Is the Nap140 a suitable partner for my Nait3?

You are going to see some improvement by using the Nait as a pre-amp and buying a seperate power supply but whether its going to be up to the job of powering the Intro's is questionable.

I would suggest that a minimum for the Intro's should be a 72/180 at least. Yes you can use a smaller amplifier but the sound is going to be compramised. Its a question of whether you can live with it!!

Regards

NB

Hi Mystik,

Intro's work just fine with a Nait 3. I have had them with a 92+90/3, with a Linn Classik and with a 102/180. They always sounded great, though you definitely hear the improvement a better pre/power makes.

Whether you gain anything by adding a 140, I don't know. This little power-amp hasn't impressed me that much in comparison to my 90/3. The 180 is a real improvement, but I would say it is much better to use a 102+90 in stead of a Nait3(92)+180.

Greetz, Bas

I can certainly imagine you having a power problem into CDM1SE's. They're a relatively lazy speaker and take some driving. Simply by going to the easier load of the Intros should immediately improve the situation.

The 140 is a much more capable power amp than the power stage in the Nait3. You should find it gives you worthwhile gains if you stay with the CDM1SE (or even go to the Intro). It has half again the power of the Nait3 and that's quite a lot in this company!

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

I just upgraded from a Nait 3 to a 102/140 system and the result was jaw-breaking. I cannot tell, however, just how much the 140 alone is responsible for the improvement. (I would think the biggest part comes from upgrading the Nait's preamp section with the 102).

One thing I can confirm for sure, though: the 140 does drive my French Pierre Etienne Leon M3's mych better than the Nait did.

Along the lines of the question "what is responsible for the improvement", I upgraded my NAIT 3 to a 72/140 and I am not sure either whether the improvement is mostly the amp or pre. I have heard that smaller power amps generally sound better in most companies lines than the big bruisers. I wonder if this is somewhat true with NAIM. Is a 140 a better amp in some ways than a 250?? Anyone??

Is the NAP 90 an upgrade to the Nait 3 internal power amp??

quote:

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Originally posted by mystik:
Is the NAP 90 an upgrade to the Nait 3 internal power amp??

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Basically yes.

You convert your Nait into a 92 and then use that new 90 as a power amp.

Personally I think that'd be fine as a 92/90 setup if you were using the Intro but I'm not familiar with the CDM1's. If what Frank says is true then maybe a 72/140, 72/180, 102/40 or 102/180 would be a better way to go.

Jay

Yabba, dabba, doooooo

quote:

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Originally posted by onlythat:
I have heard that smaller power amps generally sound better in most companies lines than the big bruisers. I wonder if this is somewhat true with NAIM. Is a 140 a better amp in some ways than a 250?? Anyone??

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NO, not at all. One reason that the small amps from other companies might sound better is that most companies add extra output transistors for extra power. Naim uses a single pair in all their classic and slimline range--in fact the circuit board in a 140 is the same as a 180 and 250 and 135. The difference is in the power supply scheme--the 180 has a bigger transformer than a 140, the 250 adds power supply regulation, and the 135 is a monoblock 250. If you want to "hear" the sound of that regulation, compare a 250 to a 180--there are some that prefer the 180.

--Eric