And wanted to share. My oh my these Naim boxes are brilliant. Got a new screen on the NDS and got the 82 and Olive Hicap back to spec. Thank you Naim HQ and Instereo. Eventhough I only listened to iradio and the equipment hasn’t really been on for more than 30 minutes it already sounds wonderful.
The best part. I know it Will sound even better after burn in and warm up.
To my ears this combination with a serviced NAC82 and a serviced Olive Hicap beats a serviced 282 with a few years old Hicap DR in the exact same context with source, amp and speakers.
It’s hard to explain in words. I’d say that instruments sound more like instruments. I get more surprised by sounds coming out of nowhere and in free space. It’s more fun in some unexplicable way. I guess it’s still not better better if you know what I mean?
Some would most likely say that the 282 is more hifi and the 82 more boogie. The 282 boogies plenty though and I think it’s a bit weird to say more hifi regarding something that is less fun. Good hifi should make music fun. I like both preamps a lot but prefer the 82 because when listening I repeatedly say to myself. Oh my God this is good.
I fully agree on that I prefer music that creates emotions and makes music fun if that still means it by HIFI terms is not a fully correct representation of the recording.
However I do wonder about 2 things I didn’t really notice at first.
The logo on the Hicap Shines brighter than the one on the 82. Is this normal and is it something a Naim service doesn’t look in to?
The front facia of the 82 is wiggly. I can push it in on either side and it then flips out on the opposite side. Is this normal and is it something a Naim service doesn’t look in to?
I had an 82 with 2 Hi-Caps, I now have a 52, and though it is better it does show me how good a serviced 82 is. My 52 has a bigger and slightly more focused soundstage. Also, regardless of what Naim pre-amplifier in your system a service from Naim or approved service agent will give you a whole new perspective on your music.
Slightly differing logo brightness is normal - there’s a tolerance and so if you have two items at opposite ends of the tolerance the difference can be noticeable.
A “wiggly” front fascia though on the NAC82 doesn’t sound normal. Perhaps @NeilS can give some insight and assistance here.
Rubber feet are all tight. Don`t know about the whole chassi, it just feels as the front where all the buttons are is a bit wiggly. If I press on the right hand side next to the last buttons to the right I can push the ”plate” in a few mm maybe just 1. Then, if I press the ”plate” on the right side of the balance knob the ”plate” pops out where I pushed it in before. Does that make any sense?
Edit: just tried pulling it out by pinching the aux-button and could pull it a few mm outwards. So the front facia/steel or aluminum plate that the buttons are attached to is actually loose. How can I fix that? I don`t want to send it away again. It was gone 2 month for service.
The front plate is bonded to an inner plate, right? Maybe it’s the bonding between these two plates that aged and got loose on some positions Or it’s a feature and you should focus on hitting the buttons instead
Ah so it’s 2 pieces glued together and the adhesive no longer works. I wish Naim would have noticed when they fixed the volume knob that was stuck and changed the pots.