Do the fans run all the time? I would have thought that they'd be on a thermal trip so only come on when the amp is very hot. In which case you'll never hear them.
Naim: Is it personal?
- Thread starter Uncle Roach
- Start date
Do the fans run all the time? I would have thought that they'd be on a thermal trip so only come on when the amp is very hot. In which case you'll never hear them.
Del monaco
Del Monaco
Naim was an essential part of my hi-if journey and was my first serious hifi really. Mine was Olive series and I enjoyed it. But I was never going to be one who stick with on brand and I always wanted to explore other things. I ended up with Yamaha and Maggies which suited my musical tastes better really.
Joe
pfm Member
Ran mine into Isobarics and the fans ran quite a lot....but as I said ...the accumulation of dust didn't help .It was just my OCD playing up.
artoly
pfm Member
That Nait 2 Olive does look good. For some of us, the favoured Naim series (aesthetically) may relate to where we entered this particular market (Olive times for me). I would struggle with the aesthetic to add a singular Chrome unit into the black shelves in our lounge. They are so distinctive that it would look better to be all-or-nothing (To me. YMMV) However, a lone Olive fits in fine with Classic units to my eyes (CD3.5 in my case, although admittedly it's not even turned on now).
MJS
Technical Tinkerer
The fans are temperature controlled and are calibrated to just start turning at 44 degrees.
I have a fondness for the Olive series, one that I didn't appreciate at the time. I was there during the 'new look', as it was called, period of changes. It really felt like a Naim 2.0 at the time. Computer aided everything, we also did nothing but make Nait2s for what felt like years. My system now comprises a NAC72/Hicap/WH amps, although I may have redesigned all the parts inside with the help of one of my colleagues at the time.
All fans make some noise. I have a Crown with a fan, it's a bit intrusive. Of course some fans are really noisy, I have a pro amp that came out of a pub and it sounds like a jet taking off. I need to get round to cleaning it out and relubricating it to see if it improves matters.
Tony L
Administrator
I started my journey with a Quad 33/303, which whilst stunning aesthetic designed worthy of a place in MOMA matches absolutely nothing else in size or colour! I’ve very rarely tried for a ‘full system look’, though good aesthetic design and ergonomics is really important to me. I don’t like paying good money for bad design, but I find design classics tend to look fine in any scenario as long as they are not cramped tightly together on a rack.
The only time I went through a real ‘black’ phase was at the height of the ‘80s minimalism fad:
This was my system around 1986: Xerxes, 62/140, Marantz CP230 cassette, QED tuner, Gale 301s). A HiCap came shortly after and sat atop the 140, and after that I flipped the Gales for black Kan IIs which worked better in the crap rented Liverpool flat.
I’ve still got three 80s minimalist Ikea Jarpen chairs from that room/time:
I was certainly going for a specific aesthetic back then, even the room lighting was industrial bulkhead inspection-light type things (I’ve still got one). Since then I’ve got a lot more cluttered and just live in a house full of interesting things. I am a fan of good design, and I’d certainly put chrome bumper Naim in that category unlike the majority of ‘me too’ 1980s thinking. Not all black boxes are created equal! To be honest the reason I kind of miss having some Naim somewhere is the look! I really do like it. Maybe I should buy a mint boxed 42/110 or something like that at some point. The DIN plugs would piss me off, but I do still have a few cables knocking around.
James
Lord of the Erg\o/s
Densen amps don't use fans. My pair of B-350s, which incidentally replaced a pair of NAP135s, get barely warmer than ambient temperature when playing music at sensible levels.
artoly
pfm Member
I started my journey with a Quad 33/303, which whilst stunning aesthetic designed worthy of a place in MOMA matches absolutely nothing else in size or colour! I’ve very rarely tried for a ‘full system look’, though good aesthetic design and ergonomics is really important to me. I don’t like paying good money for bad design, but I find design classics tend to look fine in any scenario as long as they are not cramped tightly together on a rack.
The only time I went through a real ‘black’ phase was at the height of the ‘80s minimalism fad:
This was my system around 1986: Xerxes, 62/140, Marantz CP230 cassette, QED tuner, Gale 301s). A HiCap came shortly after and sat atop the 140, and after that I flipped the Gales for black Kan IIs which worked better in the crap rented Liverpool flat.
I’ve still got three 80s minimalist Ikea Jarpen chairs from that room/time:
I was certainly going for a specific aesthetic back then, even the room lighting was industrial bulkhead inspection-light type things (I’ve still got one). Since then I’ve got a lot more cluttered and just live in a house full of interesting things. I am a fan of good design, and I’d certainly put chrome bumper Naim in that category unlike the majority of ‘me too’ 1980s thinking. Not all black boxes are created equal! To be honest the reason I kind of miss having some Naim somewhere is the look! I really do like it. Maybe I should buy a mint boxed 42/110 or something like that at some point. The DIN plugs would piss me off, but I do still have a few cables knocking around.
Yes, that olive player that is never turned on is still the best looking box in my system (I wasn't using it enough and then ran out of plugs).
I love your chair. Can't decide if I love the light, or if I just love the intrigue that its design inspires. Cool either way.
Tony L
Administrator
FWIW When I owned 135s I think the fans came on once when I was playing a bit louder than usual in a hot summer. This was with Isobariks. You’d destroy Kans before waking the fans up. People complaining about fan noise are likely playing at stupid levels and can only hear them between tracks or have absurdly inefficient speakers which could do with a bigger amp. Just not an issue IME. That said I guess a fault condition (incorrect bias or whatever) may bring them on.
PS As with any audio equipment don’t box them in, leave some ventilation space behind the rack, a few inches ideally, and don’t crowd shelves. Give stuff some air.
I am with you on this. I love the olive and also the chrome bumper. Somewhat industrial but very cool. Then they went 'black' and it was absolutely pedestrian and ordinary, like a lot of other hifi of the time. I hate that look.
I can lament about how the company has gone down the toilet post-JV but I won't. I don't hate and as I said, it's not even the same company any more other than the name.
I can lament about how the company has gone down the toilet post-JV but I won't. I don't hate and as I said, it's not even the same company any more other than the name.
Paul Hindle
Do you mock me?
I’ve been running 135s for the last 5yrs into Keilidhs. The fans came on during the hottest weeks of last years heatwave but you could only hear them between tracks and they were very very quiet even then. Never heard them before or after. It’s not an issue at all. Even when driving the speakers hard.
Gervais Cote
Predator
Wow, very nice neck through guitar, looks like a masterpiece.I started my journey with a Quad 33/303, which whilst stunning aesthetic designed worthy of a place in MOMA matches absolutely nothing else in size or colour! I’ve very rarely tried for a ‘full system look’, though good aesthetic design and ergonomics is really important to me. I don’t like paying good money for bad design, but I find design classics tend to look fine in any scenario as long as they are not cramped tightly together on a rack.
The only time I went through a real ‘black’ phase was at the height of the ‘80s minimalism fad:
This was my system around 1986: Xerxes, 62/140, Marantz CP230 cassette, QED tuner, Gale 301s). A HiCap came shortly after and sat atop the 140, and after that I flipped the Gales for black Kan IIs which worked better in the crap rented Liverpool flat.
I’ve still got three 80s minimalist Ikea Jarpen chairs from that room/time:
I was certainly going for a specific aesthetic back then, even the room lighting was industrial bulkhead inspection-light type things (I’ve still got one). Since then I’ve got a lot more cluttered and just live in a house full of interesting things. I am a fan of good design, and I’d certainly put chrome bumper Naim in that category unlike the majority of ‘me too’ 1980s thinking. Not all black boxes are created equal! To be honest the reason I kind of miss having some Naim somewhere is the look! I really do like it. Maybe I should buy a mint boxed 42/110 or something like that at some point. The DIN plugs would piss me off, but I do still have a few cables knocking around.
Tony L
Administrator
Its a 1978 Yamaha SC1200. A lovely guitar, a rather fatter and warmer sound than a Strat with far more versatile pickup switching.
Gervais Cote
Predator
Awesome !
Its a 1978 Yamaha SC1200. A lovely guitar, a rather fatter and warmer sound than a Strat with far more versatile pickup switching.
davidsrsb
pfm Member
PA amplifiers are designed for very high and sustained power levels that could never be used in 99.99% of houses.
A low bias class AB BJT design, as Naim use, should not need a fan if the heatsink is sensible
Craig B
Re:trophile
There were many clues on the old Naim forum that JV was a headbanger (and/or possibly hearing impaired). IIRC, he stated that one of the reasons for the existence of NAP135 with fan in was that he grew tried of having to direct a fan at the undersides of his active tri-pack of NAP250 every time they went into thermal shutdown at home. I suspect it would have gotten quite toasty in the vicinity of his six-pack of 135s, too.
Craig B
Re:trophile
Let us not forget 'music power' vs. steady state. Not to mention that he used to run Isobarik PMS at home (before SBL and eventual DBL), with 2 x 3-way loudspeakers in parallel per side, plus impedance at low pass that would have crippled many amplifiers well before full throttle.
Paul R
pfm Member
In a large room you don't need to be insane to drive a NAP250 into Isobariks to the point of overheat trip.
But I wonder if part of the point of the NAP135 arrangement is to maintain a more constant temperature from idle to maximum such that the bias remains stable.
IIRC the gain of a NAC is about 12, and with a turntable plugged into the back of it the natural listening level is around half way on the volume control. Which is more or less ideal. Then CD came along and Naim didn't seem to have a way to deal with it. I've also never understood why the gain in the NACs was (and is) after the volume control. It would make more sense to put the simple buffer after the attenuator and have the gain stage be optional prior to it.
I gave up on Naim (originally) in 1989 or so when I moved to a Linn amp. If you consider the LK1 it has bipolar power supplies, individual regulation for each stage or each channel and a volume control that tracks. I've still got it and after 20 years in the loft it still works. Even more irritating cabling than the Naim of course...
But I don't get the hate, it seems rather stupid.
But I wonder if part of the point of the NAP135 arrangement is to maintain a more constant temperature from idle to maximum such that the bias remains stable.
IIRC the gain of a NAC is about 12, and with a turntable plugged into the back of it the natural listening level is around half way on the volume control. Which is more or less ideal. Then CD came along and Naim didn't seem to have a way to deal with it. I've also never understood why the gain in the NACs was (and is) after the volume control. It would make more sense to put the simple buffer after the attenuator and have the gain stage be optional prior to it.
I gave up on Naim (originally) in 1989 or so when I moved to a Linn amp. If you consider the LK1 it has bipolar power supplies, individual regulation for each stage or each channel and a volume control that tracks. I've still got it and after 20 years in the loft it still works. Even more irritating cabling than the Naim of course...
But I don't get the hate, it seems rather stupid.