Activating my Credos

Nothing wrong with a CDS1, one of the best spinners out there.

I agree, I just hope it lives for another 20years.

You should perhaps check that the Nap 90s are approximately of  the same age, otherwise there might be an imbalance between left and right speaker.

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that, I'll check serial number when buying my second one.

The 90 doesn't seem to be held in particularly high regard these days, but that does mean they can be picked up quite cheaply. Almost certainly old enough to need a service, so you may need to budget for that. 

I'd get a 72, Hicap and 250. A big passive setup will beat a weeny active one any day. 

That's what I wondered, and why I'm  asking for help. Though I like the idea of going active and upgrading from there.

I agree with HH passive 250/72/hicap with the CDS would be fab.

Ebeneezer01 posted:

That's what I wondered, and why I'm  asking for help. Though I like the idea of going active and upgrading from there.

Then you'd need to move to a 72, a snaxo, two hicaps and two 250s. Can you afford that? Do you want all the boxes and wires? Like I said, a 72, Hicap, 250 will be miles better than a 92, Ixo and two 90s. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

I'd get a 72, Hicap and 250. A big passive setup will beat a weeny active one any day. 

I doubt that, at least in this generality. With a passive Statement against active 100s you may be correct. On the other hand I've compared 2x 200 active against a 250 passive system and liked the active system better.

In Newell's and Holland's book "Loudspeakers" there is a report about an experiment where the same amount of money (£500) was spent on a passive and an active speaker system. In a following audition the panel clearly favoured the active system.

jfritzen posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

I'd get a 72, Hicap and 250. A big passive setup will beat a weeny active one any day. 

I doubt that, at least in this generality. With a passive Statement against active 100s you may be correct. On the other hand I've compared 2x 200 active against a 250 passive system and liked the active system better.

I'm not entirely sure your comparison stands up here. Regardless of the active vs passive debate, the jump from 90 to 250 might be less than 100 to Statement, but it's still huge.

The move to a single 250 over a 90 is massive, and no amount of active 90s will bridge the gap.

In this specific case, 250 vs 2x90, the passive setup might win (but this remains to be heard). I just would be careful when generalizing. And an olive 250 is considerably more expensive than a Nap 90 plus ixo.

Hi Mike, I'm hoping Stephen Tate will respond as he once ran active Credos IIRC.

Chris

Thanks guys,. Because I like the idea, and can buy bits off fleabay relatively cheaply. I think I'll try active. The only question mark will be service costs. Any ideas.

last question, I had my local dealer instal my system, and can't identify my speaker cable. Other than its white, has Linn printed on it and is very stiff. Will it matter if though all the same length and Linn, they are not the same origin. Also what Linn cable should I buy? Bearing in mind I'm on a fairly tight budget.

Thanks for the help, now I'm a furum member I'll stay in touch and let you know how it goes.

Cheers Mike.

I would try Class A in Sheffield for servicing. 

You could also give Tomtom Audio a call, possibly a safer bet than an unknown ebay seller. Good luck with your experiment!

Hi,

May I point out a few important things to consider here before you decide to tread this path.

1. You will need to send the whole system off for service (including PSU) because of the revealing nature of the whole active approach itself.

2. You will need (very important) to have TWO  special 'active leads ' made up at the factory as it is NOT recommended to use the standard SNAICS that come with the power amps.

3.  You will need to have four runs of NACA5 (no other cable will do) with Naim speaker plugs all round expertly soldered and fitted.

4.  The above advice may cost more to achieve than buying the actual system itself.

I ran this system for over 10 years and yes when it found it's mojo it was stunning (much better than passive could ever be) but at the same it was a real pain to live with.

My advice will be to consider all the above very carefully as set-up here is absolute key.

Steve

Oh dear, Mike, you are on the slippery slope to "as many boxes as I can fit in the room" syndrome........just ask my wife!  9 Linn boxes for our Aktiv Brik system, 11 "olives" for my active SBL system (numbers include CDs/tuners/Heaphone amps etc).

I do like what active systems give, though. They just sound so much better! When I was building the SBL system, I did, for a time, run a NAP250 passively. Then I got a NAXO-Hicap and ran the 250 on the trebles and an old Meridian 103D on the bass. Despite the "mismatched" amps, it was better than the passive setup, and got even better with a second 250, followed by a SNAXO-Supercap.

So it's always worth a try. 90's come up fairly regularly on that *cough* infamous auction site, but Ixo's are not so common.

Just watch out for that multi-box syndrome. 

jfritzen posted:

In this specific case, 250 vs 2x90, the passive setup might win (but this remains to be heard). I just would be careful when generalizing. And an olive 250 is considerably more expensive than a Nap 90 plus ixo.

Yes as you say i would be careful in generalising too, but as you can see i was being quite specific. Cost is relative of course, i bought recently a fully Naim serviced CB 250 for £650 in beautiful condition.

Ebeneezer01 posted:

Hi, my name is Mike.

I am not really an audiophile, more a music fan who just likes to listen to music reproduced as well as I can. My current system is Linn Sondek, Lingo, Ittok, k9. Naim  CDS Mk1, Credos,Nac 92, Nap 90. I realise my CDS is well past it's best, but ti still sounds good to me and I love it.

Having thoughts of upgrading my system. I'm thinking let's go active. Having looked online, used Naim components are comparitavley inexpensive. I'm thinking Second Nap 90 and Ixo. Then go on from there, any thoughts anyone?

cheers Mike

Welcome to the Forum Mike

 It's a good thing you don't think of yourself as an audiophile, that's when the how overwhelmes the why. You've gotten some excellent advice from the Forum, hope I can be helpful.

1st, is it safe to say you've chosen the Active Path?  If so, that illuminates the age old debate, Active vs Passive!

2nd, is it safe to say you' re comfortable with your sources and speakers? If so, all that necessary is to focus on is choice of Pre Amp, Amps, and Snaxo. 

Once you've made that decession, you can begin your upgrade path.

Serviced Olive would be less expensive than serviced Black Boxes.

But, the beautiful thing with Naim is it's upgrade Path.  

Possible Route! Utilize the 2nd hand market to sell and purchase your gear.

 Build to an active sysem eg. bi amp Passive!

(LP 12 with proper phono amp/PS and Reserviced CDS1 or CDS3/PS.)

So far you've just improved your front end, which is necessary, no matter what.

 Next, take it slow.

1. Serviced Olive 250 

2. Serviced Olive SC

3. Serviced Olive 250

And guess what you're still Passive!

You get the idea!

Enjoy your Music, the Why!

Great Passive today, and Better Active Tomorrow!

Allante93!

Stephen Tate posted:

2. You will need (very important) to have TWO  special 'active leads ' made up at the factory as it is NOT recommended to use the standard SNAICS that come with the power amps.

Good point, Richard Dane explained this here.

The 'active leads' are available from Naim, even if not on the customer price list. The precise description on the box is "Interconnect Lead, 4 to 4 Pin DIN, Active, 140/180" and the part number(?) appears to be 00-010-0093.