Not me anymore, but Witch Hat have Superlinked the 72, 102, and 282 in addition to the 82. The 102 would keep its tape outputs.If you don't need full tape loop switching I believe MJS can also mod the 102 similarly which should bring it up to 82/52 performance at a pricepoint comparable to upgrading to a stock 82.
Sorry, I did wonder if that's what you meant. Think of the 102 as a cut-down 82. It still has the tape buffers and time-aligned filter that the 82 does. As a one-board machine with minimal wiring it would have been a lot cheaper for Naim to produce.I didn't say it wouldn't, they just can't be switched independently of what you're listening to in the same way as the ones on the 52 and 82 can
I can believe that two Hicaps can sound better. In order to make that work, Naim had to wire a 0v connection to each of the 5 pin sockets in the 82. But they also did that inside the Supercap, which means there are two 0v connections between the SC and the 82. Not a star earth now is it?
I thought that had been listed and sold?There just happens to be an 82 with a DTC up for sale here. I quite like the idea of replacing 3 power supplies with one so I will investigate further. What would be considered a reasonable price for this pair? The 82 is from 97 so not sure if it would be the latest version.
I went from 102/Hicap/NAPSC straight to 82/2xHicap/NAPSC, and noticed a stark improvement in musical clarity. The proverbial veil was well and truly lifted and it was certainly easier to discern previously missed details. In fairness, I did not try the 82 with a Supercap.So it's not just me then that advocates two HC's over a SC on the 82 anymore.
Even more controversially I rejected the "hierarchy" many years ago when I tried to upgrade my 82 to a 52 and failed miserably. I thought the 82 was better, and not by a small amount. Admittedly the 52 under scrutiny may have been a bit long in the tooth relative to my 82 but any fundamental superiority of design apart from the option of plug in cards for multiple inputs and outputs was not evident.
I'm also a raving fan of the Hicap, not so much of the Supercap and not at all of the Flatcap !I know it is a minority view but I preferred my 82 with two Hicaps.
Option 2 hands down for me !Now here is a question a 102 with dual power supply or TSC Vs a 32.5/72 with RSL boards and an Avondale power supply?