Connecting Hi-Cap to Nait 5?

I have searched far and wide but can’t figure this out. Does anyone know how I connect a Hi-Cap to my old (recently re-capped) Nait 5?

Directionality of my cables might be wrong. I did not take care of that.

For this who wonder, the loudspeakers are in phase.

It’s in the manual, see page 7

  1. to add a separate power supply to the preamp section:
    Switch off at mains
    Refer to diagram on page 7
    Remove all the link plugs
    Connect SNAIC 5 between nait and power supply and SNAIC
    4 between power supply and nait as shown in the diagram
    Switch on power supply and amplifier.

Thanks for the photo!

I did look at the manual but the back of the Hi-Cap does not to my eyes resemble the back of the Flatcap 2.

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On the hicap, you would use sockets 3 and 4, and a snaic 4 and 5. You can’t mix up which snaic to use due to the number of pins.

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Thank you Robert! I have it all set up now. Beautiful.

By the way - if anyone is debating recapping a Nait 5 - In my mind it is well worth it.

Thanks for all your help (It takes a village)

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My original Nait 5 returned a few weeks ago from service. It is now my living room system with my SBLs and a Cd5i.it is a very good amp. I consider to move the hicap to another system (72/140) since the 72 benefits more from the hicap than the Nait 5.

I’ve tried a hicap dr on the Nait 5 too, but found it too much. The serviced olive hicap is just right.

Looking to change my CD player to a cds level one or an nDac. The Nait 5 can handle that level.

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It’s a remarkable amp - I have it in my office system and have owned it since new. I brought the Hi-Cap in to use with my Headline but realized I didn’t have a SLIC so I connected it to the Nait. I find the Hi-Cap makes a difference even with the Headline when simply connected to the amp. I have had a great afternoon of headphone listening.

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Loved my 5 when I had it, long gone now but was a lot of fun. I had a CD5i on it amongst other things!

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Loved mine when I had one.

Great to see the love for the Nait 5 here. It doesn’t seem that long ago that there was anything but!

Very glad you have it sorted @IJHB

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Correct observation. It was why I tried to get a Nait 5, I thought it would be the cheapest Naim amp for the Telly. I was very surprised when I hooked it up with the CD player and it did perform as well as my SuperNait - given easy loudspeakers to drive.

Ardbeg10y, very curious on your experience. What you mean DR is too much ? Is non DR black equal to olive ? Do you find HiCap better for 5 than FlatCap ?

I tried a few evenings the Hicap DR on the Nait 5 and the CD5i. After a long listening session I got tired of the music. A day later I tried listening again, but I immediately got annoyed by the music again.

Reverted to the bare Nait, issue gone.

It could well be that if I used a better source, I would have had a better experience and that the Hicap Dr was working fine.

Since then, I prefer balanced systems.

I’ve not tried the flatcap, I would only consider a flatcap if I could power my CD player with it as well. Nait 5, Cd5 and flatcap is written positively about on this forum.

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Many thanks for this! I bought a S/H Nait 5 from the very helpful Basically sounds
several years ago , but inevitably without instructions. Great to be able to download them now.

I still have a NAIT 5 and Flatcap2, which are an excellent combination - good as the NAIT 5 is, the Flatcap2 really ups the capability.

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I should say that I purchased my Hi-Cap used for less than what I paid for my Flatcap2. Otherwise I would never have considered it with the Nait 5 as per @Ardbeg10y comments about balance. It’s a fun versatile, piece that I didn’t invest much money into so it’s fun to try in different set-ups. For example, I loved the HiCap with my CD 5.

It’s funny - I thought the Flatcap2 was the least inspiring of my upgrades over the years but I know it is well regarded with the Nait 5 and the CD 5.

20 years on the Nait 5 and the CD 5 are still going strong!

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Richard, how you see Flat vs Hi for Nait 5 ? Does HiCap give more than FlatCap ? Or not neccessary and, like Ardbeg10y says, it could bring some negative effects ?
And which models of Flatcap or Hicap to use with Nait 5 (2, XS, DR, etc)
No chance to compare due to availability.

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I did try a HICAP. It worked well, but just seems a bit OTT. The Flatcap 2 I felt worked very nicely for less than half the cost and of course also looked the part.

Only issue to consider these days is servicing. If not done within the past 10 years then should be factored into cost.

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