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NAIM NAIT3 has taken up residence at flatpopely towers

flatpopely

flatpopely

Prog Rock/Moderator
So I took the plunge and bought a NAIM NAIT3 from the classifieds section on pfm. I collected it this week from they very helpful Andy, many thanks.

As many of you may know I left NAIM behind over 5 years ago after getting a JVC A-X3 and then an AX-Z1010TN. However reading this article again made me hanker for a NAIT and lo and behold one was on pfm classifieds:-

So I installed it in my main system, it's destined for the office, to see how it faired. In isolation it sounds very enjoyable, with the usual up front sound. I won't go into huge details as I know the whole PRAT thing is divisive. Suffice it to say it's a great sounding amp, compared to the 1010 though it's very one dimensional and lacking in fine detail and instrumentation separation.

The plan is to strip it down and give it a clean, lube the pots with serivisol and check the bias. It is however in great condition so it's not going to be a hard task.

Some pics:-

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The serial number indicates that yours came from the factory with the bias transistors fitted to the underside of the NAP90 pcb (note the 3 transistor leg ends just to the left of each bias pot). According to MJS on here, this is a good thing for the longevity of these. You'll notice some darkening round the amp output stage components, regardless, but nothing like what can be the case with those transistors on top , especially so, the possibility of tracks lifting from the board beneath.

Looks to be in great condition. Enjoy!
 
It's more than a good thing that bias fix, it stops them cooking to death. Judging by the serial number and capacitor dates there's every chance I had a hand in that one.
 
flatpopely said:
My original NAIM was a 92/90.3 and drove my first pair of SARAs well.
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That surprises me. I remember back when I had my 62/140 I had the option of a second hand but mint pair of Saras or a new pair of Kan IIs. I had them both on home dem for a few days and ended up going for the Kans, which was also the dealer’s recommendation (the rhetoric of the time was you needed a 250 for Saras). That said it was a tough choice as there were things I liked about both. I also lived in a pretty crap flat at the time, it had a bad room shape that boomed even with sealed speakers. I knew the Saras would cause havoc with the neighbours too, so that was on my mind. I kept the Kan IIs for a decade and revisited them a few times later as they work so well in small flats.
 
As is the case in all speakers, especially Kans and SARAs, room suitability is key. For some reason Kans just didn't work in my room, unlike at Scalford when they sung! SARAs do and don't need driving hard to sound super. I never once got the NAP90.3 to run out of steam.
 
FYI, @flatpopely, the RCA input line level links have been cut short to the PCB, indicating that a prior owner ran phono boards. If you wish to use RCA as line in you'll have to either restore these links or bridge the 2 x relevant pins (1 pair per phono board that the boards connected to). Someone on here recently sourced the connectors that are on the 5xx phono boards, so making up a pair of jumpers using 4 of these plus 2 bits of insulated wire would do the trick nicely.

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Hi Craig, thanks for the info, I have some of the sockets to connect the pins together. However I'll use the DIN inputs as it's going into my office system that has CD and Cassette only.
 
Tony L said:
That surprises me. I remember back when I had my 62/140 I had the option of a second hand but mint pair of Saras or a new pair of Kan IIs. I had them both on home dem for a few days and ended up going for the Kans, which was also the dealer’s recommendation (the rhetoric of the time was you needed a 250 for Saras). That said it was a tough choice as there were things I liked about both. I also lived in a pretty crap flat at the time, it had a bad room shape that boomed even with sealed speakers. I knew the Saras would cause havoc with the neighbours too, so that was on my mind. I kept the Kan IIs for a decade and revisited them a few times later as they work so well in small flats.
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A small flat is where l first heard some Kans in an amazingly well sorted Linn/Naim/ Mana system...one of my first exposures of tiny speakers.:D
 
Lovely amp, had mine for something like 25/30 years now - still in use in kitchen/diner with a pair of Kytes.

It has never been serviced, so i think that i should have a look inside (bulging capacitors a possibility?), but unsure about how to open it without damaging the fixings - any tips?
 
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Tony L said:
That surprises me. I remember back when I had my 62/140 I had the option of a second hand but mint pair of Saras or a new pair of Kan IIs. I had them both on home dem for a few days and ended up going for the Kans, which was also the dealer’s recommendation (the rhetoric of the time was you needed a 250 for Saras). That said it was a tough choice as there were things I liked about both. I also lived in a pretty crap flat at the time, it had a bad room shape that boomed even with sealed speakers. I knew the Saras would cause havoc with the neighbours too, so that was on my mind. I kept the Kan IIs for a decade and revisited them a few times later as they work so well in small flats.
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A dealer told me the story of rich student (possibly and his mates too) back in the 80s buying a full Naim six pack from him to use in a student residence!
 
Wow, I struggled for every penny at that age! I was unemployed and only achieved the lofty heights of a 62/140 thanks to an aunt dying and leaving me a couple of £k in a will! I later added a second hand HiCap, but I think I had a job by then.

It wasn’t until the mid-90s that I was earning proper IT money, and at that point I started playing about with 135s, Isobariks etc. I lived in That London at the time and the used market was flooded with mint examples of chrome bumper stuff at bargain prices, so even then I never spent much.
 
guydarryl said:
Lovely amp, had mine for something like 25/39 years now - still in use in kitchen/diner with a pair of Kytes.

It has never been serviced, so i think that i should have a look inside (bulging capacitors a possibility?), but unsure about how to open it without damaging the fixings - any tips?
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It's quite simple. There are 4 plastic 'rivets' and an earth screw.
The pic below shows them removed and the earth screw, the 'pins' are at the top of the pic and the 'socket' below.:-
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The rivets have an inner pin that you can prise out using a small screwdriver, or plastic trim removal tool, and then pull out with your fingers. Once you have done that again use a screwdriver/tool (gently to avoid scratching the case) and prise out the sockets.
Once you have done all four take out the earth screw, leave it until last as it secures the case while you take out the rivets.
Then from the back, push the inner out of the case. Do it so the panel comes out of the front and not dragged all the way through to the back, this avoids damaging the front olive panel.
 
Craig B said:
The serial number indicates that yours came from the factory with the bias transistors fitted to the underside of the NAP90 pcb (note the 3 transistor leg ends just to the left of each bias pot).
Click to expand...
I have an older Nait 3 that I had serviced at Class A. Would this be something that would have been attended to in the service?
 
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