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Problems with my Naim Audio system

Dowser said:
Both :)

I'm occasionally in Basel to visit friends. I'd suggest following approach;
- Confirm swapping in your brother's NAP90 fixes the problem (assuming it does, it means it is either the 135s or the interconnects)
- I schedule a visit and swap out the power supply board caps for you (or fix the interconnects in the very unlikely event it is both of them)

I can also do a full recap, but would want everything sent and left with me for this...it's not a 5 minute job :) I'd just fix your initial problem as a first step, then decide what you want to do.

Send me a PM with your email address if you want to progress.

Richard
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Hi Richard
did you get my message?
Cheers,
Gabriel
 
I recapped all my olive kit myself by asking questions on the diy section of this site.
It's just a bit of soldering. The parts are easily available. If you wanted to try it, just do it bit by bit, do some research yourself by searching, and ask questions on diy section.
It was a couple of years ago I did my gear (cdi, hicap, 180, 72) and I can't remember exactly what I did, but I do remember I used Kendeil for the big caps, and I think kemet for the little ones. Soldering iron, solder sucker and some common sense were all that was required.
If it's not your thing then Witch hat for example will do it cheaper than Naim.

Eg http://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/naim-nap-135-servicing-thread.165333/
 
Robert M said:
£4600 for a "recap", Seriously? Id sell the lot for whatever I could get and get a naim atom if you want to stick with the company who want to hairy ape you with the recap rip off.
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Bear in mind please - the swiss economy is VERY different from other places - things generally cost FAR MORE but people are paid much more as well. So the cost of parts and labour are much higher as well ...
 
Thanks for the upvotes guys.

FYI we're well versed in customs paperwork for temporary importing for repairs and servicing.
 
MJS said:
Thanks for the upvotes guys.

FYI we're well versed in customs paperwork for temporary importing for repairs and servicing.
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For the hard of thinking, like me..
Does that mean you make sure no customs is payable at either end ?
 
mikemusic said:
For the hard of thinking, like me..
Does that mean you make sure no customs is payable at either end ?
Click to expand...

Yes. But any instructions to couriers or notifications made to customs officials have to be to the letter and any small issue will result in charges.
 
Hi Gabriel

I hope you were able to make some progress on your amp problems. Typical cost of a service for 135s is circa £500. Hopefully you now have the information from Naim regarding the service histories of your Naim kit. Class A and Witch Hat Audio have an excellent reputation for servicing Naim gear. They have a faster turn around than Naim and they are competitively priced. I presume you’ve had a look at their respective websites and you have a preferred option in mind.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised when your amps (and power supplies) get some tender loving care, albeit at a cost.

Peter
 
Mr Magoo said:
Hi Gabriel

I hope you were able to make some progress on your amp problems. Typical cost of a service for 135s is circa £500. Hopefully you now have the information from Naim regarding the service histories of your Naim kit. Class A and Witch Hat Audio have an excellent reputation for servicing Naim gear. They have a faster turn around than Naim and they are competitively priced. I presume you’ve had a look at their respective websites and you have a preferred option in mind.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised when your amps (and power supplies) get some tender loving care, albeit at a cost.

Peter
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Hi Peter
Thanks for your help and information. Over here a service for two 135's is 1800 Swiss Francs so I'd definitely wouldn't do it here in Switzerland. Just a few minutes ago I swapped out the 135's for one Nap 90/3 and everything is working great. When I tested the system with a Moloko CD the lack of power from the 135's was clearly noticeable. But now I am listening to some classical music and I am really surprised how good the Nap 90/3 sounds :)
Richard already ordered the parts to fix the power boards and I hope that will fix the problem. Once my system is running again I will decide on recapping.
I'll post some updates...
Cheers,
Gabriel
 
so..Richard came by tonight and fixed the problem. It was like Mark said and Richard swapped out those 4 little blue things and now my system works again and I am super happy!
Big thanks to Mark and Richard for fixing my problem but thanks also to all the others for your help!
Cheers,
Gabriel
 
Gabrijel said:
I didn't check the cables so far but that's a really good idea to check them! The system was working great for years and it is only since I moved the sound system to my studio that I am having these problems.

One thing I did change at the new location is that one of the speaker cables is double the length of the other one and this is also the speaker where the "problem" is more noticeable than with the other speaker.
The Naim dealer said that using two different lengths of cables is a very stupid idea and could be part of the problem. So I'll be changing the cables too.
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Wow! I’d steer clear of your dealer in future.
 
Gabrijel said:
so..Richard came by tonight and fixed the problem. It was like Mark said and Richard swapped out those 4 little blue things and now my system works again and I am super happy!
Big thanks to Mark and Richard for fixing my problem but thanks also to all the others for your help!
Cheers,
Gabriel
Click to expand...

Nice to meet you Gabriel, and also very nice to hear DBLs for the first time - impressive speakers :)
 
A good team PFM effort, thanks to Mark for sharing the info. Two of the new slightly bigger (100v) blue things in situ...

39918411025_227862ed47_h.jpg
 
MJS said:
It'll be the 135's - trust me!

The cap problem causes the power supply boards to oscillate at radio frequency and this causes no end of noise on the amplifier's output. You may experience any one or several of the following:
  • Hiss
  • crackling
  • duff piano notes
  • sibilance
  • 'dust on stylus' distortion
The power supply boards give the 250/135's their refinement but this is their Achilles heel.
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Is the transformer case hum related to this issue, either making it more likely that you get oscillation or that pre existing oscillation causes transformers to hum or buzz excessively?

Is having an incompatible speaker cable a cause of this or is it something else entirely?
 
teabelly said:
Is the transformer case hum related to this issue, either making it more likely that you get oscillation or that pre existing oscillation causes transformers to hum or buzz excessively?
Click to expand...
No. Transformer hum is a feature of toroidal transformers and is made worse by a DC offset on the mains voltage. C-core (square type) transformers are better in this regard but don't go in slim cases.

Is having an incompatible speaker cable a cause of this or is it something else entirely?
Click to expand...
Naim amps don't have a capacitor/inductor network on the output so need to rely on speaker cable of a particular inductance/capacitance to stabilise them. This is different to what is described above but it's oscillation all the same.
 
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