Naim Chrome Bumper

Maybe, but I’d like to get just one done first.

Have lately been using the 42.5/110 combo in the workshop system and been drawn in by its charms - enough to warrant another run in the main rig, but this time with no-cap*. Ok so it doesn’t have the polished refinement and poise of the olive amps, but it really does have a magical ability to bring the music to life. I remarked lately that these little amps (provided they’re working properly) are certainly good enough for use in a very good primary system. All one might ever need or want in fact.

  • @Murmur will probably get why I’m finding that powering the pre from the 110 is not necessarily a compromise.

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Beautiful.

A few years ago I had a Snaps DR and Nac-12 SP with a bolt down Nap-250, which were factory dual rail from new. Casework was a bit tatty but sounded wonderful … Sold them on and never seen another since…

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Well Mr Tibbs i can certainly understand that! Now that my new Kudos Titan 606 have had a month of play i thought i’d give the Chrome bumper another go. My Nait1 has been re connected in place of the 272/250DR for the last 5 days and it sounds far better than it has any right to. In fact in terms of engagement it is better than the 272/250DR, and apart from not having the absolute control of the speakers at high volume, is not lacking in any department, and excels in many. CDS3/XPS2DR/Nait1.

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The Nait looks pretty good!
It difficult to play better music than the Nait1 and the Nait2!
:+1:

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Absolutely :grinning:

42.5/110 is one of my favs along with 12/BD160 and 32.5/CB160.

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Indeed Gary, better engagement is exactly what I’m hearing from the little CB amps and this time I’m starting to seriously consider just letting them stay put!

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Ye old CB HiCap (early red LED version with original Lambda reg’s) has been in situ for a couple of days and after initial minor reservations is definitely growing on me. I love the directness and vivid midrange clarity of the 42.5/110, but a little help with the lowest bass notes is welcome and that’s what the HiCap brings. The way things are sounding now I’m all set for a fully chromed 2021 :sunglasses:

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Mr Tibbs, in light of your latest soiree with CB gear, will your ‘special’ 102 ever come back into play?

What support is that Mr T?

Aren, the 102 will be going into the workshop system with another 110 I’ve got stashed away. I spend quite a bit of time out there since retiring a few months ago and I’ve always liked the 102/110 pairing into ES14s.

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Murmur, (slightly embarrassingly) it’s only an inexpensive nest of tables with some added shelves and rubber feet, hastily put together as a stop-gap until the room is redecorated (yet another retirement project looms).

They look good anyway.

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Currently only a temporary solution due to the new side board

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Is that a Micromega transport and DAC up to the left of the LP12 ?

Ooh, a Micromega Duo, I used the Trio for many years, such a great CD player. If it hadn’t finally died at the point where I couldn’t find anyone to repair it it’d still be sitting looking and sounding beautiful on the top of my rack. I wish I’d kept it as a piece of sculpture.

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Yes, it is a DUO CD3. transport and a DUO.Pro2. DAC

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That’s a pity. The Trio and Duo (unlike the lowly Logic I once owned) were really good players and looked great too - especially sat alongside some CB Naim. I would have kept it as a long term reverse engineering project where eventually it might play once more but with the guts ripped out and replaced by something that just happened to fit :blush: