mickhick1
pfm Member
My 640P arrived back this morning, having undergone modification by Arkless and as luck would have it, I am on holiday this week so have been able to put it to the test. Not much else to do on such a grotty day anyway!
Firstly let me describe my system:
1983 vintage LP12 with bonded sub-chassis, pre-cirkus bearing, SRM silent tech baseboard, Hercules II power supply and Ittok LVII fitted with Linn Klyde MC cartridge. Deck has had a recent fettle with replacement springs, rubbers etc.
B4 based pre-amp and active crossover, driving a dual mono, NCC200 based amp driving the bass and dual mono ZAP 250 driving the treble, into late model, active Linn Keilidhs.
I have two 640Ps and a number of other pieces of equipment including a NAC72 powered by a HiCap clone and fitted with NA323 MC cards, which I have recently been using for my record play back. This is because the B4 is a unity gain device and the output from the standard 640P isnt really loud enough with such a low output MC cartridge.
Straight away, the modded 640P has more gain and is much more usable in my system. From cold it immediately sounded pretty good, but got better and better after playing a few sides. Compared to the NA323s the sound is similar but more refined and also quieter in terms of background noise. There seems to be more of everything, particularly fine detail, but without being harsh, which sometimes the Naim boards are IMO.
Ive played tracks from eleven albums so far, ranging from Free (first album), via Steely Dan, Little Feat, Suzanne Vega etc. to Vivaldi played by an Australian ensemble. All of it has come across as highly listenable, smooth, but detailed music.
I tried the unmodded 640P, which I havent used for a while, and it sounded better than I remember, but rather shut-in in comparison with both the modded 640P and the NA323s. In particular it seems to be ok in the bass and treble but with a lot of the mid range lacking.
I look forward to more listening and will report any further findings in due course.
I would very much like to thank Jez (Arkless) for giving me this opportunity and wish him well in his endeavours.
Mike
Firstly let me describe my system:
1983 vintage LP12 with bonded sub-chassis, pre-cirkus bearing, SRM silent tech baseboard, Hercules II power supply and Ittok LVII fitted with Linn Klyde MC cartridge. Deck has had a recent fettle with replacement springs, rubbers etc.
B4 based pre-amp and active crossover, driving a dual mono, NCC200 based amp driving the bass and dual mono ZAP 250 driving the treble, into late model, active Linn Keilidhs.
I have two 640Ps and a number of other pieces of equipment including a NAC72 powered by a HiCap clone and fitted with NA323 MC cards, which I have recently been using for my record play back. This is because the B4 is a unity gain device and the output from the standard 640P isnt really loud enough with such a low output MC cartridge.
Straight away, the modded 640P has more gain and is much more usable in my system. From cold it immediately sounded pretty good, but got better and better after playing a few sides. Compared to the NA323s the sound is similar but more refined and also quieter in terms of background noise. There seems to be more of everything, particularly fine detail, but without being harsh, which sometimes the Naim boards are IMO.
Ive played tracks from eleven albums so far, ranging from Free (first album), via Steely Dan, Little Feat, Suzanne Vega etc. to Vivaldi played by an Australian ensemble. All of it has come across as highly listenable, smooth, but detailed music.
I tried the unmodded 640P, which I havent used for a while, and it sounded better than I remember, but rather shut-in in comparison with both the modded 640P and the NA323s. In particular it seems to be ok in the bass and treble but with a lot of the mid range lacking.
I look forward to more listening and will report any further findings in due course.
I would very much like to thank Jez (Arkless) for giving me this opportunity and wish him well in his endeavours.
Mike