer. But it does. The CD 555 eclipses all that went before. It takes CD player design, engineering and construction into completely uncharted territory, and takes player performance into the realms of the magical.
If we could point to one or two specific technical innovations that make the CD 555 perform the way it does wed probably be wise to keep quiet about them. However, there is no simple recipe for a player like the CD 555. Its performance is the result of the continual research and experimentation that slowly pulls back the layers of complexity in CD replay to reveal what might be done to make it better. Thats not to say however that the CD 555 isnt brimful of engineering highlights that were quietly pleased with.
The CD 555 is more Formula One than consumer electronics. Its transport and electronic suspension systems are more sophisticated than any high-end turntable (without the need for a monthly adjustment) and its electronics, both digital and analogue, are honed down to the last shred of engaging, passionate, musical performance. The CD 555 includes a transport tray machined from a solid billet of aerospace grade aluminium, and a solid brass sub-chassis to suspend each circuit board in splendid isolation.

CD 555 CD Magic!

FOUR news summer 2006

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CD 555 electronics incorporate an independent clock circuit with its own multi-stage regulated power supply, DACs isolated from electrical and magnetic fields, and post digital filter circuitry that all but eliminates jitter. All analogue electronics are implemented with discrete components. CD 555 is driven from a separate power supply, the CD 555PS, itself a few steps up the performance ladder from its predecessor. It incorporates seven

regulated power supplies including a separate one for the players clock circuitry, five secondary transformer windings, and separate analogue and digital output sockets to minimize high frequency noise modulation. While its construction is pure 555 in philosophy, design, and engineering, like its XPS2 predecessor it can be used as an upgrade bridge through its ability to power the CDX, CDX2 and CDS3.
But for all the design, engineering, expertise and skill, there is only one real test for a CD player - listening to the music it makes. In an audio World increasingly driven by downloads and lossy data formats, a CD player like the CD555 might appear anachronistic. But thats before you experience what it can do.

news summer 2006 FIVE

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One thing

leads to
The sound of a Naim system is not just down to the equipment. The cables that connect it all together have a huge influence too. Thats why weve consistently argued the benefits of DIN connectors and why we so strongly recommend that systems are connected using our specially tailored interconnects. At the same time, weve always viewed some of the more esoteric cable constructions and techniques out there with a little scepticism. Cables can add nothing to the performance of a system, they can only subtract, and minimising the loss is an engineering challenge, not a mystical journey.
So how come with the launch of the new Hi-Line cable and Air-PLUG weve introduced our own take on the esoteric interconnect? Because it better meets the engineering challenge, thats why. Development began during the design of

another.

the CD 555 CD Player. Was the existing interconnect holding the performance back? Was there time to develop something totally new? The chance to start with a clean sheet was tempting but at the same time continuous improvement often delivers more. The clean sheet approach won the day however, driven by some radical ideas that our Technical Director Roy George had been thinking about for a while. After a R&D brainstorm session the ideas began to gel and it was obvious that a new cable also needed a new plug. Audio interconnect plugs are surprisingly significant transmitters of mechanical vibration (although even standard DIN plugs are far better than Phono plugs in this respect). Vibrational energy from one piece of equipment, or picked up by the cable, is transferred to sensitive electronics by the plug and raises the electronic noise floor. The Air-PLUG, however, along with providing a near perfect electrical connection, mechanically decouples the interconnect from the equipment dissipating the vibrational energy in the process. It does the job through its novel lossy flexible section construction that allows each element a limited degree of movement while the whole assembly still securely restrains the cable. Even the connection pins are allowed by the plug construction to float. The cable itself is soft-clamped by the Air-PLUGs end section in such a manner that the conductors are not squashed and the impedance characteristic not altered. Between each Air-PLUG, the exclusive new Hi-Line cable offers extremely low capacitance and resistance thanks to its construction from 80 litz conductors surrounded by PTFE, Kapton and PTFE covered by a semi-conductive shield to reduce static charges. This assembly is then wrapped by two spiral wound copper shields and lapped PTFE tape. Two of these assemblies side by side are then further wrapped in layers of PTFE tape and finally a rubber outer covering. This gives a two-channel cable where the signal and RF grounds are held in a static position relative to each other negating any difference in field between them. Theres probably never been so much engineering effort expended on a simple audio interconnect cable (as witnessed by the Air-PLUG being the subject of a patent application), and an interconnect has probably never brought such an improvement in system performance. There are some times when a clean sheet approach to design is best - Hi-Line and Air-PLUG was one of those times.

SIX news summer 2006

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Satellite, Centre and Sub

Done Properly

Specifications (n-SATS, n-Cent)
n-SATs Frequency Response Sensitivity 50Hz - 20kHz 87dB for 1 Watt @ 1 metre 100 Watts 6 Ohms 285 x 200 x 208mm Cherry, Maple, Black Lacquer n-CENT 50Hz - 20kHz 87dB for 1 Watt @ 1 metre 120 Watts 6 Ohms 160 x 430 x 200mm Cherry, Maple, Black Lacquer Power Handling Nominal Impedance Dimensions (H x W x D) Finishes

Specifications (n-SUB)

n-SUB Frequency Response Amplifier Power Inputs Dimensions (H x W x D) Finishes 20Hz - 250Hz 350 Watts 2 x line level, 1 x speaker level 385 x 385 x 393mm Cherry, Maple, Black Lacquer
n-Series is a high performance AV speaker solution with a difference it actually plays music properly while still providing all the excitement, drama and detail of movies.
The n-SATs majors on performance and versatility. As well as playing the AV satellite role to perfection, it also makes an ideal compact monitor for small scale conventional stereo systems - with or without the n-SUB subwoofer. n-SATs features an in-house designed 130mm paper cone bass/mid driver combined with the same 19mm ring radiator tweeter used in the Ariva. The tweeter is mounted in a separate sealed enclosure and the curved panel 5-litre cabinet
benefits from the same mass-damping resonance control techniques used in our high-end hi-fi designs. Designed to complement the n-SATs in multi-channel audio or AV systems, the n-CENT uses two 130mm bass/mid drivers and the same Ariva style tweeter driver in a symmetrical horizontal array. Each driver is fitted in separate chambers within a cabinet that, like the n-SATs, features curved panels and mass damping. The n-SUB is a remote controlled active subwoofer designed for either AV systems with n-SATs and n-CENT, or to extend the bandwidth of a pair of n-SATs in a compact stereo audio system. Based around a closed-box loaded 250mm
extended displacement driver and a powerful integral amplifier, the n-SUB features comprehensive control and interface facilities including, for example, six preset memories that allow settings for different programme material types or system applications to be easily stored and recalled. An AV speaker range would not be complete without an integrated stand and wall bracket solution so both an n-STAND and n-BRACKET are optionally available to enable floor and wall mounting of n-SATs and n-CENT. Both feature a three-point, minimal contact speaker interface, and the n-STAND includes cable management for tidy installation.

news summer 2006 SEVEN

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And Now For Something

Completely
Its not often that we get the chance to incorporate almost everything we know about very high performance audio and video in one product. But then its not often that a product like the n-Vi comes along. Each and every field of Naim technical expertise - CD and DVD replay, D to A conversion, AV processing, audio preamplification, power supply, power amplification, electromechanical isolation, user interface - is represented in the n-Vi. More than the sum of its parts doesnt even begin to do it justice.

n-Vi is an integrated DVD/CD player, AV processor, audio preamplifier and five channel power amplifier with retrofittable DAB/FM tuner and Video Scaler options. Quite a list and quite an achievement - especially when each and every element reaches the performance and subjective standards that a Naim logo on the front panel demands. n-Vi is no less than a complete Naim audio-visual system in a box, and when partnered with n-SATs, n-CENT and n-SUB speakers is the heart of perhaps the best integrated home entertainment system money can buy. It might be easier to list the things that n-Vi cant do than those it can but even we fall prey to a little ego massaging occasionally. So, in no particular order, the n-Vi can;

Play CD, DVD, and DVD-A

(24bit/192kHz) media.
Decode the full range Dolby Digital,
DTS, PLII, and PCM audio-visual programme material.
Output 5.1 channels of analogue

audio.

Output progressive-scan video in DVI,
RGB, and YPbPr formats and interlaced video in S-Video and SCART formats.
Drive five loudspeakers at 90 Watts into

4 Ohms.

Accept, route and decode if required
2 analogue and 2 digital signal inputs.

TEN news summer 2006

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Fabulous

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of n-Vi is that its huge capabilities come at no cost to performance. Its video performance is nearly identical to that of our DVD5 - itself acknowledged as among the best. Its CD replay performance is competitive with a stand-alone Naim CD player, and its signal handling and decoding is equivalent to our AV2 - not only one of the finest audio-visual processors but also a hugely capable high-end audio preamplifier. Along with the n-Vis set of features being a first for Naim, so are many of the technologies within. Two significant examples are the n-Vis Switch Mode power supply and Class D power amplifiers. Both these digital technologies, which offer significant space, heat and efficiency savings over conventional analogue techniques, have long been the subject of research projects at Naim and their development to a level where they were ready to be incorporated within a product came just at the right time for the n-Vi. Overcoming the electrical noise generated by the high-frequency switching inherent in both technologies was achieved in a typically Naim fashion: borrowing the techniques of digital circuit design learned in the design of CD players and treating digital systems as if they are just very fast analogue. Naims implementation of Switch Mode and Class D are hybrids - digital designed with the discipline of analogue. n-Vi not only has perhaps everything youll ever need, but its all easily accessible too. Just nine front panel buttons and a double height display creates a user interface thats both uncluttered and intuitive, while remote control with fully interactive On Screen Display provides the option of setup and control in comfort.

news summer 2006 ELEVEN

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While other guitarists may have a casual relationship with the instrument, Forciones love of the wooden box with strings in all of its various cultural guises goes much deeper.
Its been a long musical journey for Antonio. From entertaining the locals playing Spanish guitar on the Adriatic coast, via busking in London, to a position today as a leading international jazz musician.
According to Italian-born Forcione the acoustic guitar is part of his DNA. While other guitarists may have a casual relationship with the instrument, Forciones love of the wooden box with strings in all of its various cultural guises goes much deeper. Theres something about that vibration in your bones when youre playing it. It belongs to my nature. When you go to some place like Turkey you see some amazing players there but nobodys ever heard of them, why arent they up there with the American jazz guitarists? Theres a huge gap between this kind of music and whats going on in the so-called western World. Theres far too much pop and rock and far too little of things that refer to roots. I think theres a lot more to discover here in Europe. Thats what Im realising more and more and Im keen on exploring that. In Africa too, he continues. The rhythms, tempos, the way they play. I adore Salif Keita, the beautiful irregularities and the way they express themselves. Its not manufactured. Its a line thats not so straight. The way they play sometimes is slightly out of rhythm for a little bit then going back to it. Thats fascinating. Were so bad here weve learnt every bass, drum and snare is so
precise. If someones not that precise for us here its becoming wrong. But thats a dangerous thing. Its not wrong. Thats human. And Im more and more interested in that aspect and thats why I keep pursuing people who play with their hands with no loops. Its all to do with communicating and making it happen, because youre dealing within your self and with your own limitations. From the age of 11, Forcione was entertaining his local community playing mazurkas, tangos and waltzes on Spanish guitar with his two accordion-playing uncles in the streets of the village on the Adriatic coast in which he was brought up. To the constant irritation of his jazz guitar tutor, he kept turning up to lessons with his acoustic instead of electric He always told me off but I just found it was more Latin and the sound just moved me more, Antonio says. In 1983 he moved to London and started busking in Covent Garden because he didnt know enough English to be able to get a gig in a pub. However, it wasnt long before he was thrilling the passing crowds, and went on to win the Time Out Street Entertainers competition in an acoustic guitar duo playing the music, among others, of two of his jazz heroes John McLaughlin and Django Reinhardt. Around this time Forcione was approached with an offer to open for progressive band Barclay James

Antonio

TWELVE news summer 2006

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I enjoy every tune I want to record for the album. I dont tailor-make them for a certain audience, for smooth radio at all, not even length as a lot of them do. It sounds a bit too idealistic but it is like that.
recent addition from New Zealand (double bassist Nathan Thompson). Forciones music has in the past been a favorite with smooth radio. On the new album, impressionistic compositions such as Spanish Breeze, Sahara Rain, and Earth Spirit have titles that look like theyd be at home in the new age section of a record shop. So I wondered how he felt about being labeled as a smooth artist? After dealing with this question before and never knowing how to answer it I say, I dont categorise I play he says. Yes, sometimes I may sound smooth and when Im not digging with my fingers on the strings its fine by me. I enjoy every tune I want to record for the album. I dont tailor-make them for a certain audience, for smooth radio at all, not even length as a lot of them do. It sounds a bit too idealistic but it is like that. The same approach I had when I was 14 I still have now. It has to move me. If it doesnt then its not going to be on my album. I dont think its the only category I would use for my music. When you play acoustic, its got a certain fashion, as we call it in Italy. I dont like playing the acoustic and trying to sound like an electric, trying to do what that instrument cannot do. My overall aim is not to play smooth music or loud or fast music but what I do care about is to be able to deliver certain moods. I start with the mood. Compared to his previous CD Touch Wood, the new CD is more melancholic and reflective than Forcione has attempted previously, with less evidence of the percussive effects he regularly performs live on the guitar body and strings. Im digging much more into the emotional than virtuoso, he says. Im playing more of a mood - the side of my composing thats perhaps more than playing notes and playing fast. Does the albums wistful, reflective mood reflect his personal experience?
I guess so, he says. Its a lot to do with the times you have in life for reflection. Its age, its the death of a friend and things like that. Things changing. And the immortality you feel when youre in your twenties. He tells me about one track Landmark that relates to the recent death of someone close to him and how the loss has affected his attitude as a musician. I think people that have a job as a musician are quite privileged to have an audience, I find I almost have a duty to give positivity. The fact that you do good music is already a good thing but maybe theres more to it. Im asking myself, well maybe we could do more about it because there are too many injustices around like Third World children that Im more and more involved in helping out. I went to Turkey and played for orphanages, children that needed to raise money for their schools and buy books. Its feeling youre doing something much greater than showing that you can play. When youre in your twenties its more an ego thing: youre putting yourself first in whatever youre doing. But I start playing much better and dealing with my life much better when I put music first. The music is the one that has to talk its not me saying look at me, how good I am.

Harvest on their 1984 European tour, and was subsequently catapulted on to stages in front of audiences of 20,000 plus. Since then hes opened for big names such as Phil Collins, Van Morrison and John Scofield, but more importantly has developed his own eclectic brand of acoustic roots music, playing international festivals and theatres all over the world and slowly building an enthusiastic following for his charismatic, incredibly physical and virtuosic live performances. Among the highlights of the 13 albums he has released to date is Ghetto Paradise, a sensuous collaboration at the end of the 1990s with John McLaughlins late 1980s rhythm section - percussionist Trilok Gurtu and bassist Kai Eckhardt. Having now been resident in London for over 20 years, Forcione releases Tears of Joy his ninth album for Naim. Typically for the guitarist/composer, Tears of Joy is an airy, romantic concoction of global sounds with Forciones enormous range of influence extending from Spanish flamenco, West African, Brazilian, and East European folk music through to classical, pastoral rock, blues and gypsy-jazz. As on his previous album Touch Wood released in 2003, his main quartet is made up of an array of international musicians from Brazil (percussionist Adriano Adewale), Nigeria (cellist Jenny Adejayan) and a fairly
This article is an edited version of an interview by Selwyn Harris that appeared in Jazzwise June 2005.
Antonio Forcione illustration by Veronique Dupont.

Forcione

news summer 2006 THIRTEEN

Tears of Joy

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No Naim newsletter would be complete without a run-down of recent Naim Label releases, so here it is. Guitar highlight of recent discs is Tears Of Joy the new studio album from Antonio Forcione available on both CD (CD087) and Vinyl LP (LP092). Antonios reputation for the acoustic guitar equivalent of fireworks will be familiar to anybody who has heard his previous work or seen the man himself live, but on Tears Of Joy he displays a more poetic and reflective musical character. Antonio is joined on Tears Of Joy by cello, percussion and accordion, supplemented with occasional double bass, drums, piano and vocals. It was recorded and mixed by veteran recording engineer Martin Levan at his Red Kite Studios in Wales. Martin will need no introduction to anybody who reads album covers, but try as we might we cant think of any clever link between him and our next release, Laurence Hobgoods Crazy World (CD084). If Antonio defines virtuoso, then pianist Laurence Hobgood, no stranger to the Naim Label, defines cool. Crazy World is a collection of Laurences originals and transcriptions, and marks the debut release of the trio that accompanies internationally renowned and Grammy nominated singer Kurt Elling. Laurence, with Rob Amster Cool could also be used to describe Remember The River, Fred Simons second release for the Label. News this time around however is of a Vinyl LP version of Freds critically acclaimed release (LP086). The warmth and intimacy of Remember The River works perfectly on vinyl and those who still favour the LP really shouldnt miss out on this exceptional True Stereo recording. Continuing the vinyl theme, two past classics of the Label have also

on bass and Frank Parker on drums, demonstrate a beautifully light touch on Crazy World. Kurt also provides vocals on two tracks.
EIGHT news summer 20062006 FOURTEEN news summer

12:36 AM

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recently made it on to 180g black disc. Antonios first release Dedicato (LP083) and Charlie Haden and Chris Andersons None But The Lonely Heart (LP079). Finally on vinyl we have a new compilation, Music Collection Volume 2 (LP095), featuring pieces by Antonio Forcione, and Giorgio Serci among others. Back on CD were very happy to be involved in a second project with ex-John Martyn band member and Chapman Stick virtuoso Jim Lampi. Jims latest endeavor Digital Dreaming (CR03) is a collaboration recorded in Australia and Germany. Jim and producer Zeus B Held travelled around Australia, playing gigs with local musicians and capturing the spirit of the indigenous sounds. There they met singersongwriter Frank Yamma, whose English and native Pitjanjatjara vocals form the basis of all songs for the album. Digital Dreaming is a truly international project inspired by the outback and featuring Franks raw and passionate vocals against a backdrop of hypnotic grooves and beats. What would Mozart have made of it? Speaking of Mozart, we couldnt miss the 250th anniversary of his birth. In celebration weve recorded the Allegri Quartets first single repertoire disc for the label. They enlisted the help of viola player and former quartet member Prunella Pacey to contribute to two of Mozarts most profound quintets - the C Major and G Minor (CD085). The Sunday Times (UK) described the disc as incisive, well paced, naturally expressive. a richly satisfying performance. While Mozart would have understood the Allegri he might have raised an eyebrow at Chicago saxophonist Jim Gailorettos Jazz String Quintet project (CD090). Jim and the HAWK Quartet have collaborated to record an original blend of jazz and classical styles for string quartet and soprano
saxophone. The recording is immersed in the traditions of classical chamber music whilst simultaneously expanding and exploring all the fundamental elements of jazz. Actually we think Mozart, no mean improviser himslelf, would have loved it. Two more Label debuts: First, drummer Reuben Hoch has teamed up with pianist Don Friedman and bassist Ed Schuller to record Reuben Hoch and Time (CD088). The result is an outstanding exploration of piano trio territory. Second, guitarist Nicolas Meier with his new London-based Meier Group of saxophonists Gilad Atzmon, Dave OHiggins and Rob Laver, bassist Tom Mason and drummer Asaf Sirkis, has recorded Orient (CD091). It demonstrates his considerable abilities as an innovative writer, player and group leader. The Guardian (UK) said, Orient is a seductive balance of strong themes, inventive improvising and dynamic variety.

Finally, a quick heads-up for releases to look out for in the coming months. Norwegian pianist Hvard Gimse is once again recording for the Label with a set of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven pieces(CD089). Songwriter and composer Daniel Mulhern has just completed recording a debut for the Label, Pigeon Coup (CD096), at Ray Daviess studio (and time-capsule of vintage audio equipment). Lastly, Another Side (CD093) a CD featuring ex Pat Metheny drummer Paul Wertico, guitarist John Moulder and bassist Brian Peters, is also on the way. Lastly, look out for the next release in the series with Reuben Hoch and his trio. A quick email to thenaim.label@naim-uk.com will get you on the mailing list to receive news of these and all other releases.
news summer 2006 FIFTEEN news summer 2006 NINE

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Putting

Customer Services

WOW into
Looking after our customers the way we would like to be looked after ourselves! That's the objective. We realised, right from the early days of Naim, that a customer remains a customer long after leaving the shop. This is why we've always made sure customers in need of advice on system selection and set-up, upgrades and service options receive the knowledgeable, experienced and enthusiastic response that they deserve irrespective of the level or age of the equipment being discussed. Exceeding expectations is not just an easy clich, it has become a way of life.
Customer Relations Manager and first point of contact for voice, postal or email enquiries, is Adam Meredith. Adam has had a long career in the hi-fi sector retailing in Dublin, Chicago and the UK, and later journalism in the UK. The customer-facing position at Naim might well have been designed for him and he sees the role to be as much about enabling customers in their quest for good sound as it is the simple provision of information. Heres Adams take on it. Giving definite answers to apparently simple upgrade enquiries is more complex than it seems. Thirty years of products with countless permutations requires a full understanding of the customers needs and plans. In retail I was pretty lousy at selling but rather better at helping people towards a system that would suit them. I hate wasted effort and my first question is often to ask if a customer expects to be developing a system further or if their query is about a one-off purchase. I definitely dont speak from a script. Ill give you the benefit of our experience

but always emphasise that the ultimate criterion is your opinion - informed by audition. If I find anything about the job dispiriting, it is the people who expect a collection of compatible Naim units from eBay to align into a satisfying system without the guidance that a good retailer can offer. What I can do is as nothing compared to the assistance a knowledgeable person on the spot will be able to achieve. Naims world-renowned Service Department, still very much capable of servicing, repairing or updating almost all Naim products of any vintage, is now further integrated under the aegis of Customer Relations. Adam continues. It has become more and more necessary for our two departments to act as one and the simple act of moving Service Administration to a desk just next to mine has meant far better understanding between us and quicker decision making. In the past, customers sometimes found themselves dealing with two departments at the same time as they extended an update or service call
to discuss a technical issue or system upgrade. Now we have just one conduit for pretty much any question a customer might have of us. Beverley Haysom heads the Service Department, overseeing the day-to-day engineering work, while the public face of the Service Department continues to be Sheila Jones. Sheila is one of our longest serving employees and her knowledge of Naim products from the last twenty-five years borders on the uncanny. Finally, with the introduction of highly sophisticated AV and custom install products to the range, it became obvious that a specialist was needed at the end of the phone. Paul Preston brings to the role in-depth knowledge of audio-visual technology gained from years working in the commercial AV sector. I was finding myself increasingly dependent on Pauls AV knowledge and this has been invaluable in problem solving. Bringing him into the Customer Relations team was an obvious good move. says Adam, as ever, getting the last Word.

SIXTEEN news summer 2006

Naim CD Ripping Engine
Steve Harris Naim Audio Southampton Road, Salisbury, SP1 2LN, England
1. Introduction This paper describes the issues of making quality copies of audio from a CD onto a hard drive. During the development of the Naim Audio Server and Hard Disk Player range, it became very apparent that there was a large variation in systems for extracting audio data from CDs. From analysis the issues came down to: Secure Mode ripping and techniques to get the audio samples off the disc Copy protected and non compliant CDs Offset Correction Capturing track lead-in and lead-out The CD mechanism and the firmware running inside it. 2. Burst Mode vs. Secure Mode Ripping PCs have shown that a CD can be copied to hard drive within a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, due to the weak error correction system implemented on audio CDs, the resultant audio files can be not bit perfect. The issues can range from subtle but audible unnecessary interpolation, to random clicks and pops when copying used CDs. This type of ripping is known as Burst mode and assumes that the sectors being read from the disc are perfect; hence a fast copy can be achieved. Some mechanisms provide hardware-assisted correction in this mode, but typically it results in unnecessary interpolation of the audio, rather than trying techniques to get the real audio samples from the disc. The Naim audio servers use a superior technique called Secure Mode Ripping on a specially selected audio grade CD mechanism. Secure mode works by using a CD mechanism that does not cache data and reads the sectors multiple times. It also uses the un-correctable C2 error feedback information supported by the CD mechanism, so known problematic areas can be re-read and handled accordingly. The Naim engine typically spins discs at peak speeds of 16x, but when problematic areas of the disc are reached, the disc rotation speed is reduced, as this can help on reading the data off the disc. Given the peak speed of x16, the way the ripping works where at bare minimum the data is read twice, this reduces the ripping speed to x 8. Tracks at the start of disc actually rip slower then ones on the outer edge, as the physical spin speed needs to be inherently faster nearer the centre and mechanical speed limits are reached. Also there is overhead locking into the start of each track. So the real world speed is around x7.5. Copy protected discs that have purposely corrupted error correction information are detected and the interpolation algorithm as used by a traditional CD player to play such a CD is used, hence the resultant audio www.naimaudio.com
data is reconstructed. Typically the Naim server will rip a CD in about 8 minutes, which is approx 3 times slower than burst mode, but gives a far higher level of confidence that the extraction of data off the disc was done properly.
Comparison of ripped track using Naim Rip versus Rip using a common media player 3. Copy Protected CDs One of the key requirements of a CD ripping engine is to ensure that it can handle a wide range of real world CDs. Nowadays there are plenty of non standard CDs due to copy protections schemes implemented that break compliance with the original Philips Red book (audio) and Orange Book (audio + data) CD specification. Copy protection schemes fall under four techniques: 3.1 Corrupt Table Of Contents (TOC). Orange and yellow books CDs can have multiple sessions on them. This scheme assumes that an audio CD player will only look at the first TOC entry, while on a computer drive it will read the other TOC entries which are purposely corrupted. 3.2 Corrupt data layer on Orange Book CDs. These CDs are a hybrid of traditional audio tracks and also an optional computer data section. This opens the opportunity for audio CDs to contain multimedia content. Some copy protection schemes use the quirk that if a PC CDROM drive attempts to read a data layer that has unreadable sections on it, then it will give up mounting the disc, so the audio section part of the disc is inaccessible to the computer. 3.3 Corrupt C1 & C2 Reed-Solomon Information in the audio information. The copy protection scheme purposes breaks the error correction information embedded in the audio and forces the player to interpolate. Many ripping systems cannot handle this situation, so they decide that the disc is faulty and abort on ripping the disc. This type of schemes is bad as it makes discs vulnerable to wear and tear and it also affects sound quality. -124th April 2008
3.4 Auto-run computer software supplied on data layer of Orange Book Disc that blocks access to audio tracks. This is a very sinister scheme as it works by automatically installing software on the users computer that blocks access to the audio tracks on the CD. Some of these small software applications were hidden deep in the operating system of the computer and very difficult to remove. This is known as a Root Kit. Luckily these schemes were short-lived as the system is virus like in the way it achieves its protection method. The Naim ripping engine has a high level of compatibility with the various non-compliant discs in the market. The audio mechanism runs custom firmware that the data part of orange book CDs appear invisible, hence giving ultimate protection against data layer corruption tricks. 4. Offset Correction Most computer CD-ROM mechanisms suffer from a symptom where there is a small positional error when playing audio CDs. This is because the calculated position vs. the actual position the laser moves to on the disc is slightly different. The consequence of this is that either the start or end of the track is not captured correctly. Schemes like AccurateRip have been created which allows users to calibrate their data grade mechanism via their ripping application, by inserting a CD that is known by the AccurateRip database on the Internet. A positive or negative offset can be then calculated to adjust for the offset error. Few ripping applications actually support this and its hit and miss if the CD mechanism supports this either (i.e. each mechanism manufactured is consistent), as the finer details of the firmware in CD drives are rarely advertised. The Naim ripping system uses a drive designed for reading audio CDs and is factory calibrated to have no offset error. This ensures that the start and end of tracks are accurately captured. 5. Capturing Track Lead-in and Lead-out times CDs have a concept of time between tracks that can be defined by the artist. This can range from nothing (one track merges on to the next), to several seconds. MP3s and WAV files have no concept of this inter-track album spacing, which means ripped albums typically lose this information. It is up to the player to add a predefined gap between tracks. On gapless albums, like live concerts, this can ruin the flow of the recording. If this information is not captured at rip time, then it is impossible to add this information at a later stage. The Naim ripping engine captures the lead-in and lead-out times and records this as silence (PCM0) into the WAV audio files. When the player application is playing an album, it seamlessly joins each WAV file together, resulting with the album on the hard disc playing back the way the artist wanted it to be heard. 6. CD Mechanism Requirements A computer CD-ROM drive typically connects via the IDE, SATA or USB interfaces and uses ATAPI protocol. This means that much of the code for actually getting the data off the disc runs on an embedded micro on the CDROM mechanism, rather than in the ripping program running on the computer.

The requirements for the CD-ROM mechanism used in the Naim Servers: Ability to handle C1 & C2 error correction + report back non-correctable C2 errors to the PC. Good compliance with copy protected CDs when reading corrupt TOCs and purposely corrupted error correction information. Mechanically quiet. Many drives sound like a jet engine when spinning a CD at high speeds. No data caching. Caching causes havoc; as a oneoff bad read of audio from the disc, will keep on returning the same bad data when asked to read the disc again. Hiding of data layer from Orange Layer CDs, which can then cause various compatibility issues for the drive and computer operating system if strategically corrupted. Calibrated offset tracking. Start and end of tracks can be captured accurately X Good compliance of tracking warped, off-centre and discs with poor reflectivity (CDR, CDRW and well worn CDs) Clamping mechanism that can cope with dual layer discs that are out of specification thickness wise. 7. Conclusion Although it is possible to create an equivalent ripping system using a PC, CD-ROM drive and ripping software, it is fraught with technical issues to ensure the correct combination of software and hardware is used. Spending weeks ripping your CD collection, only to find that the copies are sub-standard is a very disheartening experience. The Naim Audio Server solves this problem by providing a solution that works out of the box and doesnt need any computer knowledge to make it work. Simply open the door, insert a CD and about 8 minutes later the CD has been ripped and categorised into the database.
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24th April 2008