250 with mixing desk

Posted by: Not For Me on 05 April 2001

I would like to use a 250 fed from a Behringer mixing desk with balanced outputs on TRS jacks.

Any suggestions on how to wire from 2 x TRS to the male XLR input on the 250 ?

I have heard various views about co-ax cable, twisted pair. mains cable etc.

Any ideas ?

Thanks

Posted on: 05 April 2001 by Steve Toy

Next you'll be asking which soft drink mixes best with Oban whisky!

Posted on: 06 April 2001 by Tony L

quote:
I would like to use a 250 fed from a Behringer mixing desk with balanced outputs on TRS jacks.
Any suggestions on how to wire from 2 x TRS to the male XLR input on the 250 ?

Naim stuff just ain't this normal I'm afraid. The power amplifiers are built with very little protection, and it is the preamps that set the safe operational conditions for use, effectively they must act as some kind of band pass filter. As a holistic approach this works great, but in isolation it ain't too clever.

So, your options are:

1) ignore this advice, and risk it - there are more than a few people out there using non-Naim preamps with Naim power amps, one hi-fi reviewer springs to mind. Problem is that it may take your speakers out if it becomes unstable.

2) Buy a Naim preamp, which will also require a Naim power amp. Problems are cost, and more stuff in the signal path than if you used an alternate.

3) Ditch it - The 250 is a really great hi-fi amp when used within its design parameters, it is simply not a pro amp. Possibly more cost effective to buy a good pro power amp, Bryston springs to mind as being a powerful, robust, and quite musical alternate. The 250 has a good resale value

I have done a lot of monitoring through my Naim kit, and I love using it for this purpose, but I already owned a full Naim amp combo, so buying a additional (and expensive) preamp when I did not need any of the functionality was not an issue. Your mileage may vary.

Tony.

Posted on: 06 April 2001 by Michael Dale

I would speak to naim directly about this. We are currently using some naim amps to drive the NS10's during the recording of the third Embrace album. Using a pre-amp between mixing desk and power amp ensures that the output stage of the desk wont freak the power-amp out. The naim amps run unbalanced, so if your desk hasn't got a spare unbalanced out for monitors, you can short the ring to the sleeve, leaving you with signal and ground. Do check this with naim though!
I think you'll be pleased with the results. We didn't use the NS10's much until we put the 72 180 in there.

Mickey Dale

Posted on: 06 April 2001 by Stephen Bennett

I used an old Seck Desk with my NAP 110 and Harbeth HL MK 3's for a while. But I'm happier with an old 303 in the studio and the Naim on my hi-fi

Regards

Stephen Bennett. Composer and sound design. (UK)
http://chaosstudios.gen-next.com

henry fool http://www.collective.co.uk/henryfool The Fire Thieves: http://tft.gen-next.com

Author of 'The Fast Guide To Logic' http://www.pc-pubs.demon.co.uk/fgel.htm
and 'Making Music with E-Magic Logic Audio http://www.pc-pubs.demon.co.uk/mmela.htm'

Posted on: 11 April 2001 by Chris Metcalfe

Martin Colloms has been reviewing equipment in Hifi News for years using a NAP250 without a Naim preamp or sometimes even any preamp; still working by all accounts.

That's not to say that in most domestic setups it wouldn't sound better with a Naim preamp.