Old and new together?

Surprised no one responded.... So many questions. Guess you are new then.....

1) Why...? To get a bigger amp - yes, that would work. Am sure your SBL's will appreciate a bigger amp than the 100.  An older 100 makes no sense. Why you suggest this, starts to worry me...

2) HiCap and Stageline - yes. HiCap with Project - NO. Again, it worries me you think that you could.

3) You mean Active Crosovers...? They split the frequencies at line level. Am sure Google can explain to you. Very common in Pro Audio.

Dont you have a good dealer you can talk to...?

IanM

Hi Lewis.

I would get a Nap250 that is great with SBLs and i would get a Stageline + HiCap before thinking of a crossover.

Please remember that Stageline comes in different versions to match different cartridges values.

As Ian says a good dealer can lead you.

https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...-sane-upgrade-advice

Oh dear, if you are new to the forum the first response probably might not have felt very welcoming...

item 2: Naim power supplies are designed for Naim amps, and in crude terms (i.e. Disregarding connectors etc) could only work with other manufacturers products if the voltage is the same, and current requirements of the other no greater.

item 3: there are passive external crossovers. Basically it is the same as would normally be inside the speaker box, but instead is outside. Benefits include reduction of possible affect of vibration including compression effects of sound waves, and ease of servicing like capacitor replacement when they deteriorate. You need one per speaker (one left, one right)

Active crossovers are different, being low-level devices that go between pre and power amps, splitting the signal for the speaker's individual drivers at that point, requiring a power amp per individual speaker driver (for a 3-way system that's three stereo power amps...). Advantage is less power through the crossover reducing adverse effects, and direct power amp 'control' of speaker cones.

@innocent bystander - Sorry, but I don't believe in Spoon Feeding those (like the OP) who could & should help themselves a lot more, before asking on this Forum. I think the long silence before I replied confirms this, TBH. YMMV.

Perhaps the OP might like to sell his SBL's to me as I already have a 250 ready to drive them properly....

If you don't want to 'spoon feed' someone who is less knowledgeable than you perceive yourself to be, then don't respond to their queries, especially with a denigrating attitude. It seems to me perfectly reasonable to ask simple questions here - what else would a Naim forum be for - and it is certainly an obvious place to come in the first place. 

Cdb posted:

If you don't want to 'spoon feed' someone who is less knowledgeable than you perceive yourself to be, then don't respond to their queries, especially with a denigrating attitude. It seems to me perfectly reasonable to ask simple questions here - what else would a Naim forum be for - and it is certainly an obvious place to come in the first place. 

+100

However, having Joined in 2009 and ranking 734 on the Richter scale Lewis clearly isn't a newbie - however that needn't preclude questions whether someone is puzzled, confuse, or has the wrong end of the stick, or maybe doesn't have a dealer to hand.

long gaps to first responses can be for many reasons - no followers, or followers not online or simply not interested in that topic, and if other posts appear in quick succession it would quickly fall off the comments and recent topics lists, then only picked up when someone is scanning the main forum topics list.

Lewis posted:

I have a couple of questions and wonder if anyone can shed some light.  There are a couple of ideas I wouldn't mind trying with my system and i'm wondering if it will be possible to try them.  Current set up is a unitiqute 2, nap 100, LP12, project phono stage and SBL speakers.

1.  First option is to run and older olive or chrome bumper power amp instead of the New Nap 100 I have.  So say an older CB Nap 100 or Olive 140 or something.

2.  Could I run an older Hicap and then a stageline to power my TT, or an older hicap (either CBb or Olive) with my current project phono stage.

3.  Lastly, external crossovers for the SBL's, how do they work?  Would I need two or would one work?  They are damn expensive too!

Thanks

Lewis

 

Hi Lewis

I am not in a position to answer your queries, I'm afraid, beyond what you have already been advised. There are many experts here on SBLs - a speaker that I may think about when I move house. You may find the following site useful - I think I can post the link as it is an advice site and not commercial. http://www.sbls.co.uk

Clive

In principle there is no reason not to use old and new style components - I have a mix of old (52 and 250) and new (eg, super cap and 555 power supply) and plenty other people do the same 

Hello gents, thanks for the replies (I think!) I am by no means a newbie I just struggle to remember which. Of the Naim components are compatible as there are so many different combinations. It's a constant learning curve. I haven't considered changes to my system for a long time so forget in between what components can work together etc. I need a refresh hence the questions, so thanks to those of you who have had a positive input.  

To answer the question, why old and new? I love vintage Naim components and sometimes I find I prefer the sound to the newer products. I previously tried a supernait some years ago but reverted to an all olive system as i preferred the way it delivered music. I also appreciate the design and aesthetics of the older components. I also enjoy the variety of combinations available when using Naim components, and finally, (some) of the vintage products are more financially in reach. I also believe that sometimes less is more, you don't have to have the top of the range of everything for it to be fun and enjoyable to listen to. And I have zero intention of selling my SBL's!

Thanks fellas. 

If I were you I'd get a 72, hicap and 250. The 72 has phono boards so you won't need a phono stage. Keep the Qute for streaming and radio. You'll have no remote of course, but could get an 82 (remember them?) if that was important. As for active crossovers, forget that until everything else is sorted out. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

If I were you I'd get a 72, hicap and 250. The 72 has phono boards so you won't need a phono stage. Keep the Qute for streaming and radio. You'll have no remote of course, but could get an 82 (remember them?) if that was important. As for active crossovers, forget that until everything else is sorted out. 

Thanks hungry. I should add that I need to keep it shoe box size due to space. I had an 82 previously and it was amazing. However I sold it to downsize. I'm happy to keep my Qute as the main cog in the system, just fancied a change of power amp or adding a hi cap and swapping the project for a stage line or summat. 

Also I meant to ask, can you still buy replacement knobs for the CB units, as some people don't look after their stuff and the second hand ones I've looked at are sometimes rather scruffy. 

My take on this is that 'old Naim' and 'new Naim' do not work well together. Furthermore; pre-amps such as the 72 were primarily designed as turntable preamplifiers. An old and up to spec 72/HC/250 can still sound magnificent with vinyl, but the new kit sounds better with digital sources - to these ears anyway.

John.

hi Don't know much about your speaker and whether get a NAP 250 or else.

But I replaced a NAP 100 with a 200 into Unitiqute and that has utterly, dramatically transformed  the sound.

What's more I'm not sure now the 100 is a good match with the qute ,it doesn't give much more , and on its own It plays just fine. On the contrary with say a 200 you'd get much of everything, control, refinement ,scene etc.

My CB NAP110 doesn't sound bad when used with my record player and a 552 - in fact I'd say the old and new(ish)  mix very well 

Hi Lewis,

If you want to stay with half width boxes, then I can confirm that my 20 year old, serviced NAP140 works an absolute treat with a Naim DAC-V1 acting as DAC and pre-amp.

I also understand (from my Naim dealer) that the SBLs can sound fabulous on the end of an active crossover and a pair of NAP140 power amps, again keeping everything half width.  This does push the box count up though, probably past the point where you could have had a 72/hicap/250.

Best regards, FT 

Many years ago I ran 72,Hi-Cap and 140 into SBLs. The SBLs were a bit of an extravagance, which to the surprise of the dealer sounded really good driven by such a lowly amplifier (I had started off auditioning a pair of Linn standmounts at less than half the cost of the SBLs). A couple of years later (and a different dealer) I was looking to upgrade the amplifier and thought of going active with a pair of 140s. The active 140 set-up could not compete against a 250. But if you are limited to half width boxes then that might be an avenue worth pursuing. 

Lewis, you could look out for a pair of NAP 110 monos not quite what Naim intended but they sound magnificent and there is a pair for sale on the fishy site. 

UQ with the correct cable into the mono's would be quite something and keep to shoe box cases.

Ok thank you again. 

I've acquired another Nait 2, is there a way to connect the unitiqute to the rear of it? Basically would use the Nait as the amp and the UQ as a source. This would render the nap 100 useless right? Or can you add a power amp the the Nait 2? Also I assume I could use the app to control the output volume on the UQ thus acting as a remote for he Nait 2, or not possible? Thanks again and sorry for all the questions. 

Another nait2? Is it the "Chrome Bumper"? ;-)

Magnus Hultstrand posted:

Another nait2? Is it the "Chrome Bumper"? ;-)

Yes sir!