Hi, am a total newbie to the Naim world, but recently acquired a Naim Preamp, Amp & what looks to be a separate phono pre, basically given to me to by someones father who had passed away.
An NAP 250 & NAC32 & the other unit (unmarked)… see photos.
I am hoping someone here can help me with the fact that the Preamp cards are not connected to the board internally (they have all fallen off due to the fact the clamping pins are pretty loose - design flaw or later issue?) Can you please tell me in what order they go back on, and should i be worried about the Frako caps (replace?) etc etc… Basically what should i do to get this thing back to a stage where i can test it with the amp and see if its working…
There is a sticker on the amplifier saying it was serviced in 2016 so i assume that component is in decent shape, but the other unmarked unit perplexes me as to its usage… and as noted in the photos the preamp is currently in bits…
The last bit first; It looks like some sort of scratch built power supply. It’s not a proper Naim unit by the look of it, possibly homemade, so beware. There are two DIN4s - one will presumably supply a single rail 24V DC supply to the NAC32, while the other will hopefully take signal from the NAC32/PSU to the NAP250. It’s a real unknown here so maybe best to open it up and take a look to see to be sure. If you aren’t 100% sure about these things then take it to an established Naim dealer who knows about these things and ask them to run a test on the PSU. It may not be safe, or may cause damage to the kit, so best to be safe here rather than sorry.
The Pre-amp looks to be an early NAC32. There looks to have been a mod done to the main board so I would echo the advice I gave above for the PSU. Get it checked over first by a proper authorised Naim tech (Naim, Class A, or some dealers such as Grahams, for example).
Sorry for my late response and all your advice… Have been busy and didnt have notifications enabled.
I am in Melbourne Australia so will take it to the NAIM folks at Audio Trends as i guess it needs that touch from the sounds of it…
Just before i take it there i was hoping again advice could be offered about any kind of recommended recapping it may need that i could mention to the Naim tech here?
I also got a NAIM CD player in the gifting which is pretty nice i must say…
The NAP250 would most likely be a cert for need of servicing, but as I say, it’s probably best for your dealer to see what’s what first and whether there are any dodgy mods that need undoing along the way.
So far as i can tell from the sticker ont he NAP250 it was serviced in 2016, so one would assume its ok… But the NAC32 in pieces is more of a concern, i cant believe how loosely the boards sit on the pins , they really dont clamp on at all, you literally only have to turn it upside down and they fall off, hence none of them being attached… ( I assume someone did that before i received it).
I showed the same pics i shared here to a friend of mine in electronics and all he said was, replace the Frako caps… anyway off to audio trends it all goes…
The pin connections on the daughter board can sometimes be fairly loose - as you say, if you shake it upside down they might fall out. Age and wear can loosen them off quite a bit. When new the lid would have had foam underneath to ensure the boards stay in place, but of course, this has mostly disintegrated by now.
The ‘daughter’ boards in 32’s, 42’s, 62’s and 72’s all fit on gold plated pins - and could fall out if the mother board was inverted. Normally, the outer case holds them in position - they cannot escape…!!
