Upgrade path some advice please :)

Posted by: Al_d on 27 September 2016

its been long time since I have visited the forum , mainly because I have been totally pleased with my current setup, but now having some trouble that may mean a replacement or even an upgrade.

long story but if I have to spend a lot of money servicing or repairing my much loved olive setup am not sure of the best upgrade path so any advice or recommendations would be brilliant....

current setup:

Linn LP 12/Akito/Ortofon 2M Blue MM and Naim CD3.5 with flat cap, TV with Apple TV

NAC 92 and NAP90 with flat cap powering the 92

the problem is with a distortion in mid range especially with TV voice, very annoying and have done all normal troubleshooting tricks - cable checking, swapping of inputs on the 92, I am suspecting it's the power amp, so could be a service, but wondering if I can upgrade the power amp on its own or have to get a matching new pre and power amp .....

Early days and will be getting them checked at a local Naim dealer in Bristol.

any suggestions?

Cheers

Posted on: 27 September 2016 by Massimo Bertola

Hi,

are the speakers excluded from the possible culprits?

Max

Posted on: 27 September 2016 by Al_d

Good question Max...

the distortion is on both L and R channels so I have discounted that as would have thought a driver fault wouldn't have happened on both at the same time, physically checked them as well, looks ok, no obvious damage or suchlike.

Ruark Sabres Mk2 by the way

thanks

Posted on: 27 September 2016 by Jamesie

I have this exact same problem , I have also swapped everything in and out of the system ,and with a little forum searching, I have come up with the power amp as well , my local dealer said it was likely from the symptoms , and I know my 1995 250 has never had a service or recap , I have tried my speakers on another system and they are fine ,

Posted on: 27 September 2016 by james n

Al - looks like you have systematically checked everything. Just one thought - how is the apple TV connected to the 92. If you disconnect it (i presuming it's connected via a 3.5mm to Din lead) does the distortion remain ?

James

Posted on: 27 September 2016 by Adam Zielinski

One thing occured to me: if the distortion is only when using TV L/R feed, I suspect you may be hearing a nasty ground loop.

I would invest a princly sum of 10 punds and try one of those before changing an amp. Try Amazon. If it doesn't work, you can always return it for a full refund.\

Posted on: 27 September 2016 by ChrisSU

Your 92/90 is probably due a service if it's never been done, regardless of weather or not it solves your current issue. If you're thinking of upgrading instead, I would start again rather than just changing the power amp. Lots of options, depending on your budget. Also think about weather you want to keep your CD player or move to streaming.

Remember if you intend to continue playing vinyl, recent Naim amps do not include a phono stage, so if you change your pre you will need to budget for that as well.

Posted on: 27 September 2016 by Huge

Unplug the Apple TV... Does the problem go away?

If so then it could well be a ground loop (or other system fault) from that.

If not, then probably one of the amps needs servicing; but this should be done anyway if they've not been serviced.

Posted on: 03 October 2016 by Moussa

I had a

Adam Zielinski posted:
One thing occured to me: if the distortion is only when using TV L/R feed, I suspect you may be hearing a nasty ground loop.
I would invest a princly sum of 10 punds and try one of those before changing an amp. Try Amazon. If it doesn't work, you can always return it for a full refund.\

Great recommendation Adam, I had a similar issue. I have Anthem MRX310 receiver connected to SN2 via the AV bypass and I always had a really nasty distortion and took me some time with a lot of frustration to figure it out. I read somewhere on this forum that it could be a ground loop and that I should try a noise suppressor or isolation on the RCA connection. I haven't heard if it before, so I ordered one from Amazon and bingo, problem solved for less than $10. Thank you guys for sharing your knowledge!

Posted on: 03 October 2016 by Bob Edwards

Al - sounds like the amp needs to be serviced - that's a classic sign of caps wearing out.

As far as upgrading: you have a well-balanced system. Start with the source you use the most - whether LP12 or CD3.5 - and try to listen to some options (and prepare for sticker shock if looking at new). If you stick with olive, a CDX would be a good place to start, though note the transport cannot be serviced by Naim any longer (at least according to Naim US distributor). You could then add an XPS, and then perhaps start a move towards a 82/HC/250.

Posted on: 03 October 2016 by Darke Bear

If the Power amp has not been serviced then the way it fails is exactly as you describe. My old 250 died that way and the service revived it. swapping to a NAP200 will blow-away the 90 while not sounding out of place with the 92, but that also is really needing a service or replacement by now.

As to upgrades then you need to take account of the Vinyl source as later Naim products do not, unfortunately, have built-in stage for that, so another box for that is needed. I will defer to what more experienced current Vinyl users will advise on that, as I presently do not use Vinyl apart from when I've borrowed a box to try on occasion.

Apart from the Vinyl 'box' for RIAA and gain, there are either 'all in one' integrated or Pre-power options. The NACN272 with NAP200 is where I'd go, as it exceptional value for what you get and a huge upgrade in performance and versatility on where you are now, as you get the built-in digital streamer. The NACN272 also has the new grade of Volume controls spawned after the Statement development and I think they add something very special to this by comparison humble amp.

As always - try to audition first and decide.

DB.