CONCLUSION

It seems that this preamp offers a hell of a bang for the buck. It will suit recordings which employ smaller forces, and that are bass-driven from the bottom upwards, like rock and percussive jazz more than classical, or naturally recorded music. I particularly liked the way the USB memory stick at the front demonstrates a huge capability to play high-res material convincingly, much more so than any laptop solution I’ve had the pleasure to review. The iPhone iPad integration is superb, and even the built-in headphone amplifier performs well. Naim's NAC-N 172 XS preamplifier is a lot of well-engineered audio for the price.

A top quality preamp/network player from Naim that impressed both our reviewers. Great quality and value.

NAIM NAC-N 172 XS    £1650
Naim Audio
 +44 (0)1722 426600

www.naimaudio.com