Listening
Contents
We tested this unit stand-alone on our in-wall Dali Phantom 280S speakers. That seemed like a logical set-up to us. We used both Tidal Connect and Roon (via Chromecast Audio) as well as UPnP. We didn’t really hear any significant differences between these three methods of streaming. Airplay did sound less so we decided not to use it further in this test.
It’s impressive and also kind of fascinating how Naim manages to incorporate Naim’s signature sound even in a product like the CI-102. This amplifier also sounds very nice. Slightly playful, not at all sharp (even on the mild side, but that’s also due to the Phantoms and acoustics on the cinema side) and very versatile.
The Naim CI-102 can handle many genres – as it should of course – and will work well with many speakers. This – in dimensions – small amplifier has absolutely no trouble keeping a grip on the large in-wall Dali Phantoms. We hear a lot of dynamics (both micro and macro) and even in more complex pieces with many layers, everything remains easy to follow. Hats off here.
Films and series
We also – because we were testing in the cinema anyway – watched some movies and series and some Youtube. Not entirely surprisingly, that also goes just fine. And with an HDMI-arc input, it’s also a piece of cake to integrate this streamer into a TV setup. No messing around with lip sync settings … just choose input (or let the home-automation system choose it) and play away! This really has gotten so much better over the years!
