I have a CDX2, NAC102, NAP180, Flatcap, Headline2 and SBL’s. I have had this equipment for about 25 years and after a long stint in the living room, my equipment gave way to Sonos and is now in the fairly large conservatory.
I am now 72 years old and only play the hifi system occasionally. The NAC102 no longer works and I have had some support from fellow members of the forum. It will have to go back to Naim via my dealer after the latest pandemic lockdown which will not be till the end of March. So I cannot play my system at all.
So with regard to my ‘Crossroad’ I am looking at:
Waiting till the pandemic lockdown is over in about 10 weeks in order to take the NAC102 to the dealer for them to send it back to Naim, who I have been speaking with.
In anticipation of a repair/service charge of maybe £300-£600, buy a secondhand NAC102 which comes with a NAPSC and a one year warranty for less than £600.
Buy a new Naim Nait XS2 for about £1300.
The reason for 3) is that I believe it would be versatile insofar I could use it as a pre-amp or as an integrated amp, as I might just scale down the equipment I have to a CD player, Integrated Amp and speakers, I could then sell whatever is left if I wanted to.
Whatever happens, I would like to replace the SBL’s. I believe they are just too big for the conservatory and I feel I lose a sense of direction with them. I did once have Proac Tablette’s but they were too small for the living room, but something like that might work in the conservatory.
The main thing that is driving me now is the fact that I am 72 and I no longer have the enthusiasm I once had. So the thought of a tidy looking integrated amp, a CD player and some inexpensive bookshelf speakers would tidy the room up and be more suited for my needs now.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Many thanks!
Graham
If you have the original box, you could post your 102 to the dealer. Hermes for example will collect from your house. Then in 10 weeks time, hopefully you will be ready to collect it repaired from your dealer.
Hi Graham,
If you decide to keep your separates system, it may not be only the 102 that needs a service. The PSU and power amp, if they are of the same age, and have never had a service, will really need a recap to sound as they should. You might just find that once done, this rekindles your interest, and then perhaps you will start to enjoy listening again.
If Naim cannot service the preamp any time soon, it might be worth asking Class A in Sheffield. They are a Naim authorised service agent, and will also do a good job. They are generally cheaper than Naim too, and can usually arrange carriage for you. Maybe worth a call to see how they are functioning during lockdown.
If all that sounds like too much trouble, perhaps you should sell the lot and buy a Nova, or even an Atom, and a small pair of speakers. This will give you the convenience of your Sonos system, but with some proper Naim sound quality. Perhaps you could even get the system back into the house rather than the conservatory then!?
Thanks Gadgetman. The Naim guy did make a point it should be sent to them via the dealer.
As a last resort, I ordered another Snaic in the vain hope the original one might be faulty, so I will know more in a week or so. If that fails, I will ask Naim if I can send it directly to them.
The guy there told me they were all working from home at the moment. I am not sure if that means the servicing side is presently closed, but I will find out when I call them.
Hi Graham. At 72 you are a mere youth! There seems to be a quite simple choice here. If you want to service the 102 you really need to get the other Naim boxes done too if they have not been done in the last 10 years. Darran at Class A in Sheffield is your man and he turns round equipment in days rather than weeks, is just as good as Naim, uses approved parts and is significantly cheaper. He can arrange the courier as has been said, so long as you have the original boxes.
That all said, what does your heart tell you? If it says get an integrated than that’s what you should do. I’ve recently reorganised my setup, partly because I was getting fed up with all the wires and sensitivity, and I bought a Supernait 3 and Tablette 10 Signature. It’s absolutely great and the speakers are extraordinarily good. They replaced Naim SL2s so they have had a tough act to follow.
Hi ChrisSU,
Thanks for the info. I will call Class A. That might be a better bet.
The Naim equipment moved to the conservatory a couple of years ago. It’s a long and painful story which started in 2005 about the living room which included channelling out concrete flooring, Cat5 cable with extenders over long distances, the arrival of better quality HDMI signals and several thousands of Pounds of costs. Seeing the last of the cabling removed was my wife’s finest hour!
Thanks for the Class A info Chris!
Have you tried removing your FlatCap, and plugging the 180 directly to the NAC102, as this may help in diagnostics?
Also as others have said, a service of all the kit would be a good idea, but you may not get your money back if you then sell them second hand. As a trade it, you should do better, but it would be good to get it working at least to some degree first
Hi Gadgetman,
Thanks for your suggestion. Yes I have tried both ways. The 102 was powered from the 180. Then It stopped working. I then powered it from the flatcap. The Naim Audio logo lit up but the switches still did not light up. Out of desperation, I then plugged in the ‘paddle’. The ‘Mono’ and ‘Mute’ buttons then lit up, but the switches did not react.
So I cannot play anything.
Thanks
Graham
When you say the paddle, do you mean the Black plug thing that goes across the NAPSC socket and the top output socket? As you dont have a NAPSC, that plug should be in place (on a separate note, at a later date a NAPSC would be a cheap upgrade to go for for ~£100)
In the circumstances I would speak to Darran at Class A. I don’t think he will have a fixed minimum charge like the Naim factory may. And he can arrange a courier to collect from you.
If you are set on sending to Naim, your dealer may be able to arrange courier collection for you from your home and delivery direct to the factory
