Naim Audio NACN172XS
Other than it’s name being a bit of a mouthful, this is an extraordinary and much overlooked product. It is far more than just a streamer.
The above picture gives a bit of a clue to the true nature of the 172. Basically it is a pre-amp, a DAC as well as a streaming audio player. Match this wondrous product with a power amplifier or active loudspeakers and you have a simple and yet superb audio system.
There are two analogue inputs, 4 digital inputs and a fixed output, as well as line AND din outputs to enable use of any good power amplifier (as well as Naim’s own units). So you can connect a turntable, as well as things like Sky boxed and TV’s. Of course you can also connect your i-device via the standard charge cable. It will play music and charge the device.
| Analogue Input | 1 x 5-pin DIN, 1 x RCA pair, 1 x front panel 3.5mm jack (combined optical) |
| Input Sensitivity | 200mV |
| Input Impedance | 30kΩ |
| Other Inputs | Digital Inputs: 5 x S/PDIF 2 x coaxial RCA – 2 x optical TOSLINK 1 x 3.5mm front panel (mini-TOSLINK) |
| Sample Rates Maximum | 192kHz (coaxial), 96kHz (optical) |
| UPnP | Ethernet (RJ45) or Wi-Fi |
| USB/iPod | 1 front panel socket |
| Audio Outputs | 1 x variable (4-pin DIN, 1 x RCA pair), 1 x fixed (1 x RCA pair) |
| Line Outputs Fixed (level) | 1 x RCA pair |
| Line Outputs Variable (level) | 775mV RMS |
| Output Impedance | <47Ω (variable outputs), <600Ω (fixed output) |
| Load Impedance | 10kΩ (min.) |
| Other Outputs | Headphones Outputs: Stereo (front panel 3.5mm jack) |
| Frequency Response | 5Hz – 40kHz |
| THD | 0.015% |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio | 90dB |
| Crosstalk | 80dB |
| Remote Control | Infra Red (RC5) |
| Remote Input | 1 x rear panel 3.5mm jack (RC5 modulated and unmodulated) |
| USB | 1 x USB Type Mini-B |
| Remote Output | 1 x rear panel 3.5mm jack (RC5 modulated and unmodulated) |
| Network | Ethernet (Cat5), Wi-Fi |
| CD Formats | Audio CD (Red Book, CD and CD-R) |
| Audio Formats | WAV (up to 32bit/192kHz) AIFF (up to 32bit/192kHz) FLAC (up to 24bit/192kHz) ALAC (up to 24bit/96kHz) WMA (up to 16bit/48kHz) must be WMA 9.2 Ogg Vorbis (up to 16bit/48kHz) M4a (CBR and VBR up to 320kbit/s) MP3 (CBR and VBR up to 320kbit/s) Playlists (M3U, PLS) |
| Internet Radio Provider | vTuner 5* full service |
| Internet Radio Formats | Windows Media-formatted content, MP3, ACC, Ogg Vorbis streams and MMS |
| DAB Tuning Range | Band III and L Band |
| FM Tuning Range | 87.5 – 108MHz |
| Front Panel | Volume control, logo touch-sensitive mute function and nine button matrix |
| Handheld | Remote handset included and optional Naim app for iOS and Android. |
| Supply Voltage | 100V, 115V, 230V; 50 or 60Hz |
| Other | Hi-Line, Power-Line, any power amplifier |
| Dimensions (HxWxD) | 70 x 432 x 301 mm |
| Weight | 5.65 kg |
| Supplied with | NaimUniti Remote Control |
| Front | Brushed and black anodised |
| Case | Black powder coated |
The 172 can be partnered with any of Naim’s power amps including the matching 155XS. But don’t think it isn’t happy with better power amplifiers than the matching slimline one. Because of inherent simplicity of the design and the quality of the volume control this unit will happily partner more expensive power amps. We’ve actually a few customers who are using these with the NAP-250.
A higher performance version also exists; the NACN272.
Call in for a listen to hear this product.