I have a Nac 42.5 pre and a Nap 140 power amplifier...Obviously interconnect is taking musical information from pre to power and power from the power amp to pre..Blanking plug is left in as no external power source Hi cap ' Snaps is being used....I guess taking the blanking plug out stops power being taken into the pre amp from the power amp..Up to now I am clear '
I think..Blanking plug i IN no power supply ' Blanking plug OUT when Hi cap or snaps used...
I HAVE LOOKED AT VARIOUS DIAGRAMS ON THIS SITE
My question is how is the Snaps different...? when powering the Nap42.5 from a Hi Cap power supply ...I am only using one NAP 140 ..
I am a bit confused with the thread that relates to all this...How is the SNAPS different to the HI CAP...
Cheers I do not know which one to buy ' ,.?? but the SNAPS seems cheaper..?
Any thoughts appreciated...
Posted on: 05 June 2016 by Richard Dane
Like the pre-amp supply found within the smaller Naim power amps, a SNAPS is single rail - only one 24v DC power rail. This is why they use a DIN4 and SNAIC4.
The HICAP is dual rail with two 24V DC power rails. This is why it connects via DIN5 and SNAIC5.
The HICAP is the better power supply, giving a pre-amp superior performance over the SNAPS.
Posted on: 06 June 2016 by Richard Dane
The original shoe-box bolt-down SNAPS was an upgraded PSU option for the NAC12 and replaced the original NAPS. It was then re-engineered into a short version of the extruded half-width case which made it a good match for the extruded NAC42 and NAC32. It could still be used with the later NAC42.5 and NAC32.5, but you would need to have the 5pin link plug fitted to the pre-amps.
Always remember that with Naim pre-amp, the power supply also supplies the signal pre-outs (important for system earthing), so when using a separate PSU you connect the peer amp to the PSU pre-out rather than directly to the pre-amp.
Posted on: 06 June 2016 by Massimo Bertola
I hope I am not violating any rule if I add that a SNAPS has two 24V rails like a HiCap (routed to two single 4-pin DIN sockets), but a HiCap (whose two 24V rails are routed to a single, 5-pin DIN socket) can power one piece of equipment with a dual 24V rail, while a SNAPS can power two pieces of equipment with two single 24V rails (e.g.: a preamp and a tuner).
A HiCap has a similar architecture to a SNAPS, but bigger and better components, and it could be seen as a super SNAPS optimised for just one piece of equipment.
This is why some authorised labs can modify a SNAPS to make it work like a HiCap and effectively dual-rail power a .5 preamp. This gives a new life to a very lovely older PSU..
Posted on: 07 June 2016 by Lewis
Just to add further food for thought:
I have been using a SNAPS to power a 32 and then 32.5, using the 4 pin din cable. I then upgraded to a Hi-Cap with the 32.5 and even though still using the 4 pin snaic I noticed a big improvement...unsure how if the science is the same but the sound is most definitely improved!
Posted on: 07 June 2016 by Richard Dane
Lewis, yes, the Hicap, even when using its single rail supply it was superior to the SNAPS. This way, even if you hadn't yet upgraded your preamp to a .5 unit, you could still get much of the benefit of upgrading to a Hicap (on early units you could choose between single rail on DIN4 or the dual rail supply on the DIN5).
