Hi Capping CD3.5

Enough said...you will get more drive, body, bass, oomph, precision...much better than a flat cap in my experience.
Rgds,
Tom

It's a great improvement - more of what makes the 3.5 good in the first place.

Graham

Well, I've done it both ways. I can easily live without a hicap on my 3.5. It's better but what else can you do with the money???

Markus

Is there a possibly that the exclusion of a cap is masking some other aspect of your system's performance (like dullard speakers for example).

Craig

By adding a hicap you are not detracting from the 3.5.
But quite the contary by placing the power supply external from the 3.5..you are actually hearing more of what the 3.5 can do with out the contamination of the mains supply into the audio circuitry; such is the case when they share the same enclosure.
An external power supply allows the 3.5 to voice itself in a untainted fashion...and show it's true ability.
Those who prefer a bare 3.5 to a 3.5 hicap would be in the minority...perhaps the same people who run sbl's off naits perhaps.
I can understand your conflict but to some degree you have to say to yourself how much faith to I have in naim...versus how much faith do I have in the person/people who tell me a hicapped 3.5 detracts from the sound. If you like the naim sound it ultimately makes sense to follow the upgrade path it has set out.
Hicapping a 3.5 is no different from the xps upgrade, hicap/supercap upgrade to the preamps.
It is fundamental to the naim philosophy/sound.
The only reasoning one could see is that by having a bare 3.5 the excitement one perceives is in fact the harshness and undernourished sound equates to excitement...which it doesn't...unless you live your life listening to a P.A. system!
Try it...you won't regret it...the sound grows beautifully in scale, a veil of electronic harshness lifts(this is what some mistake as energy/excitement)..the end result is a far more music.
Trust your instinct and naim, ignore the idiots.
P.S> a hicap is a good investment as you can always use it for preamps/xovers etc.

[This message was edited by NAME on FRIDAY 01 November 2002 at 23:33.]

Yes go for it. Switch back and for and you will soon come to recognise that what you have is not just different it is better.

Terry

DONT KNOW IF THIS IS ANY HELP BUT I JUST FLATCAPPED A 3.5 GRAT IMPROVEMENT

and a supercapped 3.5 is better still.

I'm just saying there are a lot of ways to spend money. I spend most of mine on music and still need more. My system is humble but conveys the music superbly. My music collection is, well, larger all the time.

I appreciate the difference that the hicap makes. I'm just saying, well, for me it is not a requirement to have it on my 3.5. That's all.

Well, I guess I am kind of reacting to the seeming reflex on this forum to go for every upgrade, every time. I prefer to spend my money on records, lot's of records. Oh, and some cd's, too.

Markus

I'll take the middle ground between MArkus and the others. This is based on my experience with a cd5, not a cd3.5. That is, I think that both my flatcap and Hicap improve my cd5 enormously, but the difference between the FC and icap is quite small. In comparison, the Hicap kills the FC om my preamp.

I discussed this withthe folks at NANA, an dthey gave me a good reason, further expounded upon by the goos Andrew Weekes. That is, only a small portion of the cd5 is powered by the PSU, thus there is less possible benefit than on the preamp.

My advice for the best VFM would be to buy an original flatcap topowe the cd5, which can be found quite cheaply in all the regular places.

Bruce

I am currently separated from my system until january,and have been separated for quite some time so I forget all the possibilities.... , but I wanted to ask a couple of basic questions:

1- Can you power two devices off a flatcap?
2- If not, then would powering the CD3, be more beneficial than powering the 92?
3- Can you power the CD3?

I have only used the flatcap on the preamp and I thought it was a great improvement, but I never thought about using on the CD3. Currently CD is my main source so it's not as if anything else would suffer by removing it from the preamp.

After reading some posts it would seem that a HiCap would be the one to go for if I need to have a separate power supply for each device.

Baz.

If your referring to the cd3, unfortunately no it has no facility to be externally powered by a flat/hi/super cap.
Only the 3.5 can be externally powered.
So if you have a cd3..sorry can't be done....if it's a 3.5 then well hell yes.
A flatcap can only be used to power one item, i.e. pre OR cd player......a flatcap two allows you to power to components.
Then you enter the controversial subject of which output for which component.....best to do a search on the forum RE: Flatcap2 to get the low down.

quote:

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That is, I think that both my flatcap and Hicap improve my cd5 enormously, but the difference between the FC and icap is quite small. In comparison, the Hicap kills the FC om my preamp.

---

My findings as well - except on a CD3.5.
Terry

The tribal council has spoken....go forth and seek out...you won't regret it.
It just doesn't make sense for the hicap to detract from he sound of the 3.5...as far as someone saying it is less dynamic...could be more a case of personal taste...which as we all know can be a many varied and strange thing.
Happy hunting...post your findings after you've hooked up the hicap....

You haven't got a Hi Cap for sale have you ?

Thanks for all replies - very valuable

Name,

Thanks for clarifying my "dumb questions". At least not having the choice to power my CD3 externally means I don't have to get into the whole Hicap vs flatcap discussion. My flatcap stays on the 92 and as I've been parted from my system for quite some time it will still be a massive step up from the sony walkman, car radio/cd, that I am using now!

I suppose I've got 6 months or so before I start seriously looking at upgrading..

Baz.