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Interesting comment. I am soon to get my never-serviced 140 looked at - and was wondering about the 72 I also have. Think I will get the 140 done, and then stick at that, for a while… :slight_smile:

Or look out for a serviced 72 and have a shootout that way…

Err, no. My funds are limited and will be allocated to servicing and maintaining what I currently have, thank you.

Hi!
Thank you. The speakers is Neat Iota Alpha. They have a very nice band-tweetet. Transparent and tactile. Recommended!
F

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Fair enough - just an idea. Tbh, I didn’t realise the 72 was so much more than 32.5/42.5 until I looked afterwards. Easily twice the cost.

I do own a 72 - c.1995, a later model with the CD DIN input, rather than the 2nd set of BNC’s. AFAIK, its un-serviced - but it works (or it did last time it was tried…)…

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Very interesting observation!

My 42.5 has been serviced once (about 10 years ago) and sounds really cohesive and punchy, with a nice open and expressive midrange that conveys the music in a very direct and enjoyable way. I know it could probably use another service, but am almost certain it wouldn’t bring anything extra to how much enjoyment that might add. Perhaps a little better bass tunefulness and a slightly cleaner, more extended top end.
The thing is, I’ve recently dropped my 102 back in place of the 42.5 and it does those extra things, and does them better than any of the older preamps I’ve ever heard. The difference is immediately heard and is impressive In a way that can’t easily be written off as unnecessary ‘HiFi’.
I now think the older preamps pull off a certain kind of trick, that because their bandwidth is more limited, somehow focuses the attention more directly on the bit that conveys the most important part of the music.
Servicing can restore a certain amount of the lost frequency extremes and perhaps might therefore spoil the enhanced midrange ‘trick’ to a certain extent.

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Surely that effect in sound will vary dependend on various factors from a technical perspective. As said earlier I´ve found freshly serviced boards that were populated with a bunch of varying components that all will affect the sound, pointing at the fact that it matters who serviced what board at what time and what components were used/ available/ preferred back than.

You might face different effects with aging of caps used in power rails and those used directly in signal path either. Those in signal path originally are bipolar types lasting even longer than those polarized in power rail. But one might also argue that older types like the ROE EBU biploars might last a bit longer than modern Sic-Safco Pormisic types. Furthermore they will sound differently; firstly in general and secondly depending on the orientation / direction in which they are installed.

When it comes to caps in power rail you´ll recognize aging with limitations in imagery and in depth of the reproduced picture of the stage up to a slightly increasing hum in the background (when they are reaching their end). Aging caps in signal path will show a different frequency behaviour (caps will always shift phase dependend on frequency; that´s what makes caps from different make, material and manufacturer sound differently). Therefore you´ll most probably recognize limitations at the frequencies ends (bass and treble) when bipolar electrolytics sitting in signal path are starting to age.

Tantalum caps from different manufacturers sound differently also and of course also have a variying lifespan. Early boards seems to have been populated with Panasonic EP tantalums (red), best modern substitues for my knowledge and my sound preferences seems to be AVX TAP series (yellow) but you´ll also find boards populated with other brands (blue) or at least Nichicon Muse ES bipolars (shiny light green). Aging tantalum caps tend to produce a dull, lifeless and smeared sound.

Finally, it is of course also decisive how often and intensively your ccomponent is used, whereby regular use actually delays aging and any longer period of non-use accelerates it.

In addition continuous sucking on the power line without playing music is also somewhat less harmfull to the durability of caps in the power rail than switching your component regularilly on and off.

Looking at technical specification of those caps your boards will be populated with in service will last about 2000h at 105°C in minimum - just have a look at those modern low ESR types like Nichicon KX or KZ specifications. At 40°C they last even longer than tripple the time. Older types deal with quite similar duration times.

Conversely, one can technically assume that if you enjoy music for about 2 hours daily you´ll be recognizing first limitations in sound sometime after 8 years or over. Before that, I’d be more likely to believe that you could hear a flea cough or the rumbling stomach of dust mites with your bare ear.

Searched for a 250 cb and couldn’t find one. so bought a 90 cb to fill the shelf spce. Two days later a 250 cb with a service history turned up!!

So now I have the first arrival

I will have a 90 Cb available in a few days when it turns up. LOL.

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General question? The 250 has no paperwork but is stated to have been serviced at Naim in 2012. Is this something I can check with Naim. Any particular person or email addy to try and contact? Thanks

I don’t think their records go back that far but won’t hurt to ask anyway.

Just email support@naimaudio.com

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Hi bruss,
try @NeilS for a steer to the right people at Naim to find out the factory service history.
You may need to go via email rather than this forum though.

Best regards, BF

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Just phone Naim and give them the serial number, they should be able to tell you about any work they have done on it.

First impressions.
From a Nait 2 feeding the Kans as the comparison.
The bass is little changed surprisingly. The top end though is completely different. It has opened up and separated the individual sounds. I can now hear a snare drum and a cymbal, not just a background mix of both. It may even be too distinctive for my taste. It’s almost intrusive. I need to tune my ears in to the new sound.

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Classic. Nicely done.

Mine is not CB but Olive - same set up though (62/HiCap/140) and it’s sounds magnificent :+1:

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Amazing post !!!

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Confirmed by Salisbury. 250 cb serviced 2012. Thanks Ash.

Dilemma now is do I wait for 2022 and service the lot, 32.5/hicap/250, do I have the 32.5/hicap serviced now, or do I go a bit ott and service everything now.

Do the 32.5/hicap now. Why deprive yourself the benefit for two years. When you hear the improvement you’ll be glad you did.

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If the 32.5/hi has never been serviced then agree with snarfy get that done now. Nice amps esp with Kans.

Must have misread your original post as 2002 instead of 2012. Naim had no record that my 160 was serviced iin 2003 but I have the paperwork.

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