NAIM setup

Hi Harmen,

the NAC52 is a pre-amp and the 52PS is its matching power supply.  To connect these together you should have a Burndy connector (a large thick cable with multi pin plugs) and a SNAIC 5.  The NAP250 is a power amplifier. It should come with a DIN4-XLR lead with a white band.

If it came with a Lenco L75 then I would assume that there is an appropriate set of phone boards fitted to the NAC52 head unit.  Do you know what cartridge the Lenco has fitted?

The lenco is potentially not too bad a deck (and, with a lot of work, can be made to be really good), but the weakness is the supporting plinth and the arm.  As standard, it's well out of its depth in this system and you should consider trading it for something better.  The amplification and speakers are of a very high quality and will only ruthlessly expose any shortcomings in the source.

Each unit should have its own shelf on a rack or suitable support.  The IBLs should be positioned with their backs as close as you can get to a solid wall - it needs the wall as this is how it was tuned to work, otherwise bass will be very light to non-existent.  I assume you have also received some lengths of suitable speaker cable including Naim speaker connector at each end?

Patton posted:

Just recently I acquired a NAIM set, I was wondering what it is and does. It consists of:

NAIM NAC 52 (serial: 66***)
NAIM NAC 52 SP (serial: 66***)
NAIM NAP 250 (serial: 66***)
NAIM IBL speakers (2x)

Also, there is a Lenco L75 pickup with it.

Harmen, A lovely set I would imagine. Good for you, and enjoy your music.

C.

Do the Naim items have a known history? They are old enough that they may need a service. If you phone Naim with the serial numbers, they will be able to tell you if they have any record of them.

Thanks for all the info so far. This will prove very helpful in the process of hooking the machines up. 

Richard, I can make some pictures of it when I am home again. I have no clue on what the things are you are referring to. The wires that came with it, are kinda flimsy and old (only reference I have are cables for my bass guitar head and cabinet though)

Christopher, Thanks, although the reason I got it is not that pleasant, I inherited them.

Chrissu, thanks for the tip. I could give them a call on what the know.

Harmen,

the original cabling is critical - mainly because much of it is basically unique to Naim, and indeed, some unique to the models you have. It can be replaced but it's not cheap. If you gather up what you have and take a picture (picture posting instructions in the forum FAQ) we can then see what you have.  If incomplete then you may want to ask the executors whether there are any spare cables that may have been missed.

Setting the emotional aspects aside of inheriting this kit, one other option you may wish to consider; good through the kit may be, it may be incomplete, it may need attention and servicing, and it may not be ideal for your needs.  It is however, worth something - in fact probably more than you think - and so one of the Naim dealers who specialises in second hand Naim kit would not only give you a very fair price for it but could also then tailor a system exactly to your needs and set it all up for you so it really performs at its best.  Think about that as another possible option.

Richard,

I am convinced that all cabling will be available. I will take some pictures and post it in the right forum. Also, there were more recordplayers, a few tapedecks and an fm-tuner. Could it be that the pre-amp is set up for a different pickup?

I am fully aware now that this setup is above and beyond for my needs. There was also a Philips 827 pickup with internal amplifier in the lot, which will probably be sufficient for my needs.

Considering the cost aspect, I would appreciate it if you would send me a DM with an honest estimate what I can expect if:
- I would service it;
- What the selling price would be, with the assumption that it never was serviced;
So I can best judge what would be wise

Thanks in advance,

Harmen

Selling as is would probably get you around £3,500 for the electronics and about £250 for the speakers if they are black. Goodness knows about the Lenco.  Are you in the U.K. - if so Richards idea of trading it in for a modest setup is a very good one. Servicing is likely to be quite expensive, maybe a quarter of the value of the equipment, which you may or may not recoup though a higher selling price. The amps are real classics and highly desirable. 

Patton posted:

Christopher, Thanks, although the reason I got it is not that pleasant, I inherited them.

I'm sorry to read this. I hope it works out for you whatever you decide to do with the set. Some good advice already from Richard, ChrisSU and HH. More to come I'm sure!

Best, Chris

Harmen, I believe you are based in the Netherlands? In which case you have some good solid Naim dealers there. Have a chat with Malcolm Latham at Latham Audio, who is the distributor for Naim there.  He can point you in the right direction and talk through some options with you to help you decide which way to go.

I don't know what the secondhand market is like there though so maybe get an idea of prices from a couple of UK based s/h specialists such as Tom Tom Audio etc.. And use that as a kind of reference. A little online research will bring up some likely places.

In the meantime, if there is a Naim dealer close to you, you may be able to persuade them to come round and help you assess what you have and set it up so you can hear it at its current best - who knows, you could end up loving it and wanting to keep it. That then would be a lasting momento of the person who sadly has died, though of course anything else left to you would be a momento, as even could what you do with the proceeds if you do decide to sell.

Harmen, even if you have a faint interest in music reproduction, i'd keep it for a while, use it,assuming is working and then decide. You could eventually service piece by piece at  a later stage. I don' t know service cost for 52 & psu but the 250 is   not so prohibitive.

Bear in mind that playing music on a system like this and a really cheap one can be like night & day.

Regards

Roberto

If the Lenco has been modified, possibly with a solid plinth ( give the wood a tap) and a replacement arm it may be up to the amps but otherwise one of the other turtables may be a better match so try and find out what they are.

Update:

I've been through the other turntables. In random order they are:
- Garrard SP 25 MK IV
- Kuzma Stabi
- Dual 1249

Any thoughts on these? Would one be a better match than the Lenco L75?

Also, I found some 'heads'? Don't know how they're called. One is a Benz-Micro MC-2 and the other one an Audio-technica.

Furthermore; the IBL's are quite destroyed. One is missing the front foam, where the other has the foam disintegrated away for about a quarter. Serial is 62***, both the same.

Thanks!
Harmen

The Garrard SP25 is the Ford Cortina of the turntable world.  Loads were made and it was inexpensive.  It's nothing special.  The Dual 1249 is far more interesting, and still a good deck so long as it's in good condition and fully working/recently serviced.  However, the Kuzma is much more up to date and is a superb deck - it's definitely the pick and the one to go for here.  Note though that the Kuzma, like all the best turntables, is completely manual in operation, whereas the Dual is fully automatic and was one of the best of its type back in the '70s.

The foams on IBLs do eventually disintegrate with age, light etc.. I'm not sure whether the factory still have replacements.

Richard Dane posted:

The Garrard SP25 is the Ford Cortina of the turntable world.  Loads were made and it was inexpensive.  It's nothing special.  The Dual 1249 is far more interesting, and still a good deck so long as it's in good condition and fully working/recently serviced.  However, the Kuzma is much more up to date and is a superb deck - it's definitely the pick and the one to go for here.  Note though that the Kuzma, like all the best turntables, is completely manual in operation, whereas the Dual is fully automatic and was one of the best of its type back in the '70s.

The foams on IBLs do eventually disintegrate with age, light etc.. I'm not sure whether the factory still have replacements.

That's a bit harsh on the poor old cortina, Richard!

Lotus Cortina.

The SP25 was a budget turntable, and whilst far better than the bulk of "autochangers" around at the time, it was prone to rumble (low frequency noise transmitted via vibrations of the turntable), at least if its predecessor MkIII was anything to go by.

As for the soeakers, disintegrated foam covers don't stop them working, and some people like to run them without. If you find you like them you can always seek replacements if you want - I'd suggest posting a thread on here simply titled IBL replacement foam? or similar.

Once again, thanks for all the information.

After some latenight research I also do think the Kuzma is the way to go. I also found the revolutionspeed changer that I believe belongs to it. And did the Kuzma come with a standard tonearm? Or was it a customizable option when you bought a Stabi?

I think it's best that I list what I have and call the dealer you suggested, Richard. He can give me a verdict about the state it's in and what it would cost me to get it back up and running in perfect condition. For now I have decided to keep the set.

I remember when the Stabi came out, and was very well thought of. I think the standard arm was called the Stogi, which from memory was similarly thought of. The IBLs are great speakers when well driven and positioned against a solid brick wall. New foam fronts can be found if you look online. They do need to be hollowed out at the back so that they don't foul the rubber surrounds though.

The Stabi, 52, 250 and IBLs is a truly wonderful system, whether you decide to keep it or not. If you do keep it, it's  worth making sure it's set up properly, with the deck and amps on decent stands to get the best from them. Again, the dealer can advise you.

Hi Patton,

I am sorry about your bereavement. I had a friend in a similar situation who inherited a Thorens/Quad (valve)/Tanny DC setup and then just put it in his garage for a couple of years. After nagging I helped him to get things checked & tried to get him to use them, in the end he decided to sell - which was for the best as he wouldn't give them the space needed to get the best from them.

Like my friend you have inherited some great gear. But, as Richard above, I would strongly advise getting a friend who knows about high end HiFi, or a Naim dealer, involved. Potentially this equipment will sound very good. But if it is just plugged together and put in a room it will easily sound dire, for a whole series of reasons. I would suggest that you will not know whether it is giving of its best.

The fact is that this is a journey, and one where it is easy to make an uninformed mistake. I think finding a guide will help you achieve success in a reasonable amount of time.

M

Update:

The Kuzma Stabi is complete. But unfortunately that's not the case for the NAIM set. I am missing the:
- Burndy cable
- DIN4 tot XLR
- 2x speaker cable

I've contacted a dealer based in the Netherlands. He expected that the Burndy had to be custom made at the NAIM factory and the speaker cables had to have a length of 3.5m minimum due to a coil effect? He also told me that those four cables would set me back 1100 euros (about 1000 pounds). Is that a reasonable price in the hifi world?

Harmen

Harmen,

The price new is the price new. These things aren't cheap - the cables are hand made - a lot of work for something like the Burndy.  You could try and source secondhand from the usual places.  That would save some money.  

The Burndy cable must be the right one for a 52PS.  The DIN4-XLR one with a white band for the NAP250.

The Naim NACA5 speaker cables must be an absolute minimum of 3.5m per channel - better to go a bit longer or as long as you need.

Richard Dane posted:

Harmen,

The price new is the price new. These things aren't cheap - the cables are hand made - a lot of work for something like the Burndy.  You could try and source secondhand from the usual places.  That would save some money.  

The Burndy cable must be the right one for a 52PS.  The DIN4-XLR one with a white band for the NAP250.

The Naim NACA5 speaker cables must be an absolute minimum of 3.5m per channel - better to go a bit longer or as long as you need.

Bear in mind that this hi fi set was  nearly the flagship of the Naim range back in its days or a the Porsche 911/entry level Ferrari equivalent.

So the  quoted price is pretty  reasonable. As Richard suggested you can source them on the used market.  Especially speakers cable should be easy to source.

Regards

Roberto

Patton posted:

.....  Also, there were ......a few tapedecks and an fm-tuner. ....

Let me guess, a Nakamichi Dragon and a NAT01 

Or some exotic Revox to set Richard's pulse racing.