I want to try an early Nait1 or 2 with my Klipsch Heresy II speakers. I believe there is a good restorer in Portland Oregon (US) but I could use some help with specifications and cables.
This system will be a computer, DAC, amplifier and the Hersey’s. Simple and I’ve happily owned the speakers for 31 years.
Chris West at AV Options would probably be your best bet and would certainly be my first call.
That sounds like fun - I’m not sure what you are thinking about for the DAC but i can recommend the Chord Qutest which is an excellent match with the Nait 1. The other bonus with the Qutest is that you can set the output level with a few button presses to get some good usable range on the volume control. Better than having to use attenuated interconnects.
Post some pics when you get the system together 
Chord Qutest is on the list. It is quiet enough. The question is always will it play my nine reference albums and three reference recordings?
I think AV Options is in the Pearl District in Portland Oregon. I’ll be up there next week trying to figure out how to stay warm when the 80 degrees F (27 C) is pretty cold for me.
Chris has a stellar reputation, but every time I considered servicing with AVOptions I’ve been taken aback by the prices. For example, a Nait 1 rebuild is listed at $1,195. Unfortunately Class A no longer has service prices on the website, but I’d be very surprised if it was anywhere near that.
Having had the 1 and the 2 I would definitely go with the 2. I had AV Options do my Nait 2. Yeah it cost real money but that amp is more than capable of delivering the goods when properly restored. Having had gear worked on by a variety of places I can say you get what you pay for. Getting the oil changed on a vintage 911 is not the same thing as having the car restored to factory new condition.
Fwiw I have found the Chord Mojo and Qutest to be good partners with the Nait 2.
For cables I would get NAC A5 or AV Options Twisted 56. The Naim speaker plugs that connect to the amp won’t fit unless you saw off the pairs of tabs that mark the inward facing sides of the plugs because the jacks on the Nait 2 are narrower than “normal” Naim amps.
I would get a straight forward DIN to RCA Chord cable to connect a DAC to the amp.
Class A service it to Naim standards - they are a factory authorized service center just like AVOptions, hence my comparison. I’m not comparing them to unauthorized third parties, but rather to their peers across the pond.
What about all the issues shipping to the UK and power?
I believe that AV Options go further than just a standard service, effectively doing something close to a rebuild. They also can go further than that, but then that falls outside the factory standard.
Having said that, my own NAIT 2 was effectively rebuilt by the factory as it needed more than just a regular service. But that was to factory standard, the end result being as close to a new NAIT 2 as possible.
Another option Stateside is to have a NAIT serviced by the distributor.
Not suggesting you send it to the UK for it, I just meant they seem expensive in comparison.
Richard, my understanding was that Naim provided the parts for servicing to the third parties; I didn’t think they could choose to go further as part of a regular service without advertising it as such.
Not talking about the AVO ultimate tweaks, but just the “regular” rebuild as they call it: do they do more than everyone else? And if so, why? Sounds like someone wouldn’t be doing what the factory expects in any case, no?
Sorry for quoting you again, but I just wanted to check something before posting. I pulled up the Class A service receipt I had for my old NAC 72, which I no longer own. Granted, it was done in 2015, so maybe prices have more than doubled since (I doubt it).
This is what a cursory comparison indicates:
It doesn’t sound like it is any more involved considering the parts count, and I’m open to being proved wrong, but it does seem to me like it’s just a matter of pricing.
Another one - POTS-8 upgrade for a 52 (which I don’t think one can “go further” in what is included in this):
I am lucky enough that all olive pieces I own were bought serviced from the UK either at Class A or the factory, but I do not look forward to when I have to eventually service them here in the US.
Ricsimas, sorry, I was referring to the AV Options referring to their servicing as “rebuild-restoration”.
According to AV Options site, all parts are supplied from Naim. Beyond that, you’ll have to ask Chris West.
The factory goes beyond just a standard service too, when required. My own NAIT 2 being just one example, which needed many extra new parts including new output devices.
As for pricing, again, best addressed by Chris at AV Options.
Richard, to be clear, I think Chris should be free to set their pricing and brand it as they like it.
However, I don’t think it’s a good thing for Naim customers to be in doubt as to whether a “regular” factory-authorized service is the same anywhere they go in the network or not.
I’ll try and find out I’m headed to Portland as I write this. Curious because my office system has one in unmodified item the DAC. I expect them to do more if needed or if their experience shows a change is better.
I currenty use a Bryston BDA-1 wth my Nait 5i-2. All sounds very open and nicely layered. Naim I have found to work very well with other types of good quality components.
You may want to explore the upgrades that they do in that case - they have an option to take it beyond just straight up restoration to factory standards. I haven’t heard one, but a friend whose opinion I value a lot was very impressed by what they did to a 72.
Blimey! That’s a warm Spring / Summer day here in the UK!
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