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Naim Nait 2 - olive vs chrome bumper: Any sonic difference ?

Cato

pfm Member
I'm curious if there are any sonic differences between the chrome bumper and the newer olive Nait 2 ? Do they have the same innards and do both come with MM ?

All thoughts welcome
 
No sonic difference, near as dammit the same innards, both have MM.

CB Nait 2 looks the nicest IMO and that's the one I'd pick. Probably a bit cheaper too.
 
CB Nait 2 looks the nicest IMO and that's the one I'd pick. Probably a bit cheaper too.
Given the relative numbers produced it may even be more collectible and therefore expensive. But it is identical under the clothes - except for the Olive "CD" version which omitted the phono capability and adapted the phono circuit as a CD input buffer of some sort.
 
The CB NAIT2 is unique amongst all other CB Naim in that it had a lit logo. I shall never part with mine (except by force).

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James
 
The CB NAIT2 is unique amongst all other CB Naim in that it had a lit logo. I shall never part with mine (except by force).

2894888-lg.jpg


James

Yeah, I may sneak off with it, 'tis a super little thing that and in many ways you could leave it there and be more than happy.
 
I'm in luv with my Olive version, even if I prefer the CB version
but CB version are very hard to find (at good price obviously)
 
I keep trying to persuade my wife to let me sell her CB Nait 2, but she never gives in.

Clever girl.
 
Big difference sonically the CB was a real step down from the original nait

They improved greatly once they got olive

I have heard it might be down to naims move to pick and place

A nait1 would be my choice or even better a 42/5 110
 
Many thanks guys - much appreciated. Does anyone know if the MM stage will handle high output MC such as the Sumiko Blue point #2 ?
 
David, that's far too great a generalisation and hence somewhat misleading. There were a apparently a few that sounded a bit under-par and seemed to have escaped at the beginning of the Nait 2 production - Naim had just started using auto-insertion machinery and so it was probably due to some early teething troubles getting it right - but most all should now have been sorted out long ago. Most CB Nait 2s should be fine. Certainly any early units that have been Naim serviced or rebuilt will be as good as it gets.

The early Chrome bumper Nait 2 certainly seems to be the most desirible and collectible (and consequently the most expensive to buy second-hand) these days, no doubt due to its comparitive rarity as well as its rather unique CB/Olive crossover aesthetics.

These days age and use/abuse will probably have more of an impact on sound differences than anything else. Of course, a recently serviced or rebuilt unit should be the only way to make a true judgement.
 
I remember the first nait 2s coming into the shop and returning them because we thought they were faulty.

They did get better but I never rated the cb nait 2.

They weren't for sale for long with good reason.

I lived through the original production run and had to demonstrate these .
 
David, I can imagine it could rather jaundice ones view towards them after that! However, I think it's unfair to write them all off - especially as the consistency issues were sorted, and there shouldn't be any/many left out there so afflicted.
 
I have owned both variants at the same time. One as a back up amp and one in a second system, neither had the relatively common low volume channel imbalance to any great extent.

When I came to no longer need a spare amp I listened to both, no difference that I could reliably pick. So I sold the olive one as I prefer the look of the CB.
 
Hey fellas... You ARE aware that these amps are twenty or more years old now and NOT NEW??????? As a result, they'll have bedded in, drifted gawd knows where and if they haven't been serviced, they'll need a good check-over to bring them back on song.. Do this, and you'll probably find that time has removed any differences between them, if there were any in the first place. Choose your speakers with care though, as there's little power available and I don't remember them soft-clipping as gracefully as the Nait 1 did.
 


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