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Living with a Nait 2...

Bob Edwards said:
I think both the 1 and 2 can sound great, provided they're used within their limits. I also think they have both been WAY over-hyped.
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I disagree that they have been overhyped. I have had a Nait 2 since new and it has remained an outstanding performer for its size against many much newer products. I still use it regularly in another room even though my main system is ScDr 252/300DR.
 
Martyn Miles said:
It’s a superb little amplifier.

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I clearly remember my first meeting with a Nait 2 - even its decades ago.

Basically the CB boxes didn't interest me much, back in the late 80'ies.
I was happy with some expensive valve amps (I thought)

By coincidence I went to a shop where they were playing on some very small bookshelf size speakers called Linn Kan.
Hhmmm I thought, they were far too small for the demo room, but boy they delivered.

My interest was piqued in the UK kit

I went to another shop just around the corner, they were demonstrating Royd bookshelf with ION and Nait amplication.
I stayed long and was sold.
The timing and speed was amazing, there was just something "right" about the music and its ability to communicate.
My then current setup never delivered such performance.

That was back in 1989 or 1990, I bought my first Nait and never really looked back.
 
I keep wondering about selling whilst the market is high with our CB Nait 2. It doesn't get much use, but when we do press it into action it sounds really good. I once did a test against my (then) 52/SC/250 into fairly efficient speakers, and whilst the bigger system was definitely better, the difference wasn't nearly as big as it bloody ought to have been. 52/SC/250 was sold on shortly after. Used within its limits - and it does have them - the Nait 2 is a surprisingly satisfying little amp.
 
MJS said:
If you're happy to live with it, and want to do a very simple mod to the Nait2 there are two resistors whose legs can be snipped to remove the gain from the pre-amp stage. This will allow more volume knob travel.
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Daft question probably, but why would removing resistors reduce gain? I would expect the opposite result.
 
The resistances are in the feedback loop in series with a capacitor. Snipping them simply makes the circuit a zero gain buffer instead of an amplifier. It works surprisingly well.
 
JTC said:
I keep wondering about selling whilst the market is high with our CB Nait 2. It doesn't get much use, but when we do press it into action it sounds really good. I once did a test against my (then) 52/SC/250 into fairly efficient speakers, and whilst the bigger system was definitely better, the difference wasn't nearly as big as it bloody ought to have been. 52/SC/250 was sold on shortly after. Used within its limits - and it does have them - the Nait 2 is a surprisingly satisfying little amp.
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I have a very similar story.

I cannot remember why, but I bought a used CB NAIT2 sight unseen and arranged for it to be serviced by Naim HQ in Salisbury before it was shipped to me in New Zealand. At the time, I was running a 52/Super/135s based system. When I inserted the NAIT2 in, I was expecting a much punier, less engaging presentation. I was instead pleasantly surprised how good it sounded when played at a sensible level. Sure, the 52/135s had more grip and authority, but boy did the little NAIT boogie like its life depended on it.

When I subsequently changed camps to Densen, the NAIT2 stayed and remains with me to today. I don't think I will ever part with it. It sounds fantastic into Yamaha NS-1000Ms.
 
James said:
I have a very similar story.

I cannot remember why, but I bought a used CB NAIT2 sight unseen and arranged for it to be serviced by Naim HQ in Salisbury before it was shipped to me in New Zealand. At the time, I was running a 52/Super/135s based system. When I inserted the NAIT2 in, I was expecting a much punier, less engaging presentation. I was instead pleasantly surprised how good it sounded when played at a sensible level. Sure, the 52/135s had more grip and authority, but boy did the little NAIT boogie like its life depended on it.

When I subsequently changed camps to Densen, the NAIT2 stayed and remains with me to today. I don't think I will ever part with it. It sounds fantastic into Yamaha NS-1000Ms.
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I heard a Nait 2 driving some large and very efficient JBL speakers with a wooden horn and it was mouth dropping. You couldn’t believe all the music coming out of such a small box. Unfortunately, wife said no to the fridge sized JBL, sniff, sniff.........
 
Yes, it is widely recognised as a decent match with the original ESL (57s), though I suspect would struggle with 63s or more recent. It is only a 12-14 Watt amp, albeit one with a fair amount of current on tap. The original ESL can easily be driven with a good 10 Watt valve amp e.g. Leaks etc and Quad’s own II was only 15 Watt.
 
Tony L said:
Yes, it is widely recognised as a decent match with the original ESL (57s), though I suspect would struggle with 63s or more recent. It is only a 12-14 Watt amp, albeit one with a fair amount of current on tap. The original ESL can easily be driven with a good 10 Watt valve amp e.g. Leaks etc and Quad’s own II was only 15 Watt.
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18W iirc every Watt counts.
 
omers said:
18W iirc every Watt counts.
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IIRC the Nait 1 was either 12 or 14 Watts, the 2 18 Watts. I can’t remember exactly as Naim were pretty cagey about power specs etc. The amp model numbers being roughly both channels into 4 Ohm, e.g. a NAP 250 was 125W per channel into 4 Ohms (about 70W into 8). The Naits obviously didn’t follow this naming convention.
 
The Nait3 kind of did because it was NAP90 and a NAC92 in the same box. IIRC the Nait2 was officially rated at 15W, at least that's what we used to test them at. It still went surprisingly loud into SBLs.
 
Tony L said:
Yes, it is widely recognised as a decent match with the original ESL (57s), though I suspect would struggle with 63s or more recent. It is only a 12-14 Watt amp, albeit one with a fair amount of current on tap. The original ESL can easily be driven with a good 10 Watt valve amp e.g. Leaks etc and Quad’s own II was only 15 Watt.
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I have used my NAIT2 to drive my ESL63s, and it is surprisingly good (although the Pathos TT is definitely in a different league of amplifiers). I could imagine being quite happy with a NAT01 / NAIT2 / ESL63 set-up. Add something like a Bluesound Node, and there is little else needed.
 
The Nait is a smashing budget amplifier but it’s limited in lots of ways. The original is by far the sweeter and more musical, the nait2 sounds ragged and rhythmically vague by comparison.
But seriously a 42.5/110 murders it.
 
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