During the middle part of this year I am hoping fulfil a long awaited dream of becoming an owner of an LP12 courtesy of a nice man in Leicestershire.
Now whilst that TT will initially become part of my existing set-up Hegel H95, Lehmann Black Cube, ATC SCM 7’s I would very much like to upgrade the amplifier set-up to be more Naim based.
I have trawled this forum for information and will continue to read up as much as possible in the forthcoming months as I have so much to learn but what I am after is help and guidance on what goes with what and what will make the whole kit gel together as best it can.
Now, what am I contemplating - A Pre/Power Combination (202/200 maybe), age post 2010 newer if possible and funds permitting.
Cables - This is the biggest minefield as far as my brain is concerned, so much to learn and understand I sometimes think my head is spinning.
Power Supplies - Apparently these improve sound but again how and what would be necessary is at this moment a mystery.
Oh and what’s all this about special speaker cables, do I really need or by keeping things fairly modern have I skirted this issue?
I haven’t set a budget but don’t have a huge pot to get the amplification kit from, the timeframe for this is open ended, the TT will come first then the move to the Naim amplification later in the year.
So this is very much a plea for help in getting my head around the Naim maze to avoid any number of faux pas when I get to making the purchases.
Thanks in advance for any help, tips, suggestions etc
That ‘nice man in Leicester’ will be able to set you up with a great system and explain the oddities of Naim pre/power amps.
Naim supply decent cables with their amps, so you don’t need to confuse yourself or empty your bank account to get yourself up and running.
Naim preamps have no built in power supply. With a 202/200 the preamp power supply is in the power amp. There are optional upgrade power supplies for it, but personally I would get yourself set up without them first, and upgrade later if you feel the urge.
For speaker cables, just use the Naim stuff and you will be on safe ground.
Thanks for the reply, so if I bought pre-loved from say ‘that nice man in Leicestershire’ or equivalent then the pre and power should come with cables to connect them up?
Can regular speaker cables not be used with Naim at all?
Are all pre-amps spec’s the same or do they vary unit to unit, just thinking about phono stages, whether internal or external if external can it be 3rd party. (I will be MM to start with)?
You can use other makers speaker cables but many find them sub-optimal and, some may not suit the amplifier, depending on which Naim (of which vintage) amp you choose.
Older amps may be unstable with some cables for example.
Your friendly man in Leicestershire should be able to guide and advise but, remember to trust your own ears!
Hi @Oxfordian
We run a 202/200 system for my wife’s setup (please see my profile for the config).
Though we do have a HiCap DR power supply with it, it sounds perfectly nice without.
We also run a vintage LP12 on that system and it all sounds really wonderful.
A 202/200 system with LP12 using a Stageline Phono Stage is a great setup.
I hope you get to where you want to go with the nice man from Leicester, he’s a really nice man😊
Understand the NAPSC, what I don’t understand is how you can power supply the digital and analog parts separately but I think that might be a subject for another day once I am settled with the new kit.
Supernait - did consider going this route or the XS3 but felt that the pre/power would give me more flexibility in the long term.
I have mentioned the 202/200 combo simply because it seems to be mentioned as a good match, I understand that there are other possibilities 282/250 (I think that one works).
I guess a lot depends on what else I want to include, I have a Audiolab 6000CDT to factor in as well, I maybe should have mentioned that in the original post.
At the time of writing I don’t stream so haven’t factored that in.
There are a variety of sockets on the back of a 202 (labelled either Link or Upgrade), most of which have blanking plugs fitted by default. By unplugging a blanking plug and plugging in a NAPSC, it separates the supples so the 200 powers the analogue side and the NAPSC does the digital.
If you already have a Lehmann phonostage ?, just stick to this, its mighty fine.
You could buy a Stageline later - I doubt its better than Black cube though, just different.
Much better upgrade to 202/200 is a Napsc and later Hicap, quite stunning upgrade in fact, but end up in four box amplication, five with phonostage .
If you’re using Peter Swain to buy an LP12, he is perfectly placed to advise you on the best choice of amplifier(s). The big question at this stage is whether you want to have a single box amp, or go for a separate preamp (control amp in Naim-speak) and power amp.
If you think that you may want to upgrade the equipment, a separate control amp and power amp will give you far more flexibility. As a general guide, put the greater part of your available funds towards the control amp than the power amp. You don’t want to end up with a mullet system!!!
I have been told on many occasions by a number of people (trade and non trade) that ultimately my H95 will become the blocker in any future upgrades, I’ve had it for just shy of 3 years and plan to move to media/home theatre duties.
Overall there is nothing really wrong with it other than I just simply fancy a change and my little grey cells keep taking me back to a shop visit a good few years back when I first heard a LP12 and Naim combination, damn that was good.
So why not a H190, it’s not a Naim, that’s it really, no other reason.
.