Descending into the depths of Naim

Sorted now :+1:

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Any other tips to get the very best from them?

You are looking at £500 for a used olive hicap in mint condition. You might want to get it all serviced as well. When I bought my two I paid £500 for one and £550 for the other which had been serviced.

Good luck and hope you get a bargain!

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Well, you can’t remove the phono boards, so put them on a decent rack, pay attention to cable dressing & have them serviced at Naim HQ of course! :grinning:

And keep your eye out for a Hicap!

Also, check the rubber feet - they can harden over time & begin to perish.

Regards
Neil.

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Thanks Neil :smile:

Recently serviced (factory spec but not directly at the factory) and the feet look good as if they have been replaced although not marked on the invoice (as they normally are in the Class A invoices).

I will look into isolation as already have some for my turntable on that furniture too and I am picky about cables too so only good stuff there.

Thanks for your advice :+1:

I’ll be interested to compare the phono stage to Rega Fono and Cambridge 640p too and see whether I can get away with the built in stage :+1:

Hopefully will find a decent bargain on them. This pair were a great buy with some judicious hunting to find the right ones with the right history.

Isn’t Nac72/Hicap/250 the classic combo?

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One of a number of classic combos, and just an update on the classic NAC32.5, HICAP, NAP250 system from the Chrome bumper era.

Typical it seems yes as they were final “best” available in the small box range but the differences (at least on paper) between the 62/72 not enormous.

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I owned the 62/140/hicap for 14 years with a Sondek and Epos ES 14 speakers. I have a more expensive system now but really, it is no more enjoyable than the original one. So you have an absolutely brilliant 2nd system in gestation. All the best.

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Thanks Hugh.

It sounds great so far and with a few other tweaks around it, will be 100% :+1:

I am assuming the reason I have no working phono BNC’s (either for use with a turntable direct or a line level source is that there are no boards where these 8 gold pins are?!?


Yes, you’ll need boards - NA326 for line level, NA322 (MM) or NA323 (MC) for phono.

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Thanks Richard.

My debate now is whether the 322MM boards can compete with a Rega Fono phono stage for my P3 - I was hoping to try it out before I made the call to ignore it or not but I can either now ignore it and put in a line level pair or have a go at it!

What matters for me is to have an absolute minimum of cables. That’s why I like the internal boards over an external phono stage. I have mm boards and mc boards, the missing part is a good turntable :slight_smile:

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Yeah - sourcing a pair of boards now :+1:

@Musicianandteacher, I would do as you are doing. Good news is the Rega Fono is affordable, excellent, and re-sellable; so you can sponsor your own A/B demo and let us know your verdict, at minimal expense.

Having run the Fono myself for nearly 10 years, I can vouch for it versus the decent phono pre on- board my Denon AVR-4800, which is probably nothing to the Naim board.

Diminishing returns available for more money, as ever, but the Fono is a satisfying reference point, I found. I preferred it to the Stageline in my system, slightly. (Planar 3 c 2000 with Elys.)

Enjoy.

Nick

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Thanks.

I have a Rega Fono already so will be able to compare the on board stage once I get a set of boards to compare to it.

I am upgrading to an Rega Aria on my main system for that turntable so the Fono will be unused eventually anyway :+1:

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Looking at the marks on the PCB near those pins and the presence of an “N” label in an earlier photo strongly suggests the 62 was built fitted with a pair of 322 MM boards. You say you bought it from the original owner - is it worth asking them where the boards went?

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Yeah I asked them. They had never used a turntable since new and the advert was listed as no phono stage.

I have to hazard a guess they were either removed by the dealer at sale to sell on to someone in exchange for a discount or the same thing happening at service potentially.