Nait 5 w/ hicap - hookup explanation

Signal goes from Pre amp stage to *Cap along the same cable that is providing the power.

The signal then exits the *Cap to the power amp stage - in the case of the Nait this happens to be in the same box as the pre-amp. If you later upgrade with a power-amp the second cable would go to that box rather than back to your Nait.

I think there is some clever earthing stuff going on as well.

Seth

A much later thought is why would you add a Hi-Cap to a Nait? Surely a power-amp makes more sense to start with? Not that buying a Hi-Cap will ever be wasted, loads of Naim boxes that will benefit.

Seth

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I think there is some clever earthing stuff going on as well.

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It's called star earthing.

David

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Originally posted by Maxi Me:
A much later thought is why would you add a Hi-Cap to a Nait? Surely a power-amp makes more sense to start with? Not that buying a Hi-Cap will ever be wasted, loads of Naim boxes that will benefit.

Seth

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Seth,

Source First!, but what limits most systems is the source, so improvements done at the sharp end are generally more useful than improvements done at the blunt end. Obviously it's not so simple as that. I HiCapped my Nait, rather than the power amp, and it makes for a bigger more confident sound. It sounds like a more powerful amplifier that way.

There's thread by Mr Sukebe about adding either a power amp (200) or a pre (202) to his Nait 5. he found that the 202 was more useful.

Peter

User34 at Laposte dot net

A hicap on a Nait is a good upgrade ime if your speakers are a kind load.

I thought *caping a Nait provided power only for the pre and not for the power section...so I'm struggling to understand why it would "make it sound like a more powerful amp" unless it's something to do with better dynamics or lower noise floor?

-- woody

Woody, it transforms the Nait imo/e. Capped, a lot more information is coming through. I dont really know how to explain but a lot more music/sound is coming through. The whole sound gets bigger with much better bass. My experience is with nait3r, going from "bare" to flatcap1 and then hicap. Extremely good vfm upgrade I believe, especially if you have speakers that are easy to drive..

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Originally posted by woody:
...so I'm struggling to understand why it would "make it sound like a more powerful amp" unless it's something to do with better dynamics or lower noise floor?

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I can't tell you the reasons why it sounds like a more powerful amp, all I can tell you is that it does. I suspect it is as you sumise, i.e. less noise and more reserves of energy in the preamp for dynamic swings. I believe that anytime you remove a source (pun intended) of colouration you gain in useable dynamic range, I just changed phase plugs on my speakers (black pointy bit in middle of yellow woofer for B&W owners) and this too made the system seem bigger, more powerful. I also believe that all the efforts to maximise the useful dynamic range of an amp have limits, and when these limits are reached that's the point to think of more power.

Peter

User34 at Laposte dot net

The Nait3 pre-amp stage benefits from being powered separately from a HiCap in exactly the same way as any other pre-amp does. The existing internal PSU only has to feed the power amp, thus varying demand from the power-amp no longer results in potential degradation of the supply to the pre - simple really

David

Maybe I should take the flatcap2 off my nait5 and see how it improves when I reconnect it (I've only ever had it with it)

-- woody

I have cd5-hicap and nait5, should i leave the hicap on cd5 or connect to the nait5. I know source first. but???

Source First, of cource. However, if you regularly use two sources, LP and CD, for example then I'd say put the *Cap on the Nait. But if you're a CD only listener then keep the *Cap on the CD5, then get another one for the Nait. If you disconnect the Cap from a Nait you hear a decrease in performance and then when you reconnect, it should be better than before you disconnected. Why ? because you cleaned the contacts.

Peter

User34 at Laposte dot net