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Volume control on Naim Nac 82

C

Chris1234

pfm Member
Does anyone else find the volume control on a Naim Nac 82 somewhat frustrating? The control is so sensitive it only take a small movement to increase the volume quite a lot. Once it hits the sweet spot it sounds great but it’s not always easy to find. The volume control on my 272 was much better

Also, it’s impossible to move the volume control beyond the 9 o’clock position because it makes the volume too loud so what it the point of having the remaining control?
 
It's all in the gain of the Naim preamp circuits. The gain stage is responsible for most of the house sound. It was designed when typically levels were 200mV and not the 2V of digital electronics.
Your best bet is to fit attenuators to the relevant inputs.
 
MJS said:
It's all in the gain of the Naim preamp circuits. The gain stage is responsible for most of the house sound. It was designed when typically levels were 200mV and not the 2V of digital electronics.
Your best bet is to fit attenuators to the relevant inputs.
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Thanks but not being techy at all I wouldn’t have a clue how to go about doing what you suggest!
 
Attenuators are just plug-in parts - usually like long RCA plugs, male at one end and female at the other. Not sure how you'd get on if using DIN.

Attenuators are polar/directional, so you need to plug them into the source or the pre-amp depending on which sort you might buy.

Best bet - try to find some here for sale and try them - they come in various dB levels (of attentuation ie. reduction in signal strength).

Ed. - and as if by magic......... [FS] - rothwell attenuators -10db rca | pink fish media
 
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Chris1234 said:
Does anyone else find the volume control on a Naim Nac 82 somewhat frustrating? The control is so sensitive it only take a small movement to increase the volume quite a lot. Once it hits the sweet spot it sounds great but it’s not always easy to find. The volume control on my 272 was much better

Also, it’s impossible to move the volume control beyond the 9 o’clock position because it makes the volume too loud so what it the point of having the remaining control?
Click to expand...
My streamer requires 9pm volume but my Prefix phono amp has a lower output so volume is usually between 10-11pm. Depends on what your source is putting out but I’ve never gone over 12pm with anything.
 
With an 82 the issue is that the inputs are DIN. If your cables are DIN to DIN the easiest way is to get new attenuated leads or get someone to modify your existing leads.

If they are RCA to DIN you can purchase plug in attenuators but as @Vinny says you will need ones which are designed for the input end of the cables. The most commonly available ones are designed to fit RCAs at the amplifier end.

Edit:

Search online for Rothwell "for source" attenuators. Available in -10, -15 & -20dB values. The -20 is probably too much. I have cables with built in attenuation at -12 and -15 in my Naim setups (NAC 32 & NAC 62). Both work fine giving a greater useable range on the volume knob.
 
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-20dB is 1/10th the level so would probably nicely match high output digital electronics to a 200mV input.
 
Does the 82 remote control have the same nudge function as the 282’s? A fleeting press will move the volume in a small increment, these can be repeated for the most controlled volume change. A brief press, release and press again moves the knob slowly and a single press and hold moves it rapidly.
 
I recently bought a set of Russ Andrews Attenuation Plugs for my CD set up which feeds into a Naim 282 . CEC TL5 CD transport and Sugden Dac 4 . The plugs are WBT NextGen which I know to be excellent plugs , they match the plugs on my cable . Russ Andrews made them as a special order , they say they are directional ( ? ) and made them to go on the phono output sockets of my Sugden Dac this meant I was able to retain my preferred phono to Din cable between Dac and Nac 282.

They did take a while to run in sounding a bit hit and miss for a week or so but now have opened up the sound and my volume control on CD has a similar range of control as my turntable . I'm very pleased and impressed by them . The move to Attenuation plugs was bought about by the acquisition of a new pair of more efficient speakers resulting in my only being able to use 7 and 9 o'clock on the volume control . Nine o'clock rattling the windows .
 
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