Naim tuners
Posted by: Number 5 on 21 January 2003
I am trying to figure out the difference between the Naim tuners. Are some better than others.....are some cheaper....more expensive...please help. I would like to buy one but can't seem to compare them.
Thanks
Number 5
Thanks
Number 5
Posted on: 21 January 2003 by Reg
Some of you may recall that I was after a NAT 01 some while ago and asked for some advice as to where to look for this rare product.
I received a number of useful pointers as well as offers from a number of Forum members as far as Singapore !!
My preference is to listen to radio above my CDS2 and Linn Sondek. Any way, I ended up purchasing a 4 year old NAT 01 AND a Linn Kremlin tuner for our system in the loft room.
You should consider Linn tuners - definitely Kremlin and possibly the Kudos along side the Naim. Key as ever is the aerial - I visited that famous shop in Luton and purchased a Galaxy aerial together with excellent advice from Ron Smith.
Hope this helps.
Reg
I received a number of useful pointers as well as offers from a number of Forum members as far as Singapore !!
My preference is to listen to radio above my CDS2 and Linn Sondek. Any way, I ended up purchasing a 4 year old NAT 01 AND a Linn Kremlin tuner for our system in the loft room.
You should consider Linn tuners - definitely Kremlin and possibly the Kudos along side the Naim. Key as ever is the aerial - I visited that famous shop in Luton and purchased a Galaxy aerial together with excellent advice from Ron Smith.
Hope this helps.
Reg
Posted on: 21 January 2003 by Wolf
I purchased a Roksan Caspian tuner for $1200 USD and have really enjoyed it and the music is very present, not hollow like cheap tuners. This is just to broaden your choice options and headache.
Posted on: 22 January 2003 by Peter Gear
Just like to echo the comments above. The NAT02 is a very fine tuner but the 01 is so much better. I can almost believe I'm listening to my CDS2 at times. I do have a galaxie 17 arial however.
I picked up the 01 second hand (4 years old) after putting a wanted add on the pink fish forum. I did pay a premium price for it by offering above the asking price.
Do not haggle if you see one for sale - just go for it!! Its worth it.
Cheers
Peter
I picked up the 01 second hand (4 years old) after putting a wanted add on the pink fish forum. I did pay a premium price for it by offering above the asking price.
Do not haggle if you see one for sale - just go for it!! Its worth it.
Cheers
Peter
Posted on: 22 January 2003 by Mick P
Chaps
I have a NAT05 in my main system is is linked to a bog standard aerial and this gives me excellent results.
The Ron Smith Galaxy is a massive aerial and inappropriate for normal houses.
Would the NAT01 be ok with a "normal" aerial.
Regards
Mick
I have a NAT05 in my main system is is linked to a bog standard aerial and this gives me excellent results.
The Ron Smith Galaxy is a massive aerial and inappropriate for normal houses.
Would the NAT01 be ok with a "normal" aerial.
Regards
Mick
Posted on: 22 January 2003 by Peter Gear
Mick
I live in a normal house and find the galaxie 17 very appropiate - its been in place 10 years now. It produces a glorious full and hiss free sound both from an 02 and 01. None of my neighbours have complained (not to me anyway) and I'm still invited to parties etc.
I'm sure that if you are close to a transmitter a smaller aerial could be good enough. However the chap I bought the 01 from was using a galaxie 14 and was unable to get rid of some hiss which he could not eliminate even with the help of Ron Smith.
Cheers
Peter
I live in a normal house and find the galaxie 17 very appropiate - its been in place 10 years now. It produces a glorious full and hiss free sound both from an 02 and 01. None of my neighbours have complained (not to me anyway) and I'm still invited to parties etc.
I'm sure that if you are close to a transmitter a smaller aerial could be good enough. However the chap I bought the 01 from was using a galaxie 14 and was unable to get rid of some hiss which he could not eliminate even with the help of Ron Smith.
Cheers
Peter
Posted on: 22 January 2003 by Simon B
Peter,
How close are you to your transmitter and which one is it? It looks like I am about 50 miles away from mine. I am on a high point through with few local obstructions.
I have a G14 awaiting to go up (got it 2nd hand) and I am wondering if I will need to upgrade it. To get a hiss free signal to my NAT02.
Simon
How close are you to your transmitter and which one is it? It looks like I am about 50 miles away from mine. I am on a high point through with few local obstructions.
I have a G14 awaiting to go up (got it 2nd hand) and I am wondering if I will need to upgrade it. To get a hiss free signal to my NAT02.
Simon
Posted on: 22 January 2003 by Peter Gear
Simon
I'm about 20 miles from the Oxford transmitter which, I've just looked up on the BBC website is of 46kW o/p power. I guess your closest transmitter would be the 250kW one at Sutton Coldfied. I dont know much about these things but presumeably you can further away from the more powerful one and still get a good strength signal. Other things come into play like line of sight ,multipath interference etc.
The chap I bought the 01 from was tuned into Rowbridge (I.O.W. and also 250kW) which must be getting on to 80 miles away from him in north Hampshire. The hiss wasn't so bad in my opinion - I'm glad however he sold his 01 to me!
One thing to be considered in all this is how often you listen to radio. The 01 is now (previously it was the 02) my prime listening source and I listen probably >30 hours per week c.f. cds2 ~ 10-15 hours. So I'm prepared to put up with Jodrel bank on my roof!
Cheers
Peter
I'm about 20 miles from the Oxford transmitter which, I've just looked up on the BBC website is of 46kW o/p power. I guess your closest transmitter would be the 250kW one at Sutton Coldfied. I dont know much about these things but presumeably you can further away from the more powerful one and still get a good strength signal. Other things come into play like line of sight ,multipath interference etc.
The chap I bought the 01 from was tuned into Rowbridge (I.O.W. and also 250kW) which must be getting on to 80 miles away from him in north Hampshire. The hiss wasn't so bad in my opinion - I'm glad however he sold his 01 to me!
One thing to be considered in all this is how often you listen to radio. The 01 is now (previously it was the 02) my prime listening source and I listen probably >30 hours per week c.f. cds2 ~ 10-15 hours. So I'm prepared to put up with Jodrel bank on my roof!
Cheers
Peter
Posted on: 22 January 2003 by Laurie Saunders
I have a Galaxie 17 with my "newer" 01 and I use a 6 element "standard" FM array with my "older" 01 (chrome bumper style) in my other system in the back room.
Neither suffers from hiss. The transmitter is about 15 miles away and on a clear day I can see it from my roof, ie I live in " line of sight"
What I did notice by swapping aerials between tuners, that the Galaxie 17 made no apparent different to hiss, though the sound quality.....ambience, soundstaging etc were definitely much better. The point I am making is that just because you may be getting no hiss or other obvious artefacts does not mean you are extracting the best sound quality from your Naim tuner. A Galaxie 17 cost me less than £80 about 8 years ago.......a sound investment ,IMHO, as my tuner gets more hours use than any other source.
PS I also listen to Gardeners` Question TIme
(Radio 4, Sunday afternoon)
Laurie S
Neither suffers from hiss. The transmitter is about 15 miles away and on a clear day I can see it from my roof, ie I live in " line of sight"
What I did notice by swapping aerials between tuners, that the Galaxie 17 made no apparent different to hiss, though the sound quality.....ambience, soundstaging etc were definitely much better. The point I am making is that just because you may be getting no hiss or other obvious artefacts does not mean you are extracting the best sound quality from your Naim tuner. A Galaxie 17 cost me less than £80 about 8 years ago.......a sound investment ,IMHO, as my tuner gets more hours use than any other source.
PS I also listen to Gardeners` Question TIme
(Radio 4, Sunday afternoon)
Laurie S
Posted on: 22 January 2003 by Simon B
Peter,
Thanks for your observations. You are right about the Sutton TX; sorry I should have mentioned the name. I don't think I quite have line of sight but 50 miles is pushing my eye sight a little.
When the weather clears up a bit I will have a go at putting it on the chimney. I have assembled it and tried it in doors - but all I did was scare my self with how big it looks!
Simon
Thanks for your observations. You are right about the Sutton TX; sorry I should have mentioned the name. I don't think I quite have line of sight but 50 miles is pushing my eye sight a little.
When the weather clears up a bit I will have a go at putting it on the chimney. I have assembled it and tried it in doors - but all I did was scare my self with how big it looks!
Simon
Posted on: 22 January 2003 by Bosh
Very interesting.....
I got a Ron Smith circular 4 fitted (which can be extended to a Galaxie 17) for the NAT02 as the Glaxie didnt pass the WAF test.
Perhaps its time to have the extra elements fitted and hope she doesnt notice whilst it still gets dark early
I got a Ron Smith circular 4 fitted (which can be extended to a Galaxie 17) for the NAT02 as the Glaxie didnt pass the WAF test.
Perhaps its time to have the extra elements fitted and hope she doesnt notice whilst it still gets dark early
Posted on: 24 January 2003 by Rockingdoc
Well I agree with Mr Parry regarding Ron's aerials and "normal" houses. I used to have a Galaxie at my previous house, and apart from the very considerable structural problems of mounting such such an aerial so it didn't blow away in a storm and kill someone, (and it had a bloody good try) it looked hideous and ridiculous on a little house.
If one has a detached house in plenty of land it may not matter, but in normal suburbia a Ron Smith monstrosity on the roof is rather inconsiderate.
It is precisely this problem of aerial suitability which caused me to dither over buying a NAT01, until Naim stopped production.
As DAB takes over, and it will, large roof aerials will become even less acceptable to the neighbours.
The current view is that analogue bradcasting will cease in ten years. How much is it worth investing in analogue at home?
malcolm
If one has a detached house in plenty of land it may not matter, but in normal suburbia a Ron Smith monstrosity on the roof is rather inconsiderate.
It is precisely this problem of aerial suitability which caused me to dither over buying a NAT01, until Naim stopped production.
As DAB takes over, and it will, large roof aerials will become even less acceptable to the neighbours.
The current view is that analogue bradcasting will cease in ten years. How much is it worth investing in analogue at home?
malcolm
Posted on: 24 January 2003 by Rockingdoc
I was quoting from Radio Four last week. If you can actually get the BBC to give you a statement, I would be grateful (and impressed).
malcolm
As a UK manufacturer of radio reception gear, I would have thought that Naim have a right to expect an honest answer to this question.
malcolm
As a UK manufacturer of radio reception gear, I would have thought that Naim have a right to expect an honest answer to this question.
Posted on: 24 January 2003 by Bob McC
I have a NAT 101/Snaps that I acquired recently and its absolutely stunning. Everything that has ever been said about Naim tuners is true. Radios 3 and 4 take my breath away.
As for FM being turned off that may have been the intention but take up of DAB is so poor and the criminal ruining of its bandwidth by the BBC leaves me to think that we've many years of FM left.
As for FM being turned off that may have been the intention but take up of DAB is so poor and the criminal ruining of its bandwidth by the BBC leaves me to think that we've many years of FM left.