K Boards

Is it possible to use non Linn Cartridge into K boards with a 52 pre. I have a Koetsu?

Yes, the Naim 523 ā€˜Kā€™ boards are very similar to the 523 ā€˜Sā€™ boards, which are the ā€˜normalā€™ Moving Coil 5 series phono input boards.

I think the Kā€™s just have a slight tweak to the HF end, to suit the earlier Linn MC carts (Karma, etc - hence ā€˜Kā€™)ā€¦?

As Ian said K are a bit brighter.

So, if your system is not on the bright side of neutral, they should be OK.

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K boards have slightly different load (560ohms) but the main difference is that they are rolled off more gently and at a higher HF band, so make sure you only pair with a cart thatā€™s well behaved at high frequencies beyond 20kHz.

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Why not just convert the K cards to S specification ? Most dealers should be able to do thisā€¦

@Richard.Dane,

I have S in my 82 which I no longer use for vinyl and I believe I have K in my 52. I have a Dynavector cartridge.

Is it easy to confirm by opening up the case? And is it a DIY job to swap cards from 82 to 52? If it is as easy as say changing RAM in a PC then I am fine, but not anything more.

I can tell you that fitting Phono Boards to an 82 is a bit of a faff - IMO (I swapped mine out of a 102). I recall they were difficult to get to fully locate, into the PCB ā€¦? Seemed to need a bit of force - which was worrying . But - they went in & are still workingā€¦!!

Cannot comment on removal from an 82 or fitting to a 52.

Yes, easy to tell S from K - K boards often have a little K sticker on them, but even if not (may have fallen off), look for the 560 ohm resistor for K, and 470 ohm resistor for S. Removal should be fairly straight forward. Pinch the little retaining tab to release each card and then pull away from the connection pins. Then do the reverse to fit.

I would suggest wearing an ESD strap at the very least as the display board is vulnerable.

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Thanks Ian and Richard.

I will take a look when I can get to my main system. Unfortunately itā€™s in a Covid-free town in Tier 3 Warwickshire, so I will have to be patient.

On the main subject of the thread, it sounds great through the 52, even if S boards are theoretically a better match.

Nothing wrong with Warwickshireā€¦ :grinning:

Thanks Rochard, Thanks everybody. I think I will change to S Board.
.

I think I have read, somewhere on here, that is it possible to have boards converted between K & S and visa versaā€¦? Check with your favoured Naim dealer perhapsā€¦?

Yes, itā€™s a fairly straightforward conversion involving just a few components. Some dealers can do it, otherwise look to Darran at Class A or the Naim service dept.

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Thanks for all your input on this. Richard, your support and back.up means that my aging monoblocs still deliver in spades with bags of detail and so musical.

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Have a look at the resistor circled

Yellow Purple Brown Gold = ā€œSā€ card
Green Blue Brown Gold = ā€œKā€ card

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