Naim's Julian Vereker. Julian was one of the first, if not the first to incorporate the use of an external power supply into his amplifiers, which offered dramatic improvements in overall sound quality.
His designs were also extremely appealing in a simply elegant way. For example, the fact that his amplifers were encased in aluminium extrusions, which along with their class B running design, negated the need for ventilation slits within these amplifiers. The result was that after 20 years of owning a Naim component, you would find no dust inside them as you would with any product that required the need for such open ventilation.
Case in point, I recently purchased an Electrocompaniet Ampliwire 65, which upon opening on arrival,was loaded with dust that had fallen into the unit over the course of the past two decades. The AW 65 is a beautifully made product, but not nearly as clever as Naim gear.
Vereker's designing talents are world renown for a good reason, and he certainly deserves to be included amongst that short list of greatest audio designers of all time.
His designs were also extremely appealing in a simply elegant way. For example, the fact that his amplifers were encased in aluminium extrusions, which along with their class B running design, negated the need for ventilation slits within these amplifiers. The result was that after 20 years of owning a Naim component, you would find no dust inside them as you would with any product that required the need for such open ventilation.
Case in point, I recently purchased an Electrocompaniet Ampliwire 65, which upon opening on arrival,was loaded with dust that had fallen into the unit over the course of the past two decades. The AW 65 is a beautifully made product, but not nearly as clever as Naim gear.
Vereker's designing talents are world renown for a good reason, and he certainly deserves to be included amongst that short list of greatest audio designers of all time.