NAIT 5 amps in place of NAP 250?

Yes, that will work.

Remove the link on the N5? 4-4 Din, SC to N5 input?

Yes, remove the floppy link to reveal the amp's DIN4 input socket. Connect to the SC via SNAIC4. I can't recall though whether the DIN5 link plug on the NAIT needs to stay in place or not. 

Truly the hardest working Nait 5 on the forum, Howard  :-)

I think DIN 5 stays in on the Nait.

Chris

It had been resting for a while though.

Yeah, when your lad's not been spanking it!

Anyway how does it sound in situ?

C.

It's pretty decent, fed by a Sony MD player and a Creek tuner in the spare room system. Never been serviced so may be missing some service updates. Maybe I'll treat it to some attention next year.

It will be interesting to hear it with the SBLs

BigH47 posted:

It will be interesting to hear it with the SBLs

Yes, that's exactly what I meant, with the 52/ SC infront of the Nait 5 being used as a NAP into the SBLs...

C.

This topic title kinda applies to me this week but in a different way. Just hooked up a pair of Linn Sara 9s to my Nait 5 (fronted by a Rega Saturn CDP) and the outcome is simply astonishing. It shouldn't work according to folklore but certainly does here. Its gone from a good little hifi system to making music in an instant. Real bass, real solidarity to voices and instruments and tons and tons more detail coming through. I was expecting an improvement but not a multi-level upgrade, which I seem to have. My collection of small speakers which previously were on that system is going on fleabay, Kans, IBLs, various Royds etc. The lot. Speakers that pretend to do bass just are not worth having IMHO. The Nait 5 seems certainly up to the challenge for now so I don't have to worry about upgrading it for a long while yet, an amazing 'little' amp. And in the next room, a pair of original Saras, actively driven by a pair of 250s. A very happy household indeed.....

Another question, does the fact the 250 uses a 3 pin Xlr ie no power, does that mean there may be a power clash form SC and NAIT5 power amp section, using the 4-4 din lead?

I'm assuming there is power on the 4 pin Din of the N5 socket to power a/the pre amp, in other situations.

No it's fine as the power pin socket is N/C at the Supercap.  It's the same for any of the sub-NAP250 amps that have an onboard pre-amp supply.

Can't be long now   ;-)   .........

C.

For what Christopher?

Can't be long now before the power section of the Nait 5 is used as a NAP, in the manner you essentially first posted about on 8th Oct!    :-)))

C.

I feel that the NAIT 5 is underrated.  I ran one with a Flatcap 2 in the big system - just to see what was what - and in many ways it was really rather impressive.  However, the volume control arrangement was not universally liked and could give an impression of a lack of guts mainly because it didn't give everything over the first 90 degrees of travel, unlike the regular pots.

I notice that David Price wrote some nice things about it on his zstereo classic hifi appreciation site.

On the Nait 5: it has an powered aux which means it can power a stageline. It can be upgraded by a *cap. Has more connections than later Nait5s.

Combine it with an AV2 and you have the most versatile system you can think of for its pricepoint.

Disadvantage: the Naits age impies it is likely due for service.

I already have the AV2 and have my wifes consent to spend some money next year again and it will likely be a Nait 5 for my study.

+ stageline and ChromeCast Audio to feed the AV2 + some efficient speakers and then I just pretend it can run circles around a N272+nap250 :-)

Joking here, but I would not be surprised that it can give much newer amps a hard time to compete.

Richard Dane posted:

I notice that David Price wrote some nice things about it on his zstereo classic hifi appreciation site.

Thank you Richard, I've just lost forty minutes on all my yesterdays!   :-)

Best, C.

Richard 

Just had a look at Dave Prices site.Very nice.Well balanced review of the 01 tuner as well...." Most impressive for me personally was the inky blackness coming from all broadcasts "........he has obviously been touched by the blackness !

Always enjoyed reading Dave's reviews and columns when he was editing HiFi World.

Thanks for the link will enjoy having a good read over there.Hope your ZX9  is sounding good.Just about to tape this week's Blues programme on Radio 2 with Paul Jones on a TDK AR - X C90 in the CR 7 E.   Let's hope my 01 will impart the inky blackness into the blues.......I am sure it will.

Cheers Ian

OK just connected the 52/SC to the NAIT 5 amps. Sounds pretty good, seems more even across the spectrum, with a slight bass heavyness and lack of control. I think this shows that the 250 really needs some TLC. Heading towards Sheffield as we speak.

One thing that surprised is that the N5 logo is obviously powered from the pre-amp as it's now not glowing. A safety fail ?

I suspect the Nait 5 is doing a nice job as a NAP, now that it's warmed up.

C.

Indeed it is, kind off worryingly so. I just hope that there is something wrong with the 250 or just doing the normal service changes will perk it back up.  N5 amps are probably better at the mid/top end, but there is an element of boom at the bottom.

I'm not expecting to hear from Darran until maybe next week.

BigH, I think thanks to the regulated design of the NAP250, when things start to go off, they go really off, which is why a service every 8-10 years on the 250 is pretty much carved in stone, whereas the unregulated amps can sometimes go for years sounding still pretty good even when unserviced.  My own CB NAP250 is now overdue for a service and is really shown up by a recently serviced NAP160 of similar vintage.

BigH47 posted:

[Nait 5 used as a NAP is] probably better at the mid/top end, but there is an element of boom at the bottom.

Has your SC got FSH?

C.

Christopher,

FSH = Full Service History?

SC last service March 2006, 52 in 2008.

Richard, that's what I thought, 250 was serviced last in June 2004.