Naim Chrome Bumper

I have a chrome-bumper NAC32.5, powered by a similar vintage HiCAP, into a NAP180. Source is a CDS Mk 1 and much more frequently these days, an Auralic Aries streamer with a great Australian Gieseler budget Klein III USB DAC.

The Naim gear was resurrected from storage a few months back after my other pre-amp developed a fault, The messy setup is a result of that pre-amp fault and the lack of decent equipment supports and larger speakers purely down to negative WAF.

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My old setup 42.5+110
9886e3ee370988e93688c2ea5e0fe67f
now sold :cry:

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Mine since 1990

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A later NAIT that I bought secondhand locally.

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I think this NAIT has much better looking volume control knob than the earlier ones: the softer contours and and easier to grip…

(Also matches the “grown up” models…
though possible not mattering as the NAIT is usually on its own…)

Are these still available from Naim HQ?

Unfortunately, last time I enquired some years ago (I was looking for a replacement knob for one of my NAC32.5s) this style of knob was all gone. Unless a lost box of replacement knobs has suddenly been unearthed - it does happen from time to time - then I wouldn’t hold out much hope in getting a replacement, unless one happens to pop up on everybody’s favourite auction site.

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Looks like the perfect project for an enterprising person with access to a 3D printer…

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Thank you…

My service guy had the lid put on backwards. It made it black. Better than painting, but I asked him to put it on the right way obviously.

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Why do some have green or red lights? are the green earlier cb’s or later?

Green came in the final couple of years of the Chrome Bumper kit. However, many have been changed one way or the other in order to match up with other kit.

The big power amps though always had green illuminated power switches.

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Date of unit manufacture??..

As shown:

NAP 140 1988 Left top NAP 62 1988 Right top
HICAP 1987 Left bottom NAT 02 1989 Right bottom

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What’s the one on the right? It looks like one that is for sale near where I live for around £170, advertised as a Naim pre-amp with no cables, it is stamped on the back as assembled in New Zealand by Avalon Radio Corp. Also in my town is a mint CB NAP250 for about £900 with original box, cables, interconnect etc. Would they work together?

No idea on service history.

If it’s an Avalon unit then it’s a NAC225, assembled in NZ by Avalon Acoustics using (NAC22) circuitry from the UK and other parts sourced locally. An interesting unit, but it pays to be a bit wary as Avalon tended to do their own thing and whenever JV was in NZ much time was spent trying to undo the worst of it. IIRC Chris Murphy has sorted out many units, so probably best run it past him to see whether he has ever seen the unit.

A NAC225 will work just fine with a NAP250, however, note that the NAP250 does not have a pre-amp supply inside so you’ll need a dedicated supply such as a SNAPS for the NAC225.

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Hi Richard - Do you have anymore history on the Avalon Acoustics made units. What was the reason behind these units being assembled in NZ in this way ?

James

James, IIRC it was mainly down to punitive import duties at the time; if there was a certain amount of local input then that could be reduced. There’s still some hang over from those days, with different duties charged on amplifiers compared to power supplies. Chris Murphy could tell more here.

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This may help from JV himself over 20 years ago…

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Ah ok - makes sense. Thanks both, that’s interesting info.

James

Vindicated indeed. Walked into my dealer’s this afternoon and I was handed this…

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Brilliant. Do you know whether it still works Ok?