New to NAIM. Question for the experienced folks :)

Hi AWN,

That sounds pretty much like normal behaviour for an Alps volume control, and not a fault. I've seen this on many amp/preamps. Since the 152 has no balance control, you can't do much about it. If it becomes bothersome, well, there is the upgrade path...

Jan

I've noticed this on Naim preamps in the past, although for me it's been at lower volumes than I could listen at, so nor a problem. Maybe worth asking Naim service dep't or Class A if a replacement volume control is a possible solution?

Thanks for the replies! .. Yeah, it is generally at levels too low for me to listen to as well, I had just noticed it when I was putting it really low to leave on all night and wanted to make sure it was not an issue as I never had this happen on my previous gear. If it is normal behaviour there isn't much point to replace the volume control, I can live with it. My concern was more if there was something wrong somewhere. 

If it's not a problem at listening volume, don't worry about it.

My 552 does this. It was so imbalanced at low levels that it needed to go back to the factory for a new volume pot. It is now unbalanced in favour of the other channel, but much less so, to the extent that it doesn't come into play in normal listening.

Harry posted:

My 552 does this. It was so imbalanced at low levels that it needed to go back to the factory for a new volume pot. It is now unbalanced in favour of the other channel, but much less so, to the extent that it doesn't come into play in normal listening.

I guess its hit and miss with these things. Guess I am best to leave it be lol

Leave it be - a replacement might be slightly better, but might also be worse.  It's part of the trade off for such a great sounding pot.

If it's not a bother I wouldn't sweat it. 

I have a 172 and in the small hours, even with the system saying 0, I can still hear the music. Surprisingly, it sounds really loud at 4am.

Thanks for the replies, I guess I will leave it be, even though it looks easy to change one's self, I doubt it would be worth the hassle... or the cost being that the new one could be worse. 

awn posted:

Thanks for the replies, I guess I will leave it be, even though it looks easy to change one's self, I doubt it would be worth the hassle... or the cost being that the new one could be worse. 

I think it's wise, while I also always have a problem with these type of products of being not 100 percent perfect. But I guess like Richard is writing it's a trade off.

This is normal for most amps. Leave it.

Just as for cars, if it is not something really wrong, please refrain from sending it back to the workshop as it may come back with new problems!

(I am not suggesting Naim or your hifi repairer sucks of course)

AWN - noticed any humm from your speakers yet? 

Adam Zielinski posted:

AWN - noticed any humm from your speakers yet? 

nope, not a peep! should I? 

Just teasing you...

You may have read already that Naims have this predisposed tendency to hum gently, even in 'mute'.  That is perfectly OK - that is how they are.

Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of great sounding music!!!

Well my last amp hummed so loud I could hear it from the listening positions, so, this naim is a blessing!

Did you try swapping over the L and R channels when you had the Maggies? If so and the RH speaker became lower then this might suggest that the issue was with the speakers (slight difference in sensitivity?) rather than the preamp which might explain why the problem disappeared when you changed speakers.

sjbabbey posted:

Did you try swapping over the L and R channels when you had the Maggies? If so and the RH speaker became lower then this might suggest that the issue was with the speakers (slight difference in sensitivity?) rather than the preamp which might explain why the problem disappeared when you changed speakers.

Yeah, I tried everything, changing interconnects, 2 sets of speaker cables, swapping. Conclusion: ALPS pot. It is a common issue with these pots, unfortunately. The Maggies are good, I had them on 2 other amps before this one, never an issue. 

Looks like I made a mistake with the Totem Dreamcatcher specs, had them so long I had forgotten. They are actually not much different from the Maggies at all as far as impedance and sensitivity. Both being 4 ohms, and sensitivity 87.5 dB (totem), 86dB (maggies).  I doubt that slight difference in sensitivity is the reason behind the Totems having no channel imbalance issues, and the Maggies having issues. Maybe my Naim just hates maggies! Going to try out some different speakers today