advertisement


Witch Hat Naim NAC82 "Superlink" Upgrade

Good point and I’m not an expert but I think that the 52 has two boards for left and right channels.
By all accounts the 52 still ‘sounds better’ than a superlink mod. Although some people prefer the sound or the 82 over the more laid back presentation of the 52.
At the end of the day only the listener can judge which one they prefer…..
 
terrycym said:
So why didn't Naim do that in the 1st place?
Click to expand...
Quite simply Naim developed a range to suit different pockets.

If they had made the 82 separately regulate every circuit, they would have pretty much made another 52, and that would have been pointless.

So they made the 82 cheaper in a few ways, not having to wire out a bunch of separately regulated power supplies being one of the ways, and allowing it to run from Hicap as opposed to 52PS opened up a new price point.

Of course it should sound different to the original 82, if it didn't it would be a pointless modification, whether you like that change is a personal decision, but from a conceptual position making an 82 more like a 52 makes sense to me.
 
Well….my 282 is back from Witchhat having had the superlink upgrade fitted. Fantastic job done, and the only noticeable difference is the small burndy style socket at rear, replacing the link 2 socket. Connection guide and cables required for connection to a supercap also provided. I’m still using a single HCDR, so no difference to the sound at this point. On the hunt for a supercap now.
 
I would start by having a SupercapDR conected to 282 by 2 Snaics, and then see if the cost of that "superlink" justifies the rest.
You almost have payed by the service/modification half (?) of a used SupercapDR, and you say "no difference to the sound"...
I experimented a SupercapDR in my 282 and it was a very significative difference to the sound, even close or even comparing for my years to the 252.
 
Hi @LuisAlmeida

The cost of the Witchhat superlink upgrade is just £500. Nowhere near the cost of even a 10 plus year old non DR supercap. The reason for no difference in sound at the moment is because I still have a Hicap DR connected and so I have no more than 2 feeds at this time. Once I have a Supercap, I’ll be able to make use of 10 feeds, I think, and this should make a significant difference.
 
For that amount (no service?) what you have to do is buy the supercapdr... you still have to maintain the napsc I think.
A supercapdr on a 282 is already a big upgrade, I question the real improvement of the superlink but for that price... and you dont have to buy a extra snaic.
 
I know what I know. That a SupercapDR is a lot better than a HicapDR for a 282. I heard it for hours.
And, for what I read, the "Superlink" does nothing to a 282 when powered to a hicapdr.
What do you know exactly ?
 
LuisAlmeida said:
the "Superlink" does nothing to a 282 when powered to a hicapdr.
Click to expand...

I would not expect the Superlink to make any difference to a (2)82 plus Hicap: nor to a (2)82 with two Hicaps. In neither configuration is the Superlink increasing the number of secondary rails available to the (2)82, as compared with the standard 1xHC or 2xHC configurations.

And a SC will provide no more rails than 2xHC to a “standard” (2)82 - I.e. four. It is a matter of debate whether 1xSC is “significantly better” than 1xHC or even 2xHC. (Personally, I felt that 1xHC->2xHC or 1xHC->1xSC gave a significant improvement with my 82, but that 2xHC->1xSC was marginal (and yes, I did spend a happy Sunday afternoon trying all configurations - however I do accept that my judgement towards the latter stages might have been impaired by several glasses of Pinot Grigio. Other opinions are, of course, available.)

(Note: for the current discussion, we are not considering the NAPSC, because it is needed whatever configuration is implemented.)

Where the Superlink “should in theory” score is that it will enable the use of more rails to the (2)82 than standard SC or 2xHC configurations.

But it will need the acquisition of a Supercap - hence @Finkfan saying that he is now on the lookout for one.

As an aside, there could then be an interesting comparison between a non-DR SC into a Superlinked (2)82 versus a SCDR into a standard (2)82
 
Last edited:
More or less power rails involved, if you have a 282 with HicapDR and NAPSC like I do, you will be interested in better SQ and less number of boxes.
Putting a second HicapDR is one more box.
Replacing the HicapDR by a SupercapDR there is a evident improvement of SQ, for same number of boxes. And a price to pay. Some say that prefer a SupercapDR + 282 than a SupercapDR +252, I demoed the two and understand that.
The Superlink once again is same number of boxes. Better SQ ? Maybe.
My point is that I would START by buying a SupercapDR and THEN modifying/servicing the 282 for the final touch.
 
I understand your thinking. I’ve just paid out and gained nothing as it were…..at this point But for me, I see it that I’m now ready to take full advantage of a supercap when it arrives
 
The Superlink conversion includes a service. And a modification to the time-aligned (729) filter stage. You should hear a small uplift in performance even when used conventionally.
 
terrycym said:
Hi-fi has a lot of "smoke and mirrors" and I'm naturally sceptical of foo and such magical fixes a lot of which either degrades reliability of makes no sound difference..
I remember the days of Peter Belt and his stuff.
I didn't know that MJS was ex-Naim.
Click to expand...

From my exerience, to compare Peter belt with Witch Hat does WH a disservice, they are competent enginineers, and have resoved one or two problems with Naim equipment for me. What they do is not magical, but sound engineering at a resonable cost.
No such thing as perfection, all is compromise, even for Naim....although they do get close at times.
As said, just my experience
 
Just had my 82 back from Which Hat with the superlink mod, I can say that I am very happy with it. Definitely an uplift in sound quality. More detailed, more open and bass with more depth. These are not mega huge improvements but put together as a package with all the uplifts it sounds great. It’s difficult to put into words but all I would say it’s that there is definitely an improvement out of the box. The Supercap will be going away soon and while it’s away I’ll stick a Highcap or two on the 82 and then see what it’s like.
If people can’t see the improvement then I would suggest they checkout their sources or downstream gear to make sure they can resolve the detail….
 
I’m just sitting listening to my Superlink upgraded 282 and it’s sounding particularly good. Wondering if I should go for a supercap2 or hold out for a DR?
 
Finkfan said:
I’m just sitting listening to my Superlink upgraded 282 and it’s sounding particularly good. Wondering if I should go for a supercap2 or hold out for a DR?
Click to expand...
The DR is considered to be a better match but I have no experience of this. I have a 52/SuperCap.
 
Well I can only speak from what I heard, and that was a huge improvement to the sound of my 82 after the mod (supercap already in place). More rhythm, more timbre of instruments and just downright more music! I’m sure I was one of the early adopters of this upgrade and have never looked back, and more importantly to my wallet, have never felt the need to buy a 52. Yes I’m sure it’s better, but that gulf has massively reduced.
One happy W’Hat customer!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top