Heatshrink is very easy to use as long as you choose the right size and it will fit over the RCA plugs. Just cut it to length with scissors and heat it with a hairdryer or hot air gun until it shrinks to fit around the cable.
I thought it might be beyond me but, looking online, you can get heat shrink sleeving with a 4:1 shrink ratio so it should be possible to get some that goes over the RCA connectors. Also didn’t realise that a hair dryer might be good enough.
I might buy some and do a ‘dry run’ on some old mains cable as an experiment.
You can use pretty much any heat source, including a naked flame if you’re careful.
I had the same happen and came to the same conclusion although I was probably comparing to a grey SNAIC.
What you suggest may not work how you expect - on my Nait 1 when tape is selected as the source (input) there is no signal on the tape output pins of the DIN.
I found this out when trying to do similar with a headphone amplifier.
The output will of course work with phono or tuner as the source.
This is probably by design to prevent a feedback loop if a tape deck was connected and in record/monitor mode when you select tape.
Another thing to watch for on the early versions is that left and right on the tuner DIN input are swapped. Design oversight I believe!
Hi Richard! Thanks for your input!
Interesting! Up until now I hadn’t tested the tape input and output simultaneously because due to the limitations of the cable (outlined above) I couldn’t get my source (CD player) and output (headphone amp) close enough together to do that. But I’ve just tested it using a streamer which I am able to position quite close to the headphone amp. You’re absolutely right! I don’t get any output on the headphone amp. But I do if I play the turntable and select phono input.
In some ways that solves a problem for me. I no longer need to think about modifying the cable I’ve got because from now on the tape DIN socket will solely be used to drive my headphone amp. Indeed, if I’d known this before I would have looked for a 5 pin DIN to 2 x RCA connector (i.e. something that would just drive my tape output) if there is such an animal.
I now need to think about the best way to multiplex 2 or more line level inputs into my tuner input (e.g. CD and streamer). I’m sure there must be a lot of Nait 1 users out there who have had to solve similar problems (given the limited number of line level inputs to the Nait 1 and the array of input devices available these days). Maybe there are some decent devices out there that can be used to select between RCA inputs or maybe I’ll just use flying leads on the tuner input and switch sources manually. Any suggestions welcome!
Thanks again!
1 Like
Look for a beresford tc 7240 or a similar device.
The advantage of buying a din > 4 phono is you are guaranteed to be able to use it for record/out. A din > 2 phono could be either play or record, most likely is play unless it is specifically stated it’s an output interconnect.
You need to thank @robert_h for the additional advice on cables but I would had also said the same.
Unfortunately the trend for directional cables has led to the rca-din and din-rca nomenclature but that doesn’t necessarily reflect the actual wiring configuration. In the past I’ve modified cables to the pinout I require but realise that’s not for everyone.
I used to own one of those Realistic switch boxes and don’t recall it being detrimental to the signals passing through it. One way to find out of course.
Hi robert_h. Thanks for your
good advice, particularly about the Beresford - I’ll look out for one. Actually the guy who gave me the Nait 1 also gave me a device made by Realistic (see photos). He probably bought it in the mid 80s when he bought the amp. I just thought it didn’t look particularly good quality so I haven’t tried it - maybe I should?
Thanks also for your point about taking care whether one is buying an input or an output cable. I thought the convention “phono to din” and “din to phono” indicated input/output. However that goes out the window when there are 4 phonos and, anyway, most of the sellers on eBay don’t adhere to that convention.
Thanks for pointing out that I had thanked the wrong person. I think I’ve fixed that now.
Yes the whole world of din<>RCA is new to me and quite difficult to understand at first.
I don’t know why I thought the Realistic unit might not be any good. I’ll give it a try!
I have made enquiries with Naim about the age of the Nait 1 I inherited and I was told it was manufactured in 1984. I have also made enquiries with Naim about having it serviced. They have given me a price for the work which includes “replacing all of the electrolytic and tantalum-based capacitors in the unit”. I am not an electronics engineer so could someone please explain to me what the benefits of such an upgrade would be in terms of my listening experience?
Having been very good advice from this forum about suitable input interconnects my Nait 1 is now running well using the phono and tuner inputs and the tape input/output.
As I mentioned before the Nait 1 was given to me and I have since found out that it is 1984 vintage. So now I want to switch my attention to the speaker outputs and in particular the banana plugs. (I know there is a separate topic about banana plugs on this forum but that has now been closed).
The banana plugs that were given to me with the unit were Profigold. Their look and name suggests that the actual contacts are gold plated. However I think I read somewhere else in this forum that nickel plated banana plugs might be better (as the amp inputs are nickel too). So I have 2 questions:
- Are the speaker inputs on the Nait 1 nickel or gold?
- Can anyone recommend suitable banana plugs for an upgrade?
The only speaker plugs that should be used on a NAIT are the NAIM SA8s. These will better help to prevent the sockets getting dry solder joints from stress. There are tab-less versions for use on the NAITs the CH1 & CH2 sockets are a bit too close together and the tabs can foul each other) but its easy to cut off the “POS” tabs if you can’t get the tab-less types.
Also ask Darran at Class A in Sheffield.
1 Like
Darran @Class A is an appointed Naim service agent. The cost will be less and the turnaround much quicker. Many happy patrons here.
Price is about £200 for a full service but phone to check.
Over time capacitors age and can leak or not work at their peak performance. This will affect the electrical signal and hence the music you hear. As you have not heard the Nait ‘new’ you will not know if the sound has changed.
It is fairly easy to see if the Nait has ever been serviced by inverting it and unscrewing the 4 feet. This can usually be done with just your fingers rather than a screwdriver. Carefully turn it right way up holding the front and rear of the unit. Putting pressure on the front and rear fascia (do not hold by any knobs/selector switches) gently slide the front fascia forward until the ‘sledge’ clears the case. It is important to not catch the plastic fascia plate which is quite brittle. I have done this many times and not had an issue. Take a photo of the inside and someone will let you know if it has ever been serviced. It can seem quite daunting but it is fairly easy to do. Be very careful when replacing to not catch the fascia edge on the lip of the case in the final stage of fitting the sledge back in.
1 Like
The shoebox Naits are not as dependent on NACA speaker cable as the separates (pre/power combos) as you might be lead to believe. I have been using Tellurium Q with the supplied banana plugs for years and they work fine.
Thanks for the ‘heads up’ about the SA8s! It looks like they are still available although I haven’t come across any tab-less ones yet. It’s not something I’ve ever come across before but I can see why they are a good idea.
I will contact Class A to get a price. Thanks for the tip on how to tell if the Nait has previously been serviced but I’m certain that it hasn’t. I know the chap who bought it new in 1984 who had it for a few years before passing it on to his father. He assures me that neither of them had it serviced.
The tabs can be easily trimmed off with a sharp knife.
1 Like
Thanks to everyone for their input so far. Having established that SA8s are probably the best way to go and that they will need soldering, I ought to give some thought to new speaker cable. The cable that came with the amp probably dates from 1984 as well and I think was probably the best that my friend could afford at the time.
I came across some NACA cable for sale but it looks way out of my league price wise. The Tellurium Q looks more affordable. Are there any other brands out there that people could recommend and what ‘guage’ of cable should I be looking for?