A lot of Reddit users suggested I should ask for advice from you guys as you are experience with Naim products.
Basically me and my wife gifted or son a Nap90, Nac72, linn sondek lp12 as little added extra for his 18 birthday. This setup came from a house clearance and from our knowledge the previous owner used this setup together. Initially we were going to sell the gear but seeing as our son was really into vinyl collecting it made more sense for him to enjoy it. Since then we picked up a pair of mission v62 speakers for him to use, just to get him going but at some point he will upgrade. I have also recently purchased a din 4 pin to 4pin cable as we were missing it originally.
Everything has been connected up properly as far as us and Reddit users can clarify but the setup is not outputting sound to the speakers? Both naim units light up, the dial is set to phono and the volume level is adjusted on the nac72. When you turn the Nap90 on you can hear the speakers emit a quick sharp bass tone but then nothing, no hiss at any volume level. The Sondek powers up and when you play a record you can quietly hear the sound of the music through the cartridge needle.
If I cannot get the units up and running together I will take it to a local hifi servicer but currently hope to solve the issue without doing this for now. Inevitably it will be serviced for peace of mind but I just want my son to experience it working after he has had to wait so long.
I really would gratefully appreciate any suggestions you all may have.
Check that you have phono cards installed. They are a removable item that may be missing.
You could check that the amp is working by taking a din to phone min jack cable and plugging it in to the aux input. Play music from the phone. Obviously set the amp volume to minimum and then slowly turn it up.
This needs to go to someone who knows Naim kit; either Naim themselves in Salisbury, or Class A in Sheffield (Darran will be less £ than the factory). Don’t take it anywhere else.
You’re looking for 322 (MM) or 323 (MC) phono cards as @bruss says.
As @robert_h says, Darran at Class A is pretty quick and cheaper than Naim but he’s a registered Naim servicing agent and uses Naim-supplied components.
I assume you don’t have another phono stage / phono preamp you can use to confirm that a signal is coming out of the LP12?
Ideally, the LP12 should go to a Linn dealership for a service as well. The mat has clearly shrunk quite a bit, so I’m guessing it’s been a while so will need a new belt and oil change (at minimum). Class A will also service old Valhalla PSUs using Linn-supplied components, assuming that’s what’s inside this one. The Valhalla takes full voltage all the time so the caps can age relatively quickly because most users don’t power off the deck at the wall. It’s a design that wouldn’t pass modern regs so best get it serviced. Caps will eventually bulge and leak and can cause a fire although this is unlikely, but it does occasionally happen. The Valhalla was introduced in 1982, so some units are over 40 years old. Provided it’s serviced, the Valhalla remains a very good motor controller and I still enjoy my Valhalla-powered LP12.
A cheaper option will be to replace the (assumed) Valhalla with a second hand Majik PSU which sell for about £100. This is a simpler design that won’t sound as good but the circuit board is enclosed in a protective metal case to meet current regs.
Welcome to the community, you have it all connected correctly, The search option is probably best here, many threads about the 72 + phono boards, even some pictures of what you could possibly be missing, It may be worth getting a cheap 5pin din to rca cable and trying something else if possible, you do have some nice kit and it would be good getting a service,
Although it won’t impact getting the amp up an running, it’s worth verifying that the cables you’re using to connect the amp to speakers are of the correct type and length. This is very important with older Naim amps and could avoid potential problems later on. Class A will be able to help if you are considering a service as suggested above.
Don’t let us lot on here distract you with improvements. There are a lot of things you can do on that path, but the first thing is to check that it works. Get a phone cable and try that first.
