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New Naim Owner needs cd advice

If you change amplification on a system you have enjoyed and suddenly it sounds a bit toppy then you don't like the amplification. Alternatively, the amplifier/loudspeaker combination isn't working in your room.

A cable change isn't gonna sort that out.
 
When were the Naim boxes last serviced?
What speaker cable are you using?
It's critical to know this for helpful advice.
 
Chris, I'm not familiar with your musical fidelity player. Does it have digi out? Does the Bluesound streamer have a digi in? If so, hook them up and see what happens if you are able to use the CD player as transport only and run it via the Bluesound's DAC.
 
I had 102/180 with CD3 and was very nice but powered by sonic bliss, then Avondale APX.

The teddy pardo dual hicap mod can lift the 102 apparently also when getting serviced the hobbled circuits cn have the correct grade and value components fitted to match the 82.

The budget price of the 102 is not to be sneered at with a service its a decent amp, but as said the 180 will really benefit from a service or dare i say being avondale'd
 
Chris, as a few have asked, when were the 102 and particularly the 180 last serviced? If it was more than 10 years ago it needs doing, and Darran at Class A in Sheffield is your friend here. The 102/180 is very nice, but unserviced it won’t sound great. I’m wary of suggesting anyone spends more, but to me the 102 only sounds ‘right’ when powered by a Hicap. But first things first - check if it needs servicing.
 
These Naim amps are certainly brighter than more recent editions but you’re starting point with allNaim gear of that vintage would be to get it serviced. An A3 is a lovely player and I wouldn’t be fishing to change that either. I’d be looking at a service from Class A and some A5 speaker cable.
 
Chris Gallagher said:
After years of owning a musical fidelity setup I have bought a naim nap 180 pre and a nac 102 with a napsc. My musical fidelity a3 CD player now sounds terribly harsh and I was wondering what would be a reasonable upgrade. Was thinking a naim CD player but wondered what people think.

it’s all much more detailed and brighter than the mf system. The speakers are kEF r500.
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So after years of an enjoyable system, you made an amp change that you don't like and are now thinking of also changing the CDP?

Brighter will make something sound more detailed by virtue of changing the tonal balance, initially impressive but soon becomes tiring.
 
If you can, put your old amps back in your system and compare.

Which set-up is then more musically satisfying?

Each to their own but Olive Naim is the least successful IMHE and is actually more forward sounding than the CB stuff. For example a 180 is much less rounded than a CB 160. The harshness you are experiencing is more likely to be from the forward upper mid-band than the treble itself.

I couldn’t live with Olive Naim these days personally
 
SteveS1 said:
So after years of an enjoyable system, you made an amp change that you don't like and are now thinking of also changing the CDP.
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This. Exactly.
You had a system you were happy with, changed the amp to a Naim & now you’re finding it too Harsh…. (Not exactly the first time this has been said about Naim gear.)
And you’re blaming the CD player so you want to change it?
Sorry if you’ve just bought the Naim, but to me, that’s where the blame lies, not the cdp.
 
SteveS1 said:
So after years of an enjoyable system, you made an amp change that you don't like and are now thinking of also changing the CDP?
Click to expand...

It's the Naim effect. Naim enjoys such a strong reputation that if you buy Naim you assume it has to be good and anything you don't like has to their be a system defect or that you're not listening properly.
 
A silly question perhaps but which input is the cd plugged into?
If it's input 1 using bnc adapters are there any boards fitted to input 1 other than NA526 "straight through" boards?
If you were feeding cd into a set of phono input boards it would sound very harsh, and VERY loud!
 
It sounds to me like you just don’t like your new amps. They might need a service, might not but personally I’d not throw good money after bad if you just don’t like the Naim Olive sound.
 
His description of the Bluesound is that MQA Masters sound fine but a bit bright. I take your point but my suspicion would still be that he doesn’t like the amp and that brightness will irritate more and more.
 
I did suggest various things he could do to investigate earlier on but he's not responded, so i'm assuming he's just off buying more equipment :(
 
Ah yes, but has it burned in? If so it probably needs a service. Obviously a Hicap or better still a Supercap will really make it sing.
 
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