Naim Nait 2

Very tempted to buy one...... lovely pictures too

cat345 posted:

I take my little Nait out for a snif of fresh air every year at harvest time  

This reminds me of some of the early Naim advertisement posters.

Where do Naits come from? They are grown in a magic garden, and hand picked by Druids when perfectly ripe!

Alrighty... not just me, then. Good to hear! This thing just sounds so "right" somehow. Hard to explain but everything I chuck at it just sounds so enjoyable and compelling. Maybe Naim's finest moment?

ps.. not a novice. Heard many Naim systems but few carry a groove like this little dynamo. Good times ��

See the review colloms did of my mint nait1 in hificritic including tech test results

Richard Dane posted:

Very nice James. "Didn't really need one but always wanted one" pretty much sums up the appeal for many.

This sums me up as well. James enjoy your new toy 

Daft Apeth posted:

Alrighty... not just me, then. Good to hear! This thing just sounds so "right" somehow. Hard to explain but everything I chuck at it just sounds so enjoyable and compelling. Maybe Naim's finest moment?

ps.. not a novice. Heard many Naim systems but few carry a groove like this little dynamo. Good times ��

Oh dear wish I hadn't read that.

i really must try one asap

Richard Dane posted:

Very nice James. "Didn't really need one but always wanted one" pretty much sums up the appeal for many.

I don't need one either but thanks to you lot there's an itch developing

cat345 posted:

I take my little Nait out for a snif of fresh air every year at harvest time  

I consider this photo being Blasphemy. The Nait needs to be purified in a 40 day period following a strickt liturgy to sound optimal again.

I succumbed to the urge and bought a CB Nait 2 for a study system a few years ago, and had it serviced at Class A. It is indeed a very enjoyable listen and makes you realise that for the pure enjoyment of music it is all that is required with a decent source and appropriate speakers. The living room rig is much more immersive, nuanced, loud, detailed etc., and I happily enjoy the qualities of both.

At around the time I purchased the Nait I also picked up a couple of other British integrated amps from the period. An Onix OA21s which I had serviced and use in the kitchen and an Inca Tech Claymore, which was just too cheap to pass up.   I occasionally swap the Nait and Claymore and despite the Claymore having had no service - it really is no slouch and gives an equally enjoyable performance.  A bit more power and a headphone socket make it a real used bargain - and some have MM and MC capability, although mine is only MM.

There was something magical in the water in the 80's for British integrateds - Other examples from Exposure, NVA, Nytech etc. are also worthy if the budget doesn't stretch to the top of the tree Nait.

SamS posted:

Exposure,.....

I had a X. Nice with Sondek and Kans.

Yes, the Onix OA21 was nice, as was the Exposure X, which was a relatively sophisticated design, if more costly than the NAIT.  The Creek 4040 was really enjoyable, at a relative bargain price.  I never fell in love with the two Claymores I tried, or the Magnum IA125, which seems a bit bright and disjointed. But in some ways, best of the bunch was the Ion Obelisk 3x, albeit it was two shoeboxes as it required the matching X-Pak power supply.  The standard one-box Obelisk 3 was good, albeit a fair way behind the 3x (showed that separating the transformer from the amp stages was a very good thing), and wasn't that much different to the Obelisk 2.  The Obelisk 1 was comparatively lacklustre, but of course a lot cheaper than its bigger brothers and so probably competitive with the better entry level amps of the day. The 3x + x-Pak is a really grown up sounding amp - First thing that strikes you is how seemingly quiet it is - this is possibly what reviewers refer to as "music emerging from an inky blackness" - at least that's the closest I can think they are referring to!!  Personally, I'm useless as describing this stuff, particularly with the distance of passing time, but IIRC it had great scale and with a dark but rich sound that is quite a contrast to something like the NAIT but maybe just as valid.  

Cheers all - an RCA to DIN cable arrived on my desk this morning so i should be able to connect it up tonight and have a play.

Not sure what i'm going to do with it longer term yet but for the next few weeks i'll slot it into my main system, use the Devialet as a DAC and go from there. Having it just sat in my rack reminded me how cool the CB stuff actually looks. 

Now if i could just find a minty NAT101 

Darran H posted:

And here I thought the Forum had a rule against posting porn...

analogmusic posted:

Daft Apeth posted:

Alrighty... not just me, then. Good to hear! This thing just sounds so "right" somehow. Hard to explain but everything I chuck at it just sounds so enjoyable and compelling. Maybe Naim's finest moment?

ps.. not a novice. Heard many Naim systems but few carry a groove like this little dynamo. Good times ��

Oh dear wish I hadn't read that.

i really must try one asap

With quite demanding Dynaudio speakers, which I assume you use, early Naits are not a real good match for hearing their strenghts

A question regarding speaker cable connections for my  Nait2 . I seem to remember Richard Dane posting recently about only using Naim connectors at the Nait end ?? The original speaker cables had these plugs but are long gone . I haven't used the Nait 2 for quite some time but have recently had it serviced by Darran and it will be the centre of a 2nd system . The reason I'm asking this now is because I've just changed my speaker cables in my main system and thought I could keep my old TQ Black speaker cables for the Nait2 , are the TQ Banana plugs really unsuitable ?

Pete, yes.  Quite apart from providing a similar metal to metal contact, the Naim speaker plugs also reduce any torsional stress on the amp speaker sockets which are soldered onto the PCB and can develop a bad joint or even separate from the board if other plugs are used.

The double lugs (-ve side) on the current plugs have to be snipped off or shaved down to fit the NAIT 2. The Left/Right terminal spacing is too tight.

Thanks Richard , I'll sell the TQs on and buy some to suit .

True.  The later plugs need to have their double lugs cut off (I think you only need to do one) to get the best fit side by side on the NAIT 2.

Richard Dane posted:

Pete, yes.  Quite apart from providing a similar metal to metal contact, the Naim speaker plugs also reduce any torsional stress on the amp speaker sockets which are soldered onto the PCB and can develop a bad joint or even separate from the board if other plugs are used.

I can't help thinking the stress issue is a bit of a Catch 22, as the stiffness of NACA5 is surely part of the cause. 

Daft Apeth posted:

Hi, blown away by this little amplifier...

Has a bounce, an energy which is hugely infectious. Really makes me want to stay listening waaay beyond my bedtime 

Can forum advise closest sound to this in a more powerful amp with remote control facility for volume? This thing is amazing! Has a love of life/music I've not heard before 

Just wish it went louder., or is that the Naim upgrade spiral I've heard of.. ?

I bought mine spanking new when it had just come out in 1990. If I could alter history, I'd still own it- ad infinitum.

Paired with the (even newer, hot off the press) Rega ELAs, it was-and remains- my ultimate amp/speaker team. 

Amen.

ChrisSU posted:

Richard Dane posted:

Pete, yes.  Quite apart from providing a similar metal to metal contact, the Naim speaker plugs also reduce any torsional stress on the amp speaker sockets which are soldered onto the PCB and can develop a bad joint or even separate from the board if other plugs are used.

I can't help thinking the stress issue is a bit of a Catch 22, as the stiffness of NACA5 is surely part of the cause. 

I did wonder that Chris. As Richard mentions, the spacer bar on the Naim plug housing helps spread the mechanical load across the two pins and as much as i find the unwieldy A5 a PITA, its stiffness means you can pre shape it before connecting to minimise the stress on the sockets. 

Just to add, i've been enjoying the Nait 1 of late and It's proving to be a fun little amp within its limitations. I'm not sure how well it will fit in the modern digital world as most kit is shoving out around 2v and that really reduces the volume control range. I've configured the output of my DAC to be 1V which is more in keeping and gives more travel. Fronting it with a Naim source would mean using attenuated leads . 

Longer term this may be an itch that has been scratched but it'll have been fun scratching  

Chris, yes, the speaker connectors are a must with NACA5.  I can't imagine anyone using anything else with their NAIT, surely..?

(well, some maybe still using NACA4...)

Richard Dane posted:

Chris, yes, the speaker connectors are a must with NACA5.  I can't imagine anyone using anything else with their NAIT, surely..?

(well, some maybe still using NACA4...)

I'm certainly not disputing the effectiveness of using NACA5 and Naim plugs, I'm just wondering if the plugs were designed as a solution to the 'problem' of the stiff cable. Given the popularity of TQ Black, I would be tempted, in Pete's position, to at least try it, he could probably borrow some A5 from a dealer to make the comparison.