tenpercenter
Don't ya rile 'em.....
Yesterday had a bit of fun with a couple of equally nerdy mates and we compared the sound of 3 different Naim preamps:
Nac82 - Pots 8 with Napsc (Class A serviced 2 years ago
Nac282 - with Napsc (10 years old, no service)
Nac42.5 - Naim serviced 6 months ago
Rest of the gear was Naim CDS3 / Nap250+ Hicap with Naim SL2 speakers
Listened to a wide range of stuff (prog / blues / jazz / rock etc)
The outcome was unexpected ! The 3 preamps made the system sound very different. The Nac82 sounded slightly brighter than the other two but at the same time rocked especially hard!
The Nac282 had a more mellow tonality, still
timed well and had a laid back grooviness to it. Very well liked !
The Nac42.5 was, well to put it simply just enormous fun with a capital F. It was tonally well balanced, but just timed so beautifully. It wasn’t as detailed and mature sounding as the Nac282 (the best preamp we heard) but honestly the humble Nac42.5 does the music thing so well, it surprised all 3 of us.
We then played some records through a mid ‘80s spec LP12 and we actually preferred the Nac42.5, it just seemed to gel better than the other two. These preamps seem to go for beer money these days and seem incredible value tbh.
Anyway I could go on, but it was just a bit of fun followed by a delicious curry. BTW no subjectivists were harmed during this listening session……or during the eating of a tasty Lamb Madras
Nac82 - Pots 8 with Napsc (Class A serviced 2 years ago
Nac282 - with Napsc (10 years old, no service)
Nac42.5 - Naim serviced 6 months ago
Rest of the gear was Naim CDS3 / Nap250+ Hicap with Naim SL2 speakers
Listened to a wide range of stuff (prog / blues / jazz / rock etc)
The outcome was unexpected ! The 3 preamps made the system sound very different. The Nac82 sounded slightly brighter than the other two but at the same time rocked especially hard!
The Nac282 had a more mellow tonality, still
timed well and had a laid back grooviness to it. Very well liked !
The Nac42.5 was, well to put it simply just enormous fun with a capital F. It was tonally well balanced, but just timed so beautifully. It wasn’t as detailed and mature sounding as the Nac282 (the best preamp we heard) but honestly the humble Nac42.5 does the music thing so well, it surprised all 3 of us.
We then played some records through a mid ‘80s spec LP12 and we actually preferred the Nac42.5, it just seemed to gel better than the other two. These preamps seem to go for beer money these days and seem incredible value tbh.
Anyway I could go on, but it was just a bit of fun followed by a delicious curry. BTW no subjectivists were harmed during this listening session……or during the eating of a tasty Lamb Madras