Olive 82, Supercap, Nap 250

Is the 82 a pots 8 version as makes a big difference over a pots 6 or below.

Me thinks that the DV element Bob is using, the pre and the supercap are all together a bit too much energetic.

It could also be there the sc needs a service.

Suzy Wong posted:

Flat posted:

 

Have you heard of anyone using dual Supercaps on a Nac 82 ?

Now that is an interesting idea........

 

 

 

 

Yes, I hope to find another Supercap close to mine in serial number,I think it will be awesome...

Bob, try 2 Hicaps, it's better than a SC and far better than 1 Hicap. I think the 82 was designed with 2 Hicaps as the end game. Super is for the 52..... I loved my dual hicapp'd 82, it absolutely hammered the 282 i had before it, which was all hifi by comparison.

Ardbeg10y posted:

Me thinks that the DV element Bob is using, the pre and the supercap are all together a bit too much energetic.

It could also be there the sc needs a service.

Yes the 82 had the pots upgrade in 2005 and at the same time the Supercap had 30 tant caps and the 2 big resevoir caps replaced now I know that's almost 13 years ago but I wouldn't be too concerned about that for another couple of years.

Each to their own, but I prefer the SC on my 82 over 2 HC. However, both are better than a single HC

Don't get me wrong the 82/SC is a fantastic preamp and if my record collection was made up of Audiophile Jazz remasters or very early beautifully mastered 1st pressings then I'd keep the 82/SC  without a second thought but unfortunately in amongst the nice expensive jazz pressings my record collection also consists of many quite badly mastered quite badly pressed records and the Supercap does seem to accentuate both.                                                                                                                                                                                

Bob the Builder posted:

Don't get me wrong the 82/SC is a fantastic preamp and if my record collection was made up of Audiophile Jazz remasters or very early beautifully mastered 1st pressings then I'd keep the 82/SC  without a second thought but unfortunately in amongst the nice expensive jazz pressings my record collection also consists of many quite badly mastered quite badly pressed records and the Supercap does seem to accentuate both.                                                                                                                                                                                

Yup, this is why I like the simple 72+140, even Spotify sounds good.

Keith Jarretts Koln concert is a favourite of me if that counts as Jazz.

Bob the Builder posted:

Don't get me wrong the 82/SC is a fantastic preamp and if my record collection was made up of Audiophile Jazz remasters or very early beautifully mastered 1st pressings then I'd keep the 82/SC  without a second thought but unfortunately in amongst the nice expensive jazz pressings my record collection also consists of many quite badly mastered quite badly pressed records and the Supercap does seem to accentuate both.                                                                                                                                                                       

So is an 82/SC combo just "too good for vinyl"?

No not exactly but to my uncultured ears it was just too much hifi not enough music nothing to do with vinyl. 

How is the listening going, Bob?

Fred

Listening to ‘Over my head’ by Fleetwood Mac through my ndac-hiline, sotm- sms-200 with teddy-psu-into 82 (pots 8 newly recapped-hicap-250.2 into Neat Iota alphas. Never heard it so deep into the mix, so much emotion and so much dance-factor. I think the 82 is magic and the ndac is also very ‘Naim’ in presentation. Hope you are getting along with it, Bob.

Fred

Fred11 posted:

Listening to ‘Over my head’ by Fleetwood Mac through my ndac-hiline, sotm- sms-200 with teddy-psu-into 82 (pots 8 newly recapped-hicap-250.2 into Neat Iota alphas. Never heard it so deep into the mix, so much emotion and so much dance-factor. I think the 82 is magic and the ndac is also very ‘Naim’ in presentation. Hope you are getting along with it, Bob.

Fred

Interested in your nDAC into 82 comments. There’s an absolute deluge of nDACs on the usual sales sites at the moment. I think one will just have to come my way.

Suzy Wong posted:

Fred11 posted:

Listening to ‘Over my head’ by Fleetwood Mac through my ndac-hiline, sotm- sms-200 with teddy-psu-into 82 (pots 8 newly recapped-hicap-250.2 into Neat Iota alphas. Never heard it so deep into the mix, so much emotion and so much dance-factor. I think the 82 is magic and the ndac is also very ‘Naim’ in presentation. Hope you are getting along with it, Bob.

Fred

Interested in your nDAC into 82 comments. There’s an absolute deluge of nDACs on the usual sales sites at the moment. I think one will just have to come my way.

I think ndac into a dedicated streamer is better than Ndx, for example and you get it at much lover price. I tested it against a chord cutest and even though the cutest was more detailed and threw a bigger stage the ndac has a much more Naimish character and the midband was had much more prat and soul: https://forums.naimaudio.com/topic/chord-qutest-demo

You might need a spdf/usb for usb-connectivity also.

Fred

Well the Supercap is now gone but the 82 is definetly staying. I've been listening to 82/HC/250  for three days now and it really is an excellent preamp and I'm much more happy with the upgrade from 102 to 82 than I was 202 to 282.

I will try 82/HC/180 next just out of curiosity it will be interesting to see if these two amps actually add something to the sound signature as well as to the power rating.

I think that the jump from 102/HC to 82/SC was so stark and so profound a change that my ears just didn't tune into it properly if that makes any sense, it went from a really lovely musical toe tapping, expansive and cohesive listen to every single instrument being defined and separated and laid out in such a precise way that unless the mix was bang on it was difficult for my ears to reasemble them into a song again. For instance there is a song I listen to that has a xylophone in it and for whatever reason it is quite forward in the mix played on the 102/HC it is slightly prominent but still a part of the mix but with the 82/SC it jumps out infront and is so clear and the notes so sharp it sounds like they are being played right there in the room but it then just stats dominate the song so that it was all you that you could hear.

I will definetly try 2 Olive HiCaps at some point and then perhaps have another shot with a SuperCap because I have to say that when I played my 45rpm Analogue Productions remaster of Nat King Cole - The Very Thought of You Nat was right there with me.  I know it probably makes no sense because I've previously explained that difference after an upgrade is not enough like with the 202/282 but I think I need to go from 102/HC to 82/SC in a couple of steps and perhaps on the way I might discover that the 82/2xHC is more to my liking.

Whatever I'm really enjoying myself experimenting and am so glad I used my time off of work constructively where my music and my system is concerned as hopefully I'm back at work a week on monday and will not have so much time.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Bob the Builder posted:

Well the Supercap is now gone but the 82 is definetly staying. I've been listening to 82/HC/250  for three days now and it really is an excellent preamp and I'm much more happy with the upgrade from 102 to 82 than I was 202 to 282.

I will try 82/HC/180 next just out of curiosity it will be interesting to see if these two amps actually add something to the sound signature as well as to the power rating.

I think that the jump from 102/HC to 82/SC was so stark and so profound a change that my ears just didn't tune into it properly if that makes any sense, it went from a really lovely musical toe tapping, expansive and cohesive listen to every single instrument being defined and separated and laid out in such a precise way that unless the mix was bang on it was difficult for my ears to reasemble them into a song again. For instance there is a song I listen to that has a xylophone in it and for whatever reason it is quite forward in the mix played on the 102/HC it is slightly prominent but still a part of the mix but with the 82/SC it jumps out infront and is so clear and the notes so sharp it sounds like they are being played right there in the room but it then just stats dominate the song so that it was all you that you could hear.

I will definetly try 2 Olive HiCaps at some point and then perhaps have another shot with a SuperCap because I have to say that when I played my 45rpm Analogue Productions remaster of Nat King Cole - The Very Thought of You Nat was right there with me.  I know it probably makes no sense because I've previously explained that difference after an upgrade is not enough like with the 202/282 but I think I need to go from 102/HC to 82/SC in a couple of steps and perhaps on the way I might discover that the 82/2xHC is more to my liking.

Whatever I'm really enjoying myself experimenting and am so glad I used my time off of work constructively where my music and my system is concerned as hopefully I'm back at work a week on monday and will not have so much time.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

It is so refreshing hearing report from a serous listener which actually have his own opinion, rather than the ususal and often blind hiearchy recommenders

Yes, BtB's postings about his endeavours are much appreciated by me. It came more or less at the same time as I discovered the olive gear and it was good to see Bobs findings reflecting mine (despite the FACT that a 72 is miles ahead of a 102 :-)

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GBob the Builder posted:

Well the Supercap is now gone but the 82 is definetly staying. I've been listening to 82/HC/250  for three days now and it really is an excellent preamp and I'm much more happy with the upgrade from 102 to 82 than I was 202 to 282.

I will try 82/HC/180 next just out of curiosity it will be interesting to see if these two amps actually add something to the sound signature as well as to the power rating.

I think that the jump from 102/HC to 82/SC was so stark and so profound a change that my ears just didn't tune into it properly if that makes any sense, it went from a really lovely musical toe tapping, expansive and cohesive listen to every single instrument being defined and separated and laid out in such a precise way that unless the mix was bang on it was difficult for my ears to reasemble them into a song again. For instance there is a song I listen to that has a xylophone in it and for whatever reason it is quite forward in the mix played on the 102/HC it is slightly prominent but still a part of the mix but with the 82/SC it jumps out infront and is so clear and the notes so sharp it sounds like they are being played right there in the room but it then just stats dominate the song so that it was all you that you could hear.

I will definetly try 2 Olive HiCaps at some point and then perhaps have another shot with a SuperCap because I have to say that when I played my 45rpm Analogue Productions remaster of Nat King Cole - The Very Thought of You Nat was right there with me.  I know it probably makes no sense because I've previously explained that difference after an upgrade is not enough like with the 202/282 but I think I need to go from 102/HC to 82/SC in a couple of steps and perhaps on the way I might discover that the 82/2xHC is more to my liking.

Whatever I'm really enjoying myself experimenting and am so glad I used my time off of work constructively where my music and my system is concerned as hopefully I'm back at work a week on monday and will not have so much time.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Definately try two HC. I thought there was a big improvement over a single HC, and a bigger difference than between 2 x HC and SC. There has been some discussion as to whether 2xHC is actually the sweet spot for the 82.

Of course, the SC has one big advantage over 2 HC.......reduction in box count 

I was playing around with the Raspberry/Hifi Digi+>>Chord 2Qute earlier today and it is the best I've heard Tidal sounding since I've been subscribing to it.

This 82 really is a fantastic pre amp I really don't know why it has taken me so long to get here because it was always the Olive range that I lusted after it looks all Art Nouveau and sounds supersonic I've been playing some vinyl House music and the 82 absolutely loves it, it's bass response is just on the right side of too much.

Suzy Wong posted:

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Definately try two HC. I thought there was a big improvement over a single HC, and a bigger difference than between 2 x HC and SC. There has been some discussion as to whether 2xHC is actually the sweet spot for the 82.

 

Of course, the SC has one big advantage over 2 HC.......reduction in box count 

Yes two Hicaps is on the horizon but I'm in no rush when the right one comes along and of course yes SW I'm all about the box count 

I'm one of those who actually likes the look of a decent set of boxes especially these Olives!

Later today I'm going to swap the 250 for the 180 to see if there is any real difference in SQ between the two. If I remember rightly going from 200 to 250-2 there was quite a difference the 200 as is well documented was very nimble and quick and the 250-2 was just the opposite and with my old Dynaudio Excite X32's which were not really up to it sounded quite heavy and dark.

I'm a real fan of the 180 like the 200 it is quick but unlike the 200 it really packs a punch and can really control my speakers and it's going to be hard to beat. The 250 really benefited from the SC which did seem to tighten the bass right up.

Bob the Builder posted:

I was playing around with the Raspberry/Hifi Digi+>>Chord 2Qute earlier today and it is the best I've heard Tidal sounding since I've been subscribing to it.

This 82 really is a fantastic pre amp I really don't know why it has taken me so long to get here because it was always the Olive range that I lusted after it looks all Art Nouveau and sounds supersonic I've been playing some vinyl House music and the 82 absolutely loves it, it's bass response is just on the right side of too much.

                                                                                                                                                   

I totally agree with the 82. It is so open, dynamic, tangible and full of prat. It must blow many modern amps out of the water.

Interesting to hear what you make between 180 and 250. The 250 should have more weight, I think.

Fred

Congrats on your 82. Loving my Nac 72. :-)

nac82/scap/250DR (or sometimes 135s) into Linn Kans is my 2nd system. brings one down to earth...

enjoy/ken

Bob the Builder posted:

Later today I'm going to swap the 250 for the 180....

How was it then?