Intro
Contents
The world of Custom Install is very different from that of regular hi-fi. Custom Install is all about connectivity, power without heat and of course: compatibility with countless other systems. With the CI-102 custom install amplifier, Naim tries to combine the ‘Naim sound’ with the expectations and demands of the Custom Install world. Has it succeeded?
The Custom Install market is an interesting one to be active in. But also a particularly tricky market, since by no means always the enthusiast decides what equipment and speakers will be used. Often it is the “techie” or even the contractor who decides what built-in speakers and gear will be used. Strange, but true.
So Naim does have some balls to develop equipment for this industry. Not only do you have to get your foot in the door with the right people and companies; the connectivity has to be on par as well. And by that we mean: you have to support all the major systems. Think of Crestron, Control4, RTI, et cetera. No mean feat to get all that done. But let’s see what Naim has to offer with the Naim CI-102.
The construction
The Naim CI-102 is a compact, rack mountable streamer with amplifier. Under the hood is a stereo, obviously class-D, amplifier (after all: it has to stay cool) that delivers 150 watts at 8 Ohms and 260 watts at 4 Ohms. Enough for most users.
On the streamer side (both wifi ad ethernet), we see that of course the Naim app works, but also: Tidal Connect, Chromecast Audio, Apple Airplay2, UPnP, Bluetooth (SBC and AAC), but also: Dante! And we don’t see that very often. This is probably because it is primarily used in studios. We also use it in the office for live streams and recordings because of its extreme flexibility and high quality.
What we do miss is Roon. Now you can still use Airplay or Chromecast through Roon, but we would love it if Naim still arranged Roon certification. Especially with a CI product.
Rack mount
The build quality of the Naim CI-102 is solid. This is not a device you put in the living room to show off. You put this in a 19-inch rack in the tech room to then enjoy music. Most likely by linking multiple units to listen in any relevant room of your house.
