Got my serviced gear back

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.

15 Likes

So you decided to keep it? :smiley::+1:

Sure did. It just had to be tested when serviced and I certainly don’t regret it.

2 Likes

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.

Any one else out there that feels the same?

3 Likes

In what way? :blush:

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.

1 Like

I have a fully serviced 82 with 2 serviced HiCaps…

No complaints here. I really think my (pre-loved) 82 is my best buy ever of Naim boxes.

1 Like

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.

1 Like

However I do wonder about 2 things I didn’t really notice at first.

  1. 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?

  2. 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?

  1. Variation in Naim logo brightness is 'normal. Not something that a service addresses - unless you asked for it to be looked at or changed… :slightly_smiling_face:

  2. No. That does not sound right. But I am not clear what you are describing… :thinking:

What Im trying to describe is the front plate where all the buttons are mounted. Its moving when I press on it or any of the buttons on it.

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.

1 Like

Yes the service made a noticable difference to the better

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.

1 Like

Looking at the pics of a 82 here it to me looks like the front corners are tightly secured on the inside and shouldn’t be possible to move?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/yurivv69/14460835707/in/photostream/

So beautiful inside and out :raised_hands:

Does sound a little odd!
Is it the whole chassis moving within the cover? Are all the rubber feet tight?

Regards
Neil.

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 :man_shrugging: Or it’s a feature and you should focus on hitting the buttons instead :wink:

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.

It was a best guess by looking at the picture. Naim knows of course :slight_smile: