Napsc
Posted by: Fisbey on 03 December 2016
Any information on the audible and technical differences between an older and newer (non captive mains lead) Napsc?
(particularly when used with an 82)
Many thanks.
A friend whose system I've heard many times, replaced the old Napsc with the new on his 82 and was confident it sounded better.
A further benefit of the Naspc with the non-captive mains lead is that it enables the use of a Powerline. On my friend's 82, and when I had a 282, that addition to the Napsc made a very noticeable and surprising improvement to the system's performance. That said while some on here have also tried a PL on the Naspc and heard a benefit, others have not so, as always, worth trying for yourself before buying.
I remember holding the old and the newer one in my hands and there was a big difference - my dealer wouldn't even sell me the older one. Safe to say, get the newer one. Also the newer one came with a tibia power cord (here in North America) which is much better than the original one used.
As mentioned by MDS, the benefit is that you can try better power cords. That little box that only powers the digital bits to the preamp can have a tremendous effect on the overall sound - don't underestimate it.
Arun
Yes in my experience as silly as it sounds don't underestimate the benefit of a powerline on the napsc.
When comparing dual hicaps vs supercap on the 282, for a laugh I tried a powerline on the napsc. I ended up sticking with a single hicap and buying a powerline for the napsc.
Many thanks for the replies.
Does the newer NAPSC still have to be as far away from the rest of the equipment or could it go on a shelf on its own?
Many thanks
There is no reason to put the NAPSC far away from any other equipment - it's no different from any other Naim power supply in this regard (linear power supply with LM317 based regulation as with the old non DR supplies) so treat locating it the same as the other supplies. More importantly, dress the DC cable from it to the Preamp as you would other cables (avoiding mains cables) and connect the NAPSC to the same mains socket group as the main kit.
I agree with James. Wisdom used to be to put the Naspc on the carpet etc. I found benefit form putting on the rack and plugging it into the dedicated mains circuit I have for the system.