For newbie eyes only!

Posted by: bec143 on 12 March 2002

So here’s my newbie two months of experience regarding two of the most hated of all newbie questions

1) “,,,,,,,so, should I put my flatcap on my cd player or preamp...”

standard forum answers:
a) source first-put it on the CDP.....(and buy a hicap for the preamp)
b) most of us would put it on the preamp...(and buy a hicap for the CDP)
c) it just doesn’t matter in your situation......(and buy a 52/500, you can find one used if your a bit short this month)

I have a cd5/flatcap/92/90.3 and I have been playing around with the FC to the CD or 92. There are very obvious differences between the two setups. With the FC to the CD5, the music is more exciting (stronger bass, more vivid midrange, acoustic guitars shimmer. brisker percussion). With the FC to the 92, there is mores of a sense of space, and much less a sense that the nusic is coming directly from the speakers. This is at the expense of some of the “edginess” and excitement of the other configuration. I prefer the former, my wife the latter. So my conclusion-..I’m going to keep the FC on the CD5 and buy a hicap for the 92!

2).....” does a black snaic really make a difference”

standard forum answers”
d) we said yes and still mean yes..
e) when you upgrade there is only one type of Burndy

I had one grey and one black Snaic. I just changed the grey to a new black and the difference was not subtle. Highly recommended improvement.More tips later!

So it seems that some of the common wisdom around here is right! Does that mean that I’m going to have to buy a dedicated mains spur, pit the speaker spikes onto English coins, and find a pair of 50 year old Kans???

BTW-Mr Tibbs-nice work on the rack!

Bruce

Posted on: 12 March 2002 by Guido

Hi Bruce!

Excellent post!
I am a newbie, too - having my naim system since January of last year, joined the forum about a year ago.
Did what you did - got black snaics and added a hicap to my preamp (CDI cannot be cap powered).
Keep on posting
Regards
Guido

Posted on: 12 March 2002 by J.N.

If you want sensible advice, your dealer has it.

Come here and you'll end up with paranoia; if you're not careful!

No offence intended to anyone. It just happens.

Posted on: 12 March 2002 by Andy Kirby

quote:
Does that mean that I’m going to have to buy a dedicated mains spur

Yes, one of the best upgrades I have done and all for the price of a Black SNAIC.

quote:
pit the speaker spikes onto English coins

Only if you have wooden floors, IMHO and coins of any denomination will do, except of course those strange hollow ones from 'funkier' parts of the world.

quote:
find a pair of 50 year old Kans???

Anything over 20 Yrs will do.

Great post though.

Cheers

Posted on: 13 March 2002 by Charlezz

1)Flatcap on the preamp , OF COURSE!!!!!!!!!!!

The preamp is really bettered by an extra *cap.
If you had a hicap ad a flatcap, Flatcap should go with the CDplayer and Hicap with the preamp...

2)Black snaic do make the difference.
But HMS sestetto mk2 are even better!!! Charles

Posted on: 13 March 2002 by bec143

Picked up the Hicap last night (an old style HC form my local dealer in that had been rebuilt by NANA last week)

How I'm set up as
Flatcap/CD5/Hicap/92/90.3....Vienna Acoustics Bachs

Really impressed with how everything has filled out with the Hicap, particularly at lower listening volumes which is where I was most dissatisfied.

This should be a good place to hold for a bit!

Bruceu

Posted on: 13 March 2002 by jpk73

I upgraded my CD3.5 and my 92 with a Supercap before I moved to 52 and CDS1... Replacing two Flatcaps, I connected both the CD3.5 and the 92 to one Supercap. That was such an incredible improvement! IMO good value for money, really. The difference between a bare CD3.5 and the Supercapped CD3.5 is much bigger than between the CDS1 and the Supercapped CD3.5! But I got my CDS1 for GBP 1400, so I went for it...

Before that, I replaced a grey Snaic between CD3.5 and Flatcap with a black one. Although it's not carrying any music, the sonic improvement was quite impressive!

Jun

Posted on: 14 March 2002 by bec143

Thanks for all the input-I have really been enjoying listening to the system this week!

So back to my original thought- will changing the 92 to a 72 really make much of a difference, or should I save for a used 102?

Thanks,
Bruce

Posted on: 14 March 2002 by Greg Beatty

Opinions differ, but to my ears there is not a *huge* difference here.

You could:

Sell/trade/return your 3.5
Sell/trade/return the hicap or flatcap
Add the funds you were going to use to get the 72
and...

Viola! A CDX is yours.

CDX/92 is ahead of 3.5/72 in my book - Source first and all that.

- GregB

Insert Witty Signature Line Here

Posted on: 14 March 2002 by bec143

Mr Tibbs,

What an excellent pic of your assistant-no wonder the spikes don't do nearly as well on our plain old quarters.....

Bruce

Posted on: 15 March 2002 by Phil Barry

Contrarywise, I have no doubt that the 72 with a hicap is far, far better than a 92 with a hicap. Don't listen unless you can buy it.

Phil