Dac-v1, nap100 with hicap?

Hi all. A bit of advice please to help resolve some family conflict. My teenage daughter used to have my old system ( nac140, nap140 and hicap) after I upgraded. When the hicap broke and was sent off, I gave her my old dac-v1 and bought her a nap100 to go with it. She liked it but always felt it wasn’t as good as her old system. I reassured her that it was a more modern system and it would take her just some time to get used to it.

Anyway hicap came back following repair. Rather than put the old system in storage I gave it to her brother who now doesn’t want to give it up.

Daughter is now really angry as she feels older system sounds so much better and I would agree with her.

Now why is the old system better? Is it due to the hicap? Can I buy another hicap to upgrade the dacv1 and nap100 setup?

Thanks in advance

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There will be lots of answers , but I don’t believe the HiCap can’t be added to the DAC V1 , the newer system will have more functionality to it (in modern terms) , maybe a NAP 200?

I think you have just discovered that “no good deed , ever goes unpunished”

Best wishes

Ian

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Assuming that a Nac140 is in reality a Nac72, it’s really not surprising as the 72/Hicap/140 is a damn fine amplifier.

It sounds as though you need a bit of family resolution here. Maybe your daughter is being a bit entitled, maybe you foisted your V1 on her against her will, maybe something else. It’s a shame your apparent generosity has led to conflict.

Perhaps the best thing is to swap the V1 and 100 for a nice olive Hicap, so everyone is happy.

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Similar issue her in chez roberto. Simple answer, buy another 72/hc/140.
Daughters/ my second system is fronted by the P6/dv cartridge. Third/ son uses one of those cheapo Bluetooth adapters.

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You can’t use a hicap with dac v1/nap100, but you can swap the 100 for another nap. 110 or 140 perhaps?

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I consider you lucky that your children even care - I haven’t been able to get either of mine to take a hifi! They just want the Alexa and consider anything else to be useless and old-fashioned.

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Not surprised daughter is disgruntled - she’s been downgraded and her sibling has been favoured over her. You don’t need a PhD in psychology to understand her reaction.

Sounds like a deal needs to be struck. Perhaps a non-hifi solution to achieve restitution could be negotiated. Failing this, ebay is your best bet.

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Cheers all for the advice and help. I’ve stupidly created a bunch of hifi snobs. That’s the problem. Once you’ve heard good kit, it’s difficult to go back.

Yes I didn’t realise the old system would sound so much better. Reading a bunch of What Hifi reviews for the DAC-V1 and NAP100 combo, somehow I thought it would amazing. It’s good for sure but the old analogue system just sounds so much more 3d. I suppose that would be spatial separation or something in audiophile speak.

The bribing the son with an xbox or something solution sounds like the easiest in the end…

Thanks again guys…

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No they are children with good taste , I don’t know what speakers you/your daughter is using but perhaps some speakers which are easy to drive , may be the solution for you or your daughter

Best wishes

Ian

Regardless of age I don’t think it’s that surprising that a 2 box preamp sounds better than one that’s squeezed into a small single box along with a DAC. It shouldn’t cost all that much to restore world peace by trading in the V1 for a 72/Hicap, although service history and condition may be critical.
Finally consider swapping the 100 for a 110 or 140, which sound subjectively better, or not, but will provide a visual match if that’s important.

A bit puzzled as I’m reading this, what was feeding into either combination as a source?

The DAC-V1 is what it says on the box, a dac, so it will depend on what’s she’s feeding the system with to determine the outcome.
Macbook via good usb cable using Audirvana for Qobuz/Tidal lossless will be very good, a cheap streamer playing Spotify via bluetooth not so much.
Then again the 72/hi/140 should be fed an analogue signal to begin with, so what was that?

In any case I agree with several others that it is nice to have developed your kids’ ears that they even care and can tell the difference!

Btw new generation also can spend loads on hi-fi but it’s more headphone gear (head-fi) as my son explained to me :slight_smile:

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