To offer another position, I’d see if Naim can still do the NAC92 change on your Nait3 when serviced, then find and service a second hand NAP180 power amp. I reckon that would be immense cost performance if you aren’t keen on the expense of a new current amp.
So true
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I was reminded forcibly of this around 3 years ago when I dug out my unitiqute (around 7 years old then?) and mission 70 speakers (bought new in 1985!) to give to my nephew. At the time my main system was nd555, 552, 300 maybe into SL2s (not sure of the exact date) but I tested the unitiqute and 70s and was blown away by how much fun the sound was
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I love the Nait 3 - it’s where my life with Naim started and if I still had it (I sold to move onto a narrowboat) I would continue to use it. But you might be right, using a 3rd party refurbisher could be more cost effective for such an old unit as even Naim seem to struggle to support this now. Make sure it’s someone people talk about though (I design electronics so I would do my own myself, for example but I normally renovate synths).
I miss elements of the Nait 3 in modern Naim but still find their gear engaging and the DAC v1 is a product of its time but still excellent.
Can I ask what you think Naim struggle with regarding servicing a NAIT3? Servicing it full stop? Or doing so cost effectively? Genuinely curious, I haven’t seen anything about their lack of ability to service their old amplifiers which is why I’m asking. I do get that spending the likely second hand value of the item on servicing costs would be a strange decision for some/many people, if that’s what you mean?
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Agree with @pragmatic_audio here. I am not aware of Naim having any problems servicing older units. Cost and using 3rd parties (Naim approved or not - your choice) is a separate argument.
There’s another thread on here that indicates Naim are unable to supply at least one (trivial) replacement part on this unit. A replacement is still available commercially and they were given the part number. This is a part which is present on all the 3 series units (at least all the ones I ever had).
Ah got it, this thread:
The plastic screws?
Best if @NeilS responds to this.
What @NeilS said -
“They were manufactured by Jet Press, part number BUR015 if it helps.”
Whilst accepting that ‘source first’ can be an over-used mantra, at the end of the day your Samsung TV isn’t the best streaming source. I’d consider looking at acquiring a dedicated music streamer before spending on anything else., although clearly the Nait is in need of servicing and the cheap interconnect isn’t helping…
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This got me thinking again. Had originally written this off for the same reason i dont think it makes sense to spend £400 servicing a £300 amp. However it did occur to me that the conversion appears pretty straightforward, and would also leave me with a 92/90 that i could separately A/B against other stuff. 
You mention a dedicated streamer. What kind of level do I need to spend to make much of a difference to sound quality? My reasoning would be that with a separate Dac, the streamer was more about convinience/better file searching & management than SQ?
Thinking about it tho, I could definitely A/B between the TV and running some audio via the USB from a laptop to see if that makes any noticable difference.
Best not discuss modifying kit here.
Be careful. Streamers do make a difference but less so on a lower level system than some high level systems that can show that difference. Listen if you can before throwing money at a streamer.
Edited!
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Rather depends on how committed you are to a quality balanced music replay system. A preloved NDX wouldn’t cost the earth if you are only looking at streaming from your NAS - especially once you factor in selling your DAC.
I could be wrong but I don’t think a full 92/90 split was ever offered by Naim, merely a Nait3 to NAC92 conversion.
An email to Naim support is your best bet to confirm what’s still possible at their end.
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Thanks everyone for the help and advice!
Just wanted to post a quick update based on the suggestions…
- I’ve reterminated the speaker-end connections with silver spades. This is the before picture
- I’ve bought a new pair of SA8 connectors for the amp end. They look a bit more fiddly to solder, but will replace those too when i get some time.
- @Christopher_M I put some pucks to put under the speaker, so thats now on spikes rather than sat directly on the floor. That made a big difference to controlling the bass, so thats in a much better place now.
- @Svetty and others… I did do an A/B between bitperfect playback on USB vs. my Samsung TV into optical. Definitely a difference - a much fuller sound. After some digging around I set up volumio on a raspberry pi i had spare. Very quick and easy to install and get up an running. Verified with the bitperfect files, so now i have that streaming into the USB.
- Also ordered a naim grey interconnect, which should arrive next week. I can A/B against the current one and keep it or return it if i cant tell the difference.
A combination of the above, and maybe running in the speakers a bit more have left me in a much better place, and the system is honestly sounding pretty good now. Think i’m happy to leave it for a while!
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Those plugs don’t look that bad to me! Yes, there is some superficial tarnishing which makes them look bad, and one strand has broken, but the important bit is the soldering, which looks pretty decent. If you don’t know what you’re doing it would be very easy to end up with a worse job than that, so if you’re not sure I would get a pro to do it for you.
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