Ania Pro & NA 523-K boards in a 102

Richard: I swapped the right and left connectors from the P3 into the 102 and that seems to have fixed it. Phase seems to be correct and the sound is now excellent. May help others in the same boat in the future. Thank you again.

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Never ignore the simple explanation. In this case - seemingly - a poor contact and/or poor Phono-BNC adaptors.

The sort-of-obvious thing to do now, is to get rid of those adaptorsā€¦!! :thinking:

Update: Unfortunately the noise came back and continued. After a couple of hours troubleshooting, Iā€™m fairly certain now the issue is with NA523-2 boards pictured below. No noise from the P3 on my alternate system and I tried various power/interference experiments but the noise remained. Then I put back in my original NA522/2 (MM) boards and although the output was lower - there was no noise. My question now is what new MC boards or external MC phono stage might work best? Yet again, any guidance would be greatly apopreciated.

IMG_3958 (002)

When were these K boards last servicedā€¦?

I bought them recenrly and thought they were new old stock. They were sealed in plastic and in an appropriate box. Yesterday I bought a pair of used and tested 523/1 boards from a reputable dealer and should have them in a day or two.

NOS 523 boards are likely no newer that 2002, which is when the 200 series preamps came out, without any phono boards.

The NA5XX boards were available to buy new for at least a 4 or 5 years into the Classic era so could be younger than that.

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Even so, they are still likely to be somewhat aged (maybe 15 years old, based on your figures - ?) - and are exhibiting problems for the OP.

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So are there newer MC boards I can use in my 102? External phono stage? Keep in mind my whole system is from the early 2K era and with recapping when needed - still all runs flawlessly. Also looks brand new inside and out. Understood the phono boards may be more sensitive.

522 or 523 boards are what are intended to be used in your 102. The Stageline uses a similar circuit - but is still a unit in production.

IMO, you should get your 523 boards serviced. You have no idea how old they may be.

I have used both 3xx and 5xx series Naim phono boards in various preamps (from 42, to 72, 102 & 82). I have only ever had one problem (noise), which was with the 323 S boards fitted in my 42 - they were replaced under warranty. I currently have 322 (N) , 323 (E), 522 (N) and 523 (E - converted from S) boards - and all work fine. Both my 522 & 523 boards have been serviced. The 3xx boards have not - but they are only for my 72 ā€˜backupā€™ pre.

Thanks so much. Iā€™m in New York so Iā€™ll send the boards over to Chris West and hopefully he can work on them for me. Thank you again.

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Whats happening with the 2nd set of 523ā€™s, that you said you had boughtā€¦ :thinking:

Waiting to receive them by mail. If they work without noise Iā€™ll know the other boards need to be serviced. If not it could be another problem. Problem is I have no dealers near me and Chris has a long waiting list.

Update: It was the 523/2 K boards pictured above that was causing the noise. I just installed 523/1 boards I acquired and there is no noise and all is well. I will try to get the 523/2 K boards serviced to compare the two. Thank you all for your help. Steven

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Thank you for the update - with good newsā€¦!

I like a simple explanation, based on logicā€¦ :thinking:

In my experience, failure of a Naim phono board is rare. All 4 sets that I have, at present, work - wellā€¦!

This thread has prompted me to find my 322 and 323s boards. At least i know where my 323e boards are. Still doing great with the dv10x5

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I know where all mine areā€¦!! The 523 Eā€™s (by conversion) are in my 82. My 323 Eā€™s are in my 72. My other boards are in one of my Naim boxesā€¦ :roll_eyes:

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