Sound is better without hicap?

I have known it happen when the Hicap needs a service / recap - like mine does now 

I might be useful to know what the HC is working with,  why not put your system details in your profile.

It is certainly not unheard of. I put a Hicap in my system today and yes I can relate to what you describe. Thing is... a lot of really good stuff comes with the tightening of the sound you describe so it's not quite so simple. As above... it might be best to give up a little more info.

Oh, sorry, i forget. My system: nac202 and nap200 to drive pmc24

And your source......

Everybody hears things differently, but as a general principle if my Naim system sounded better without the HiCap (or SC) then my first instinct would be that something was amiss somewhere in the system.  

Is there anything with a SWPS electrically near the system?

PSC before a Hicap.

You don't mension a source but matbe it's just being more revealed with a Hicap.

If you use a steel framed rack that's probably not helping.

Don't let power leads touch the rack.

Going from a Flatcap to a Hicap on a 282 made it more relaxed but using both outputs of a FC2x was a bit like you describe.

Oh, how silly i am. My system again: CD5XS＋Nac202＋Nap200 + pmc24; Tried hicap with CD5XS and 202, both result is better without hicap. 

The Hicap makes the 5 series players sound awful, so that's no surprise. I'd suggest that you swap the CD5xs for a CDX2, in order to restore balance, add a napsc to the 202, and then try the Hicap again. Easy when you say it quickly. 

I used a CD5x/FC2x into a 282/HC/250 for a while and the CD5x didn't disgrace itself in the least, a CDX2 did until I learned about the steel rack and power cable touching being a problem but it was only once I got the CDX2 which is a lot more sensitive to its environment than a CD5x was.

You are using all Naim interconnects, snaics and speaker cables aren't you?

is this a new HC, old HC, HCdr or what? Similarly is the 200 DRed?

I might be inclined to DR the 200 (if it isn't already), add a NAPSC to the 202 and forget about the HC until the source changes (and then only if the HC is also DR).

Could also be that the HC is elevating the 202 to the point where it shows up the source. As the 202/200 is a superb amp by any standards and Twenty.24s are very transparent but unforgiving of any signal where the low frequencies are not in control, the HC may have just lifted a veil on a problem.

I might be wrong, but I don't think the 200 can be converted to DR. 

I think it can but only the supply for the pre is DRed. If a HCDR isn't an improvement will a DRed 200 be?

Hungryhalibut posted:

I might be wrong, but I don't think the 200 can be converted to DR. 

+1 I don't either

dayjay posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

I might be wrong, but I don't think the 200 can be converted to DR. 

+1 I don't either

Indeed, I checked and you are both correct. No upgrade offered for a 200.

HH, is on the right track here.  With a CD5x up front, adding a Hicap to the Pre-amp may be an equivocal step at best.  However, it will certainly "tighten" everything up as you say although I'm not sure about any "hardness", just a bit cleaner and clearer.

Have you got a NAPSC on there?  This should be the first step.  Without, adding a Hicap to the 202/200 can sound a little odd.  And then look at a CDX2 - despite seeming similar to the CD5x, it is a step (or two) ahead in performance.

My Hicap has been in for a day now and I'm experiencing exactly the same effect. I have an NDX as source and the amp is a 202/150. This is actually the second time I've tried a Hicap on my 202, the first being a Hicap2 (non-DR) and this one an Olive. The last attempt was a couple of years ago and I'm more confident in the general setup of the system this time around so I figured it was worth a shot, also wondering if the previous Hicap might have had something wrong with it. Unfortunately the result seems to be more or less the same. It's offering far more resolution and detail but the system has also become brighter and more fatiguing. My source is good, setup good, I have a Napsc and I have all gear on a wooden Isoblue rack. Seems a bit odd...

Have you checked your cable dressing?

Hi,

I remember having the the same issue when I ran CD5x / 202 / 200 with a hicap.

I found that the flatcap was better.

Moving to a 282 with the hicap resolved the issue and elevated performance dramatically.

Regards,

Nick

I have never quite understood this view; power supplies are designed to supply a good quality, low noise 24v supply to cd players, pre-amps etc. Why would any of these components work better with a noisier supply?

+1  My first reaction: this is a not likely a matter of personal taste - something must be "wrong."  Or as has been suggested, the system now reveals unforgivingly any upstream distortion.

2Kevin, to what music are you listening?  Presumably CD's.  Does the Hicap sound poorer with a wide variety of recordings?  Have you left the Hicap in the system (powered up) a few days?

Charlie

It seems I have taken the baton of this thread as the OP hasn't responded. Currently away from home but after four days with the HiCap in place I was a little happier with the results. It has introduced an impressively tight grip and slam to the system which is great! It has also increased the amount of information that is coming through, I'm hearing things in tracks I never knew existed. As an example on Brian Eno's Neroli there is lots of low frequency information and interesting reverberations in addition to the dominant drone/tone of the piece that I've never heard before. In songs I can hear lyrics more clearly and there are other benefits too. However I maintain that the sound is also more fatiguing, perhaps because the extra information coming through can seem a bit overwhelming, but I also think the tonal balance is brighter and in honesty I'd rather it wasn't. At this stage I'm leaning towards keeping it but am a little disappointed the changes it brings aren't just good all round...  

I say don't forget synergy... Fatiguing can often be caused by the brain working harder to resolve the sound of what you are listening too... Now with increased resolution, and I suspect here what is meant is wider bandwidth and therefore more high end info in the mix with the uprated powersupply, that room reflections that were perhaps below a threshold before have now crossed over, and making your brain work harder and becoming tiring... Therefore you might find repositioning speakers / soft furnishings etc reduce the fatigue as the reflections are controlled again.... I am assuming there is nothing in your chain causing excessive electrical distortions.

Simon

-goat- posted:

It seems I have taken the baton of this thread as the OP hasn't responded. Currently away from home but after four days with the HiCap in place I was a little happier with the results. It has introduced an impressively tight grip and slam to the system which is great! It has also increased the amount of information that is coming through, I'm hearing things in tracks I never knew existed. As an example on Brian Eno's Neroli there is lots of low frequency information and interesting reverberations in addition to the dominant drone/tone of the piece that I've never heard before. In songs I can hear lyrics more clearly and there are other benefits too. However I maintain that the sound is also more fatiguing, perhaps because the extra information coming through can seem a bit overwhelming, but I also think the tonal balance is brighter and in honesty I'd rather it wasn't. At this stage I'm leaning towards keeping it but am a little disappointed the changes it brings aren't just good all round...  

I recently upgraded from Chord Qute EX / Nait XS2 to Chord 2Qute / SN2, pretty much at the same time and from what you describe I suffered from the same symptoms initially. Probably caused by an increase in perceived high frequency energy and a more open / transparent amp. I've resolved it by going over a lot of setup aspects in my system but I think the biggest difference was the support for the boxes themselves. I use a Hutter rack, but now the DAC, the SN2, the DAC power supply and the SN2 power supply are each sat on appropriately sized 10mm (SN2) or 6mm (everything else) sheets of glass sat on Naim fraim cups and ball-bearings.

Quite surprising just how much of a difference this made. The sound is now more refined, detailed and controlled, there's an obvious reduction in 'hash' compared to the Hutter bare. I'm a total convert, started with the DAC, was impressed by the results and just moved on from there, component by component. Why not have a go? I suggest just getting in what you need for your NDX and see how that goes.

+1 for Allan. I also found that my NAIMs are far happier sitting on glass shelves.