I’ve recently upgraded my amp from a Nait 3 to a Nac 72/ Nap 140 combo. The 140 I have just had serviced by Class A…great job. The 72 hasnt been serviced.
The general feeling is that the upgrade in SQ is considerable, deeper sound stage, lower, more controlled bass, just generally more of of everything.
The only down side is piano. when listening to solo piano performances, there is a kind of soft haze enveloping the the note. Its the sort of thing that when you’ve noticed it, it gets in the way of your enjoyment.
My questions are,
Is this down to the 72 needing a service?
Do I need to let the system warm up for longer?..its been a week (The new caps in the 140)
Could this be interconnect related?
It’s going to be difficult to be certain until you have made the problem go away but it sounds like you are looking in the right area. I assume this didn’t happen with the Nait 3?
If the 72 hasn’t been serviced since new it will always be a good move to get one done and it shouldn’t be too expensive. From the limited description this would be my first choice. If the 72 has had a service in the last 10 years this is less likely.
You are also right that the 140 will need longer to run in so it might also be a good idea to wait for it all to settle down and see what you think.
If it’s a real problem and you can get it into a Naim dealer they can listen for anything that’s wrong and after this you are into the murky world of interconnects and racks etc.
Also, could the stylus etc on the tt be a new problem?
Work through a list and you’ll hopefully find the problem, I think you are right to expect piano to improve over the Nait 3 and it’s hopefully something simple.
If you get to the bottom of it let’s us all know so we can learn something.
Piano on my current 32.5 and former 72 (both restored) was tremendous, notably with solo recordings by Horowitz. Great attack and definition. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if a service for your 72 would address the issue, but of course other problems can’t be ruled out.
As Darran says, after its service give the 140 time.
If in a month you still hear the same, why not give him a call (he’s Class A in Sheffield) and get the 72 sorted.
He ‘fettled’ my 72 about 4 years ago, and it came back sounding wonderful
