I had these two amps for couple of weeks and had the opportunity to compare side-by-side with the same environment .My Experience in hifi is limited .. Hence i might not be correct in all of the observation below
To me both the amps are almost in the same league . Naim obviously has got a huge fan base and enjoying the popularity , the same reason i was able to sell Naim quickly , however it is not the true for exposure and wanted to give some credit that it deserves , so that folks can have this in their list to audition
Sound Stage / Imaging : It is wider in Exposure and positioning is more precise . Exposure is more 3D space , better felt back to front and sidewise imaging . While Naim it is like a wall of waves propagate in the same plane before it hits you . The separation and space between the musical notes is really good exposure. With Exposure 2010s paired with a good source ( more than Lakh) , i felt like , i could really touch a string instrument ( In Pink Flyod) which was somewhere 3 feet from the left speaker towards the middle , in the vertical space , felt like the sound originate from that particular space with real good body to the instrument , i never felt this good in other Auditions even with the parasound/NAD CD player for the track , in which case it sounds thin.
It is enjoyable to listen to Naim though it lacks comparatively in these area
Tonal Accuracy : I felt Naim is better here . Also i need to mention that Exposure gets better with the better source . But in any case I feel Naim is the winner.
Highs : In exposure , It is very detailed . In Naim , I felt like it is been consolidated , like if the range is from "1 to 10" , it compress it to "3-7" .This was good in less than ideal recording , but in good recording like the files from Diana Krall , Exposure performs better.
Mids : I like it in Naim, which was bold compared to Exposure , with exposure it felt more neutral and in some speaker combination it sounds little fwd sounding
Lows : Exposure is the winner Here . Some of the HD tracks from Guitar Man , the Bass is actually attached to lower note of the string itself , while in Naim it is there , but little dispersed . The Bass is generally very tight in Exposure
PRAT : I presumed Naim would be better , but it was not .. exposure has got more PRAT compared to Naim... To me , PRAT is felt more if the AMP is able to control the speaker drivers better , Start and Stop has to be fast ,precise and accurate .. Exposure does it better compared to Naim ..That may be the reason , i felt the bass notes from the guitar is attached to the string itself ( refer to the Lows ) and in the percussion instruments , I could feel the pressure and tension in the drum ... To me exposure is thw winner
Transparency/Neutrality : The Exposure is more neutral , and responds well with the source .. I could say the exposure is as good/strong as the source .. The exposure was pathetic with my cheap Chinese DAC , but Naim was not that bad with the same DAC . The SQ with the exposure improved a lot with my new Audio GD DAC , but i dont have the Naim to compare . Exposure responds well with the IC / Speaker cable , the difference is so significant with various cables. I was not a believer of cable once !! . With the cheap source , Exposure sounds thin, so it will a more expensive path for the source if one choose the exposure .
To me both the amps are almost in the same league . Naim obviously has got a huge fan base and enjoying the popularity , the same reason i was able to sell Naim quickly , however it is not the true for exposure and wanted to give some credit that it deserves , so that folks can have this in their list to audition
Sound Stage / Imaging : It is wider in Exposure and positioning is more precise . Exposure is more 3D space , better felt back to front and sidewise imaging . While Naim it is like a wall of waves propagate in the same plane before it hits you . The separation and space between the musical notes is really good exposure. With Exposure 2010s paired with a good source ( more than Lakh) , i felt like , i could really touch a string instrument ( In Pink Flyod) which was somewhere 3 feet from the left speaker towards the middle , in the vertical space , felt like the sound originate from that particular space with real good body to the instrument , i never felt this good in other Auditions even with the parasound/NAD CD player for the track , in which case it sounds thin.
It is enjoyable to listen to Naim though it lacks comparatively in these area
Tonal Accuracy : I felt Naim is better here . Also i need to mention that Exposure gets better with the better source . But in any case I feel Naim is the winner.
Highs : In exposure , It is very detailed . In Naim , I felt like it is been consolidated , like if the range is from "1 to 10" , it compress it to "3-7" .This was good in less than ideal recording , but in good recording like the files from Diana Krall , Exposure performs better.
Mids : I like it in Naim, which was bold compared to Exposure , with exposure it felt more neutral and in some speaker combination it sounds little fwd sounding
Lows : Exposure is the winner Here . Some of the HD tracks from Guitar Man , the Bass is actually attached to lower note of the string itself , while in Naim it is there , but little dispersed . The Bass is generally very tight in Exposure
PRAT : I presumed Naim would be better , but it was not .. exposure has got more PRAT compared to Naim... To me , PRAT is felt more if the AMP is able to control the speaker drivers better , Start and Stop has to be fast ,precise and accurate .. Exposure does it better compared to Naim ..That may be the reason , i felt the bass notes from the guitar is attached to the string itself ( refer to the Lows ) and in the percussion instruments , I could feel the pressure and tension in the drum ... To me exposure is thw winner
Transparency/Neutrality : The Exposure is more neutral , and responds well with the source .. I could say the exposure is as good/strong as the source .. The exposure was pathetic with my cheap Chinese DAC , but Naim was not that bad with the same DAC . The SQ with the exposure improved a lot with my new Audio GD DAC , but i dont have the Naim to compare . Exposure responds well with the IC / Speaker cable , the difference is so significant with various cables. I was not a believer of cable once !! . With the cheap source , Exposure sounds thin, so it will a more expensive path for the source if one choose the exposure .
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