Hot wired: You'll envy this Naim

The marketing lads must have had a real chuckle into their pints when they came up with the name Naim for the new high-end English audio brand launched in 1969.

In the decades since, Naim Audio has proved to be a purveyor of excellence across all realms of hi-fi reproduction. Their factory in Salisbury manufactures amplifiers, speakers, CD and DVD players, even turntable tone arms.

But then that well of marketing genius seemed to dry up. Products looked plain, brochures were rare and catchy model titles absent - witness the NACA 5, AV2 and NAP 300.

But then came the simple but clever, and very aptly named, n-Vi Home Theatre Solution, when Naim spotted that rare phenomenon - a genuine gap in the high-end audio market.

The n-Vi is a dead simple hi-fi quality home theatre set up in a box, and it's one anyone in the family can easily operate.

Purists continue to swear by good old two-channel stereo systems on which they may have spent $20,000.

Naim offer CD players that range from $3000 through to $46,000.

Many audiophiles have been reluctant to invest more into less-musically-satisfying multichannel home theatre systems. Then there are those of us who desire the best of both worlds but would prefer it to be easy to operate and not take up a whole corner of the lounge.

If that strikes the right note, Naim suggest you invest $9000 in their gloriously straightforward one box n-Vi home theatre system. The n-Vi incorporates a top-quality CD and DVD player mechanism, AV processor, audio preamplifier and five 50 watt amplifiers utilising the latest in compact digital amplification technology.

Apart from a screen, all you will need to add are the surround sound speakers and cables. Oh, and the optional tuner module (an extra $750) if you want to listen to the radio.

Belying its compact size and simple appearance, n-Vi provides sublime stereo and decodes Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS formats for movies, music DVDs and DVD-As. There's even an i-Pod/MP3 player jack in the spartan front panel. Just plug in and random play.

The LCD screen is genius, showing the volume big and bold as you change it, then reverting to a range of info which includes the speaker layout in use.

When you stop tinkering with the remote control the screen goes off to eliminate any possibility of musical (or visual) interference. Press a button and it lights up again.

Many control operations are done on the TV screen, using the remote, and the menu logic is practical and clear. Test patterns let you calibrate exactly. The busy back panel provides a formidable selection of inputs and outputs for video and audio.

Naim have had to rethink their purist position on a lot of things hi-fi for the n-Vi, not least their predilection for analogue amplifiers, just one of which would have filled a box the size of this precocious all-in-one performer.

It uses features from several of their far more expensive separates as well as a bunch of brand new technology.

Like I said - simple, clever and very aptly named.

Am I n-Vious? Of course I am.