Nac72 vs nac102

Especially for the 102. The 72 can be forgiving, but the 102 less so.

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(Not in the least relevant … I saw that Cask No.3 of your stuff has just sold for £16M … now that would be quite a dram).

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I owned a 102 - which replaced a 72 (which was sold). I never felt the 102 was ‘right’ - for me. In the end I bought a 72 again, partly as a sanity check - and confirmed how different they were - IMO. Then I got an 82 (and kept the 72 & sold the 102) - problem resolved.

I still have the 82 - which I rate as my Best Ever Naim purchase (although my 250 runs it close). The 72 is my reserve or back up. Both are fabulous…

Back to the question… Well… tricky. If you must have remote control, only the 102 (or 82…) will give you that… Otherwise, I would vote for the 72.

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My take on this:

Buy whatever comes up for sale in your area and decide for yourself. If you don’t like it, wait for the other to come up for sale in your area. You’ll lose little to nothing when selling, and you’ll know for sure which you prefer.
Just bear in mind that many people report very different experiences with different examples of the 72, possibly down to difference at the build stage. That’s why you need to hear one for yourself.

Or… hold back, save, buy an 82.

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102 gets less praise than it deserves on here - it’s a fine performer as it comes, is upgradeable with NAPSC for the digital circuits, plus the usual hierarchy of preamp PSU’s - and has remote facility. 82 is much better, but will cost much more.

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With a nap110.

Buy a 72, and put it near the armchair at arms reach :smile: :ok_hand:

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I had a 72, hicap, 180 combo for years. It sounded great but I decided to try a 102 as I really wanted a remote. I bought a 102 and tried it for a few months but never really found it as engaging as the 72. I then put the 72 back and the difference immediately from cold was both obvious and clearly far better to my ears. I kept the 102 and tried it another couple of times but the 72 was just so much better that I decided remote wasn’t so important after all.

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I have a 102 with 180 amp and also NAPSC and Hi Cap. I upgraded years ago from a 72 which was a lovely amp but I wanted remote and at that time more inputs. People say the 102 is too forward but with the NAPSc and Hi Cap it is a great pre amp. I had them all serviced by Darren at Class A last year and they came back sounding wonderful. Like someone said above, 102’s are not too expensive to buy so you can always get your money back as long as you shop around and don’t overpay. 72 / 140 is a classic combination, the 102 box size matches the 180 visually and I think makes a good combination. Just remember, your source, speakers and especially room will alo have a big effect on the sound so a 102 may be good for some and not others, and there is also your own preference for the sound you like from your music and system. I hanker for an 82 and hope to scratch that itch some time in the future when funds allow, but then you get into the debate of 1 or 2 Hi Caps or Supercap, thats then getting very expensive so how much better an 82 is over a 102 with just 1 Hi Cap is another question.

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Some even prefer 72 to 82.
Personally I never really got used to 82.

I stupidly sold my late 72 before prices went mad, not like early Naits but pretty close.
An investment if you can find a good one.

I believe 102s are now lower priced than mint 72s.

32.5 is another option, pretty much the basic for 72, not the most elegant looks.

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With NA329/729 boards onboard the NAC32.5 is essentially a NAC72, albeit with one big advantage, especially if you play vinyl - a Mono switch!

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Its brilliant and well worth it, that was my route

Yup, I wanted to get on with the 102 b/c of the remote but the 72 was hands down better. Every time we tried. I never really understood why given the Naim hierarchy. I recall the marketing for the 72 indicating it was built from the tech in the 52 but don’t know how that translates to the SQ.

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I am using NAIM NAC32.5 alongwith NAP140 since 1989. I recently got recap of both the preamp and power amp and add A5 speakers. My speakers are old KEFC80, NAD BEE326 cd player link to MSB LINK DAC3. I really happy with the improved sound after servicing. I would love to add HICAP, but very difficult to find in India. Even the Naim dealer AK INTERNATIONAL dont sell them.

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Blimey

Some say 102 better than 72
Some say 72 better than 102

So which one is ?

Maybe @Richard.Dane can share his view ?

Ali, this is something that has long been argued. The NAC72 is a lovely sounding pre-amp. The NAC102 brings some advantages (RC is nice), particularly when used with a NAPSC, and is more resolving at frequency extremes. It’s hard to go wrong with either, but in the right system I’d probably favour a NAC72, as much for its looks as anything else.

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Agreed - NAC72 (shown here with a NAC 92)

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The Nac 72 is a well designed preamp with the advantage of 729 input buffers. It does not have remote control circuitry, which is also why it plays good analogue sound. I also had for years a nac 82 and then a nac 52; I finally came back to the nac 72 which I never tire of, powered by Supercap DR.

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NAC 72 also does not have the ability to be powered by NAPSC which takes care of the logic circuits?

I haven’t heard a NAC 72 though, but not having a remote control is a real downside for me personally.

Yep. The only ‘control circuitry’ in a 72 is the time delayed mute relay which runs off one of the rails.

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