I have been thinking for a while about tidying up my TV boxes, blu-ray player, appleTV, lots of cables, Nameless Box for diverting sound to hi-fi etc. And naturally being a naim user thought of the AV2 to feed them into. I’m only interested in 2 channel - but if I moved the tv to a different room may go surround.
I notice from another post that @Richard.Dane mentions that some parts are now unavailable. Not to mention the fact that most devices now are HDMI.
So, my question is: assuming I could feed the signals into the AV2 is it worth it? Or should I look at something else ?
Bear in mind this is very much an aside compared to the main system and I view it as a tidying exercise which feeds the pre-amp.
It also gives me an opportunity to use a spare hi-line cable
From a sound performance point of view it could well be worthwhile. However, it does come with some risk. IMHO the weakness of the AV2 is the piggyback digital processing board. If something goes wrong then that’s probably that, as while some repair may be possible, in most cases replacement is necessary and I don’t think Naim can replace these any more. However, if you find one that’s still working well and the price is right then it could be a great move. It was definitely always a highly musically adept processor, and fed a multi-channel or 2 channel analogue signal it could really do the business. I recall when I used my own AV2 as a stand-in for my NAC252, while I was waiting on a NAC552, and, fed from my CDS2, it was surprisingly good (let’s just say it exceeded fairly low expectations), all things considered.
We have an AV2 and a Nap200 connected to our TV. I do watch the Berliner Philharmoniker on the TV and it gives good sound. Every now and then we connect another Nap200, place rear speakers there and enjoy surround.
We found that the Apple TV can downmix dolbydigital plus to normal dolbydigital so surround works, even when using Netflix.
It is a massive step up from tv sound and we are convinced users. Operation the AV2 is a typical naim thing. It has idiosyncrasies like unmuting the sound by turning it to zero first and then turning the volume up again.
Recommended for the price they go these days! And if it breaks, we just get another second hand one.
I shall take your comments on-board and keep an eye open for one.
@Ardbeg10y. Do you use a HDMI to RCA converter for the AppleTV ? And am I correct in assuming that there are three inputs that can be RCA, SPDIF or CO-AX ?
I would also consider using an Atom for this purpose, especially if you only use it 2-channel. It works really well. We have the non HDMI version of the ATOM and our TV is connected to the Atom via optical toslink. It sounds marvelous and since our room has a very good 3d sound presentation, it sounds almost like the real thing. I know because we used to have Aragon surround pre-power amps connected to four Tannoy Dimension TD-8 loudspeakers.
I only moved from my AV2 recently, it was still excellent using analogue out from a BR player. Moving to a £12k Acurus processor has made improvements to multichannel, I no longer use the setup for 2 channel. Get yourself a Panasonic 9000 and an AV2 and it really isnt a poor solution at any price. I may even consider going back and looking to use a programmed mindsp to drive the subs, this was where most of the gains were seen. There was something very organic about the AV2, I am 99% sold on doing the HDMI ATMOS properly but not 100%
@Alanm1 If it helps, I had an issue with my AV2 approximately three years ago and asked Naim directly if there were any remaining options for repair. This is the reply I received:
“Sorry to learn of your AV2 issues, the AV2 is at End of Life and we no longer have some of the key parts, sorry but there is nothing we can offer.”
It’s a shame, but is unfortunately the reality of the current AV2 situation. I’m still looking for a replacement – it’s still a great device and echo all of those similar sentiments above – but go in eyes wide open with reality of options should a breakdown occur.
I recently acquired a Linn Selekt DSM, modular and highly flexible and can support configurations including 5.1 with integrated and pre out options as well as built in HDMI switching, it even has a MM/MC input.
I agree, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon unfortunately. Classé are out of multi-channel too it seems? The only area I now wonder if Naim have any interest in multi-channel, and where the market may be larger, is the Muso range. But I feel that’s also a long shot. Happy to be proven wrong on both of these
Classe were rumoured to be developing a new processor just after being bought out by Sound United. However, that was a few years ago. Although unlikely perhaps, it may still be possible especially as they have the option of modifying/upgrading the existing 8805 Marantz platform or doing a Focal/Bryston and re-badging various Storm Audio products. As Naim are now ultimately owned by Focal, an AV3 seems distinctly unlikely which is a real shame.
