Good score on that 102! It's a marmite preamp in the Naim camp - the 72 worshippers say it's too brash/bright etc but really the 72 is just dull
In relatively unmodified form (more on that later) it can give brilliantly insightful and musical results simply by giving it the cleanest power supply you can buy/build.
Step 1 is either get hold of an NAPSC or build a clone, then fit the gyrator mod as per the napsc-shocker thread Jo has linked to above. Do not underestimate the importance of getting the cleanest possible supply to the digital/control bits of the preamp. It really does open up a window to use that well worn audio cliche.
Step 2 is a matter of building the best possible dual 24V supply you can. The TPR4 offers DR style performance given a nice chunky primary supply upstream of it, and I know from personal experience it's a great 'drop in' regulator for a standard Hicap. However, there's another way to get a superbly capable supply and that's to simply add the above gyrator mod to Naim's own 317 based regulator. Since quite a few folk have seemingly fitted TPR4s in their Hicaps, it should be possible to pick up a Naim reg cheaply and modify it by adding 2 gyrators. I have 2 Hicaps modified this way, one powers my phono boards and the other powers my 102. The results are up there with what the TPR4 does in terms of resolving more information, but with a slightly less forward presentation - which I reckon helps counter the slightly forward presentation inherent in the 102. Hope that makes sense.
Step 3 is the single mod you can safely (and reversibly) do to a 102 that you'll shake your head at; Replace all of the PCB mounting pillars with precisely cut lengths of silicone tubing (model engine fuel tube is perfect), so that the board is effectively decoupled from the tray and case.
Mr Tibbs
