Naim Olive

Just back from full service…
My new best friends NAC72 - HC - NAP140

  • Long list of components replaced - mostly caps - in all three units
  • Swopped BNC for RCA phono on the rear of the NAC72.
  • NA328 cards removed and replaced with link wires.
  • Added in NA323/5 phono cards - later version 5 - (which have also been serviced), to see how these sound too.
  • Replacement box for NAP140, ( as original is lost)

Looking forward to another bumper holiday weekend full of music. Although, I suspect their best performance might be a week or so away, once everything new inside has settled.

Project Olive continues…

My thanks to @Aren @Thegreatroberto @IanRobertM @Richard.Dane @GeoffC @bruss @Graeme and everyone else for kinds words, advice and support so far.

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Sounds like you had the full works done!
And whole load of old bits replaced. Switch then on and leave on. I only turn my 72/hc/140 off very occasionally.
Who did the work?

“Uncle” Darren :blush:

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Picked up these little gems in the past month for Project Olive.
Pair of NA323/5 K phono cards.

Nice to see them in the original box and packaging.

This pair of phono cards has also been “serviced”, which is just a handful of components, as can be seen.

As well as later v.5, which I was interested to experiment and see if they are any different, maybe better, compared to the exisiting cards (v.3), also now have the option of running two turntables into the NAC72.

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Hi @ratrat glad to see your kit has arrived back from service. I look forward to a set up picture!

The ‘Typographer’ part of my brain has noticed that the NA logo symbol on the phono card box matches the one on the black cover manual you posted up thread. It is in ‘outline’ as used on the chrome era manual, rather than the later ‘negative’ version so I wonder what the age of the box and cards are?

Interesting question…
Does anyone know when NA323/5 K (v.5) started in production?

For my part, I’ve been curious for a while on production dates for the different versions 3 / 4 / 5 etc…

Maybe @Richard.Dane might help here

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I am going crazy to find a nac72 to complete my olive system with the nap140 and the CDX :exploding_head: :exploding_head: :exploding_head: :exploding_head:

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I know that /5 was the last version of the NA323 boards. And /4 was the last version of the NA322 boards. What I don’t know is the date of when they were first introduced.

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Have patience. Keep an eye out on all the usual places and with the dealers who specialise in 2nd hand Naim kit. The right one will crop up soon, I’m sure.

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Oh… no need to thank me… :blush:

Enjoy…!! I have just - yesterday - had my Olive HiCap (aka HC No.2) serviced at ClassA ( @Darran ). So… I now have - at last - a pair (ish…) of recently serviced HiCaps running my 82…!!!

Enjoy your 72/140. I am enjoying my 82/140… :grin:

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Good ones are a bugger to find. And you’ll not see my spare, spare 72 for sale!
Strangely my second, but 1992 era 72 has a much tighter volume pot than my first, later 1998 era one. Only obvious when one is used after the other.
Both serviced, one with links replaced, the other with 322/mm cards in. Both have RCA rather than BNC inputs. And both are different colours. Boxed, manuals, link plug, snaic 5 and mains lead with crabtree plug.
IMO best to get a VG or mint one that has not been serviced and then send to Class A.

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My 72 was bought used, on eBay, in 2009. Its the 2nd one I have owned. The first was an earlier ‘2 Phono’ input type, which had K & V boards. The V boards did a good job at matching CD volume to Phono - ish. But I believe wisdom suggests they are/wree a bit too ‘filtered’ - to try to tame earlier CD players…? Anywho, that one got traded in for a 102… (which I hated… but that another story…)

My current one is a CD DIN input later version, bought as a ‘spare’ and just … because. It wasn’t boxed, had no Link Plug but came with both N & K boards. I decided to give it a new home… It still awaits servicing, but would likely go to Class A, if/when I do decide to… :blush:

I do like the Shoeboxes… :sunglasses:

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I’ve seen 2 sell on an auction site within the last 2 months, definitely keep your eye out. Both went for c. £520

I’d want everything for that money! And serviced. But perhaps I’m gready or out of touch.
And not much of a loss if you paid £750 or there abouts mid 1990s for a 72!

OMG… They have gone up… since 2009… When mine was only around £280… :smirk:

i saw them, they are all in uk. and for us Italians it has become a problem to buy from the UK due to customs duties. for the Sondek best paid 40 €, I had to pay 20 € in customs taxes.

Ah, ok, sorry to rub salt into the wound!

Best of luck with the search :slight_smile:

plus of course the VAT. Here in France that would be 20% extra on top of the UK price.

Today I added a 52/SC to the Olive collection - Very happy! I’ve waited a long time for this day! :grinning:

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Looks very nice. Can I ask where you located those?