I currently have a CB snaps/32.5/250 and looking to upgrade to 82, and have a few questions
could I use the snaps and napsc to power an 82 in a temporary basis ?
Understand this is not ideal, but looking to source two similar hicaps or supercap and may take a while.
Is there are significant difference between Olive, hicap 2, hicap DR?
Is a super cap excessive?
Yes, you could do this. Being single-rail, just use the SNAPS as you would a NAP110/140/180 and keep the plugs in on the upgrade sockets.
Olive HICAPs had a change of Transformer around '93 from Holden & Fisher to, briefly, St.Ives, and then Nuvotem thereafter. If you want to run a pair of HICAPs then best have two with the same make of Tx. It’s also best to ensure they are in similar health, so servicing both together is recommended.
The HICAP2 arrived in the Classic black casework, the big change here coming with the DR upgrade where Naim’s specially selected monolithic LM317 regulators were replaced by their Discrete Regulator modules. Again, I would not mix the two types with a NAC82.
A Supercap is the best option and not at all excessive on a NAC82. It works in a similar way to a pair of HICAPs but with even better performance and avoids the slight fudge with the earthing that is necessary when running a pair of HICAPs (signal earth only runs through one HC).
Some of us found going from 1 Hicap to 2 a pretty small step. Going up to a Supercap was a bit bigger, but it was only worth it because it acted as a gateway to swapping the 82 for a 52. To me, that was the biggest change in SQ here, ahead of the power supply changes and even ahead of getting all my boxes serviced after over 15 years of service.
Others, perhaps with better or younger ears, think both changes are a bigger upgrade than I do.
I went down the above route on my main system, 1 HC then 2 then SC. When putting together a holiday home hifi, I used my old 82 and 250 and just one Hicap. For a system with a straight ND5XS2 source, that’s plenty good enough.
I am sure that Richard is right about Hicap differences, but I would suggest that whether a Hicap has been serviced in the last decade or so matters more than which version it is.
Absolutely. Plus your existing kit. Money well spent, something I have realised recently as I have become rather more organised servicing my various boxes of various ages!
Bruce
@Richard.Dane has given you the definitive answers on this.
I use an 82 with 2 (H&F) HiCaps and a CB era 250. It works very well.
I would also add that even with one olive HC, an 82 sounds lovely.
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.