I have not been using it as I know it needs a service... I have been told there are huge gains to be made to the 180?
You get into Naim and classic Brit hifi to get off the hifi merry-go-round not spin faster. No huge gains to be made tweaking parts unless they’re defective or terribly obsolete, if you’re unhappy w/ the amp you’ll just chase your tail and wind up back where you are with much lower resale value. Decide clearly if you’re not happy with it and sell it to someone who will be. Only huge "gain" I can think of would be new boards from Avondale or Witch Hat, I haven’t heard either but bet there again the gain is in the ear of the beholder and no guarantee of bliss. Seeing cash is tight that’s not likely an option.
Paraphrasing Free-Wheeling Franklin “music will get you through times with no money better than money will get you through times with no music” my advice is get it working well stock first then decide to sell or mod. I’m not sure how you know it needs service, but if it’s been on all the time since 1999 or most of its life it needs new filter caps. My experience is with Naim amps and Hicaps the e-caps last as long as any other kit if you turn it off when not using, but only 8-10 years if you leave it on all the time. Those Naim Felsics seem really nice and heavy but they don’t last at all. You’ll hear it, it’ll start sounding off first, then progressively dirtier, then distorted. I thought it might be something more serious and was freaking about cost sending to Naim service but replacing all the e-caps and a tune up got my 250 and Hicap right back to new. E-caps in the 102 are just fine probably for another 20 years IMO. I might do the phono boards if too bored.
There are posts on PFM detailing setting bias and checking offset. Check both first and check after. Leave the tantalums alone unless the offset looks bad, then try replacing the feedback tantalum. One thing at a time, don’t look for trouble. Use a Dim Bulb Limiter (Google it) when you first power up and turn the bias pots for the first time, Naim ones seem reliable but trimmers are dinky and can break on you - no bias no output transistors. If ok with the DBL then recheck/reset without it.
Don’t bodge it, change the filter caps to drop in replacements Kemet or Kendeil snap-ins, latter in my 250 sound as great as everyone on the web raves about but maybe it’s just the rise to 22,000uF. NewPowerTrade in Italy and the guy from Turkey on eBay are legit for Kendeils if you feel exotic but I’m sure the Kemets are fine. If the caps in yours are rated at only 40V I’d look for something that drops-in but is 50-63V, maybe 105deg, instead.
Get it working 100% first - visually check for damaged parts, change one thing at a time, test, recheck, listen, repeat. Then decide to keep, sell, or mod. Don’t mod anything you can’t easily, cleanly reverse. Oh, and Naim pads lift very easy! Don’t go looking for trouble. After 20 years of molesting and wrecking guitar amps and HiFi that’s my two cents.
