202/200 not working

Have you got the link plugs in place? I refer you to the manual for where they go. With no enternal ps you need both plugs.

You don’t mention a phonostage, is it safe to assume you have this covered?

Hi

All link plugs in place.  And yes phonostage in place.

Thanks

Peter

You still (may) need to program the pre-amp to use the rca inputs. The manual can be viewed on-line, I think you have to use the remote and hold the program key down and then enter a #.Just look at pg. e9 in the manual (on-line). good luck,sure it is something simple to get going and enjoy

Thank you Benjy

That is exactly what the problem was!

Many thanks

Glad to hear it (as I'm sure you are).I had the same system w/harbeth 30.1,what are your speakers. I was able to add a 250 dr and hi-cap, so it has changed. My  lp 12 is about to get a new (needed) krystal cartridge and kore,and an ekos (possibly) from ittok,as my dealer just up-graded someone from an ekos.

Hi Benjy - I had my last post removed - not sure why - perhaps I mentioned a non Naim Power supply with my XS2. Anyway I am using Kudos C10 speakers.The 202/200/napsc is my last throw of the dice to get them to sing. I bought them blind. ( I know.I know) Initially I had an XS/Flatcap 2x. I knew this combo wouldn't work with the speakers and changed shortly after to an XS2 and then added a power supply. Still no real magic.

I positioned and repositioned the C10's but I just can't get what I would expect from a 3k speaker. I enjoyed my initial system of the xs/flatcap and Tannoy 6.2 more. I'm getting a lesson in less is more sometimes - and of course don't buy before you try - especially with speakers.

Anyway I'll see what the next few weeks brings.

Again appreciate your help

Part of the problem with speakers is that more expensive speakers are very often designed assuming that you're going to be using even more expensive amplifiers.  Because of this the speaker designers often don't put much effort into ensuring that the load presented to the amplifier is relatively benign.

The result: more expensive speakers often present an unfair load to the amplifier which then can't perform at it's best, but in turn the speakers are more transparent and just highlight that the amp is struggling with the load.  It's a lose - lose situation!

The C10s may have been designed for power amps in the NAP250 class (+ 282/HiCap pre).
(N.B. I said may have been designed for, I don't have personal experience of them, but this is a possibility.)

Hi Huge

I am tending to start to agree with your thoughts. I've spent the morning with my system and appreciate it won't all have settled yet. It certainly "better" whatever that is - I think a lot of it is in my head. The speakers have opened out and there was a few enjoyable but not wow moments. We will see what the next few days bring. Alistair at Signals did say that I might have to go further up the Naim food chain to really get the best from the C10's.

That's not going to be an option in the near future so it may need a change of speakers.

I know this may be taken the wrong way, but why on earth would you spend over $4000.00 US dollars on a stand mounted speaker you never heard? Is it because this brand is often talked about on this forum?

Internet hype can be a powerful persuader, my opinion is that if the 202/200 combo is considered below the minimum required for these speakers, as your dealer stated, you've bought the wrong speakers! 

Please do yourself a favor and audition some Proac Tablette 10 and Signature 10 models, along with the Studio SM 100 models, the DB1 or the D2  will better your current speaker, and I guarantee the 202/ 200 combo is more than adequate to get them to sound fantastic.

Hi

We are all entitled to one moment of madness. They were preowned and heavily discounted.

I'll get my money back and move on.

Actually,my harbeths were also bought "deaf" - I had seen what they look like,but not heard them! There are less and less showrooms near me. My main dealer carries very few brands (sshh - opinionated) And oh yes,I'm disabled -can get out and about to a small degree. I was lucky enough to find someone selling the speakers that I had decide I wanted at a fair price -locally and he came, delivered and set them up!

I have a similar system to yours though my speakers are Kudos S10 which as you probably know are an upgrade of the C10 you have. The rest of my system is a 202/HiCap DR/NAPSC/200 with an LP12/ARO/Orpheus using a Naim prefix and a CDX2. The 200 easily drives the S10's. I have the HiCap DR on the 202 so maybe that makes a bit of a difference but both the S10's and C10's are easy speakers to drive and the 200 is an excellent match. It may just be that you don't like  the presentation of the Kudos and if that's the case getting a 250 and 282 probably will not make a difference. I don't know how big a room you have or how you have the speakers placed (how close to walls for example) but that can make a huge difference. I have also run my S10's with a Nait 5i which worked just fine and have heard them with a Nait2 and the little Nait had them singing as well. I am not that familiar with your Cyrus CD player or the preamp you are using for your LP12 so have no idea of what that may present to your situation. 

I think,that before giving up on the speakers( assuming that they are not dramatically too big or too small for the room),I would concentrate on speaker placement,and furnishings.Yes,changing speakers usually has the easiest and most direct change of sound,but I think (most) good speakers can be made to work in a (relatively) normal room.

I dunno.  I have the 200 202 as well. My speakers are Totem Forests which are pretty power hungry. I had an LFD amp prior which could not drive them. The difference with the 200 202 is night and day

i don’t know the Kudos speakers but I’m a bit surprised.  Maybe your listening room is huge ?

benjy posted:

I think,that before giving up on the speakers( assuming that they are not dramatically too big or too small for the room),I would concentrate on speaker placement,and furnishings.Yes,changing speakers usually has the easiest and most direct change of sound,but I think (most) good speakers can be made to work in a (relatively) normal room.

I would lean the other way on this. If you're running with a good source and amp which you know can give a sound you like but the speakers don't present in a way that puts a smile on your face, I don't usually find that positioning will make enough difference that I suddenly love the system. Since the OP got a good deal on the speakers then cutting his losses and moving them on may be the best option.

There are exceptions, especially with room treatment or correction, but generally once I found that a particular speaker was not working perfectly for my ears, system or room, no amount of tweaking would really get it sounding right and a speaker change resulted. I'm lucky now to have found something which really works for me, but due to the lack of home demos here in Asia it needed many second hand purchases to find the right ones.

Any future speakers I buy will likely be active studio monitors, as they usually allow just enough control of the overall balance and room interaction to allow one to get the best out of them in a given room and system. 

DC71-

Any future speakers I buy will likely be active studio monitors, as they usually allow just enough control of the overall balance and room interaction to allow one to get the best out of them in a given room and system. 

Have to admit it,but I think (one of) the biggest mistakes was the elimination of tone controls from so-called "better equipment". Most of us do not have the luxury of a dedicated "ideal" listening room. My now ancient (and long gone) yamaha receiver had variable turnover frequencies (iirc). That extra control,more than makes up for the additional noise/shifting if used properly, since we already know the speaker/room interaction has already altered on an individual basis. It may not make something measure better,but it can make it sound better.