The " engineering " should cover full product life cycle not just initial design.
Im thinking that naim have not given much consideration to maintaining the item during the design. Their older products used single layer boards and well spaced components. New items appear more congested and may be multi layer. Component level servicing may be near impossible, leaving board layer swap out the only option.
Well, maybe not, and an “investigation” is underway, whatever that means. But we are talking about a company who’s whole business model and reputation is built around the ability for servicing and longevity.
For what it’s worth, Latham Audio (the Benelux distributor), had told me that there is no service for the nDAC and the streamers when I inquired about the servicing costs back in December 2023. Obviously that contrasts the official information from Naim, with all these items listed under Band 7.
Also have a look at the posts in this discussion:
PS: No DACs/Streamers in the AVOptions Service Pricelist either. It seems that some clear guidance from Naim on these products wouldn’t hurt after all.
As this is a discussion forum which Naim host we know that they don’t use it to give formal information. Have you tried emailing Naim support with this question? If you get a definitive response ask if you can share it with the forum. That would be very helpful…
I remember that some, who bought the Ndac in the recent years , sent it for service. Some said the sound didn’t changed, other found an improvement.
It was never clear if the Ndac needs or doesn’t need a service.
The same now concerns the Nds, and very probably the Nd555.
If only Naim could post something official on it. But I doubt they will.
Good question. I am very interested too. My Nds screen was not working. So, like you, I would like to know if i send it to Naim, will they repair only the screen or can they change the capacitors also.
Let us know what they will respond to you.
I returned mine for a new screen this Spring. I was advised they don’t do a service unless there are issues ie a repair. The screen was very reasonable, but it did have to go back because they damaged the remote sensor which is adjacent…
Without a power supply in the NDS, I’m not convinced that there is likely to be any merit in changing capacitors in the relatively short term, which encompasses the age of even the earliest production NDSs. Somewhere I read thar the NDS uses a lot of tantalum capacitors. Whilst I seem to recall that early tantalum capacitors sometimes had a limited lifespan, my understanding is that modern tantalums – say at least by the 1980s – are recognised to be stable and reliable devices, and are likely to still be within spec after 20 or 30 years or more. Of course there can be exceptions with a capacitor failing, just as there can be with any component, and that could happen at any time from day one onwards, But that would come under repair not servicing.