Apologies: Another Boring Upgrade Question

I had to go from a 102/Hi/napsc to a 32.5/hi -
and no doubt to my mind, the 102 is far far better!

Arye

BLT,

It wasn't that long ago when the 32-5 was the best Pre-amp that Naim produced so I think you would have to be going some to better it. I would suggest at least an 82 but then you have to ask yourself the question, whether a CDX is needed?

Difficult one but if it was me I would look at a CDX first.


REgards


NB

BLT,

An 82 would seem an eminently sensible choice, esp. given good s/h prices. You'd be able to hear how good your CD5/Hi really is without 'overdoing' the pre.

Can only comment that a 102 is 'probably' an improvement over 32-5, but haven't heard it for myself.

Cheers!

Rich.

quote:

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Can only comment that a 102 is 'probably' an improvement over 32-5, but haven't heard it for myself.

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Switching the boards of the 32.5 to those of the 72 improves the 32.5.... The 102 is better than that ...

Arye

And if you surf on over to the Pink Fish forum, I'm selling my 82, in mint condition, sn# 142xxx.

Send me a private topic if interested - it's mint and has - ta-rah! - a remote. Sounds great too....only selling it because there's a 52/SC coming real soon now...

John

TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."

I might be interested, but I'm not in a position to commit right now (I'm waiting to find out how large my year-end bonus is).

I know that going by the source first rules I should consider a CDX or CDX2 as my next upgrade, but that won't give me a remote control pre-amp and will leave me with a redundant Hi-Cap. The 82 appeals as I could run that from one Hi-Cap and then if I upgrade to a CDX2 I can use both Hi-Caps on the 82.

Hi there BLT,

Remotes make you lazy and fat. Vinyl keeps you lean and fit. Therefore stick to the 32.5/Hi and buy a record player. If you can't stand the format, at least get a better CD-player.

Have fun!

willem

I just replaced my 32.5 with a 102. Big difference, right away. Wife noticed (isn't that what we all say!). Detail is better, trace of harshness is gone.
Wish I could have afforded an 82... Next time.
David

... and follow Willem's advice and hide the remote!

Willem, I'm aready lazy and fat - it's too late! I sold my LP12 last year as it wasn't getting enough use to justify owning it. I still have a Thorens TD160 for my "study" system, though.

quote:

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I might be interested, but I'm not in a position to commit right now (I'm waiting to find out how large my year-end bonus is).

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Well, I'm in no great rush to sell - it would be handy to sell it as once my 52/SC is here I won't be using it - but I had previously planned to wait until March to sell it anyway, so if that suits?

John

TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."

I'll contact you on PFM if it's still available when I'm in a position to make a commitment. As long as you don't slag mt Nordost Solar Wind speaker cable on the PFM forum again

Sorry...

Actually, to be fair, I really don't rate the Solar Wind cable, but I haven't tried it with a Naim system. I did however try SPM Reference with my Nait 2 (pre re-cap) and it was great, but kinda ridiculous given the fact that the speaker cable was worth about 4x that of the amp... Solar Wind as an i/c is fine, though, and it's what I still use to connect things up to the Nait - with the SPM i/c being used between cdp and 82 at the moment.

Now, for that 52/SC....

John

TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."

I really liked my upgrade from a 62s to an 82 with a CD3.5/Hi front end. (I subsequently upgraded the front end to a CDX.)

Paul Rowlands

adrianclarke...what you say is interesting and i can echo your findings.

Having gone 72-82-52 (many moons ago now) I found the paradox that, although the better preamp was more revealing of weaknesses in the source, the sound still improved overall....
I still use an ancient Meridian 200/203....with my 52/135s (and mains mods) the choice between it and the CDS2 was not a clear victory for the CDS2 by any means (in fact I declined the opportunity for a "bargain" used CDS2, and still use my 200/203, out of sonic choice)

I am convinced that in Naim systems , using the best preamp is the key.

My upgrade path would therefore be to get the best preamp, and gradually improve your
source(s)...improvement in the source will also be easier to hear and evaluate

laurie S

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Originally posted by BLT:
I'm aready lazy and fat - it's too late!

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BLT,
It's never too late for vinyl! Not only do you have to get out of your chair every twenty odd minutes, while playing the records, you'll have to go on serious record hunting expeditions as well. These are time consuming I know, but also very rewarding and it gives you the x-r-size as an added bonus. I found 'Country On The Click' (the Fall) recently, supposedly one of a 1.000 copies that have been pressed on vinyl.

So perhaps you trade in your Thorens and get a P9?

Instead of buying a so called 'better' amplifier I'm thinking of getting a Stageline + Hi-Cap for the Nait 3.

Have fun,

willem

Nordost Solar Wind speaker cable is the most awful piece of wire you could possibly use betwixt a Naim (and other) power amp(s) and a pair of speakers (imho).

If I came home from a shift and found that it had mysteriously replaced my Naca5 (that I don't need for amp stability cos my amps are Densen) I'd be contemplating whether to use it, or strips of bed sheets like Mr. (prev. Dr.) Shipman.

The interconnect isn't bad though - I still have one of three pairs that I used to own for my headphone amp, and one of the other two is now used in conjunction with Top Cat's Nait 2.



Regards,

Steve.