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Getting out of Naim...

Mike Reed said:
ZENER and JOE HUTCH

Like you, all my kit is British built, EXCEPT for my cart. Notice you didn't mention your cartridges, and I'd be surprised if these were British, esp. if they were good moving coils (which I expect they are).:)
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One Dutch, one Danish.
 
LesW said:
There is not one piece of electrical/electronic equipment in my home for which the manufacturer has specified periodic servicing. TV, recorder box, DVD player, clocks, radios, computers, printers, mobile 'phones etc, etc.

As far as I'm aware, the only item I have needing expert servicing is the central heating boiler.

IMO, properly designed electronic kit should least for 15 years without the need for routine maintenance.
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Good post.

I recall spending quite a bit of money having my 32.5/snaps/160 serviced only to find it (the system) sounded no better when they came back. Helped the selling price though when I upgraded to a valve amp. Maybe the source wasn't good enough or the support wasn't up to scratch to show the benefits of the service...

I open my valve amp every few months and give it a check over but that's it for my system. The Rotel just goes on and on and I wouldn't know what to do with the SQ3 and the Lavry.
 
'Interestingly, I understand that the Naim servicing interval has now increased to fifteen years; at least for the upper echelon stuff.'
- and yet, someone on the 'other' site (one of the 'bears' if I remember correctly) noticed degradation of sound on his 6 y.o. NAP500 compared to a 2 y.o. demo unit so off it went to the factory for attention, after which it came back sounding better than the 2 y.o. demo unit.
Could have been a fault, I guess, but noticable degradation on such an expensive piece of kit seems hard to swallow after just a few years
 
Mike Reed said:
ZENER and JOE HUTCH

Like you, all my kit is British built, EXCEPT for my cart. Notice you didn't mention your cartridges, and I'd be surprised if these were British, esp. if they were good moving coils (which I expect they are).:)
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Here's me, a Naim 'virgin' having just bought my first ( and last ?!) piece of Naim kit. Interesting this about British built kit. (Don't mention British Leyland...) My 2nd system has some British, and almost no Japanese kit. AR turntable with an American cartridge. Czech. amplifier, British speakers ( with KEF units, Falcon crossovers & other British parts) & a British CD player ( The Naim) Am I getting out of Naim ? I started the thread 'Getting into Naim.' I think not... Martyn Miles .
 
I wouldn't worry Martyn, Naim kit is as good as any other and if you like the sound then it's great. Just enjoy the music.
 
Gaius said:
Well, much of the Naim Chrome Bumper kit is a lot older than 15 years and still going strong without a service even if Naim recommend one, I have for example a 42.5 which sounds fresh as a daisy and has never been touched.
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My experience also. Bought a pair of 135s getting on for 12 years old now and sounding every bit as fresh as the just-serviced 250 they replaced. I also have similar aged supercap - sounds great, and a hicap that hasn't been touched since 1996. My just-serviced 250 had managed only 9 years since its last service before it broke down in a cloud of sibilance so I believe that the 10 year guideline is no more than that - luck of the draw.
 
One thing I find interesting is that if you ever venture onto the Linn forum you will be greeted by some wonderful people.

In the main, they are learned, meek gentleman of integrity who are courteous and respectful toward others. They also don't tend to knock other equipment too much or talk about the next box or upgrade all the time.
 
much of the Naim Chrome Bumper kit is a lot older than 15 years and still going strong without a service even if Naim recommend one, I have for example a 42.5 which sounds fresh as a daisy and has never been touched.
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Yesterday evening I listened to some music through my 22 year old CB Nait 2. It sounded lovely to me!

Although my Nait-5i seems to be slightly more clear and dynamic, so I can hardly imagine how a recapped Nait-2 would perform.
 
lotus340r said:
It's not just the Fraim though. You can read plenty of instances on the Naim forum where owners cite the CD555 as being very sensitive and it can easily sound bright and nasty, the 552 too. You need brain with brain, brawn with brawn and naim systems also seem to be very very sensitive to mains. The CDP's also change massively in sound when placed on different supports. I only got to the level of CDS3/XPS/52/SNAXO/250/250 but it seems that the higher end setups are very very sensitive at each and every stage of the chain and its not too difficult for the thing to go 'off'. Also you have to factor in the variation in samples (recent NAP500 thread) and also where a component is in its service life.

Owning my WTA/DV/Shahinian system has shown me a world that I didn't know existed. I can plonk the TT on most things, the DV amps go anywhere, the mains is just regular £10 densen leads, the cables and IC basic mogami and the whole thing just works regardless. When I tried three powerlines on it, it made sod all difference.
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maywe its just not as revealing to subtle changes as a 500 series naim is then. Personally mine sounded better than in the shop i first heard it set up in when it arrived at my house. Yes it has got better as little things have been changed but that doesnt mean there was anything wrong in the first place. I had my 552 on top of a DVD5 on a apollo stand for a while because i didnt have the shelf space and didnt want anything to mark the top of the 552. Completely blown me away when i heard it for the first time straight out the box. Yeah it got better when on its own fraim shelf and had the cables played around with by naim but i was still more than happy with it on the dvd5. Some systems cant hear these slight changes but if they cant, what else arnt they doing
 
Alternatively, if they don't exhibit changes such as support, then maybe they're just designed better?
 
much of the Naim Chrome Bumper kit is a lot older than 15 years and still going strong without a service even if Naim recommend one, I have for example a 42.5 which sounds fresh as a daisy and has never been touched.
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Yesterday evening I listened to some music through my 22 year old CB Nait 2.
It sounded lovely to me!

Although my 2009 Nait-5i seems to be slightly more clear and dynamic, so I can hardly imagine how a recapped Nait-2 would perform.
 
prowla said:
Most things require post-sales maintenance.
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Right on!

... rumour has it that some cables even need massaging every so many hours ...
:D

PS I sold my last piece of Naim last month after buying the first bit in the summer of 1995

tastes, priorities, opportunities and pocket money change with time
 
Tonight I spent a really nice few hours listening to LPs on my Rega P3-24>Nac 82>250>SBL system. Absolutely wonderful. Really glad I have this system :)
 
I've been astounded how good records sound from Garrard 401/SME 3009 Series 2/AT33PTG through 32.5/160 with HiCap into Tannoy Cheviots. The 160 and Hi-Cap seem to have reached optimum some 3 weeks after being serviced at Class A.

Listened to Hunky Dory and Echoes on Sunday evening and had never heard them better. Had never heard so much expression in Wakeman's piano playing before or such insight into the double tracked guitar parts. I was so surprised how good it sounded that I found myself wondering whether the unusually cold weather may have somehow been a factor; either by influencing the acoustic of the room, the power supply or my focus? I also wondered whether it helped that most of the kit and the music were of similar vintage?

Though I'm sure there are far better systems available from many companies including Naim, and I hope to be able to continue my exploration of hifi, I felt very happy to feel so in touch with the recordings.
 
uncl_nigel said:
Right on!

... rumour has it that some cables even need massaging every so many hours ...
:D

PS I sold my last piece of Naim last month after buying the first bit in the summer of 1995

tastes, priorities, opportunities and pocket money change with time
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I've compared a massaged hi-line against mine (I'm not into that sort of thing!), and the other one sounded better.

I've got several pieces of Naim kit, and it doesn't worry me at all.
 
lotus340r said:
One thing I find interesting is that if you ever venture onto the Linn forum you will be greeted by some wonderful people.

In the main, they are learned, meek gentleman of integrity who are courteous and respectful toward others. They also don't tend to knock other equipment too much or talk about the next box or upgrade all the time.
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Whoa! People exactly like you? There are more of them?
 
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