Naim Olive

Yours.

Ebay one was about right for a doer upper, I think.

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Simply lovely.
I like the way you balanced things visually. (Shoe boxes to left, larger items to right).
Looks great.
Nice Olive system pic.

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Bruss,

Your comment on S/h prices on Australia interests me greatly.

I am just putting together a system to ship from UK to Tasmania, having been unable to see much good kit I knew (including just about any Naim) on sale in Oz at all.

An Australian friend also reported that getting his 135s serviced in Perth was hard work, and finding a 52 was v hard too.

It looks like we’ve been looking in the wrong places if Hicaps go for that price. Can you point me in a decent direction?

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Apologies to both. Brussels, that was meant for Bevo.

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Here’s the thing….I always find when I’m buying or selling anything that I over pay and undersell….lucky I’m not a dealer in anything! :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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I saw that too. They also had a SN2 for sale at £1200. And a fair few other listings. All now gone. I wonder if there was something slightly amiss about them (100% rated seller though!), collection only and cash on collection too. I’m not sure that particular auction was a sign of a shift in second hand prices.

I have to say I did the maths on the 500 mile round trip to Truro though :wink:

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I have started to build an office system and got some great deals on used 92/90, Linn Kan mk 1 and a Fraim. I then found a used PInk Triangle that later turned out to be sub-par and is now off to service. The source I use now is the Advance Streamtubes.

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Which olive setup is best suited to Kan 1s and pre-Cirkus/Lingo/Ekos/GR Troika LP12?

Was thinking 72/Hi/250 perhaps.

I never liked the addition of a Hi-Cap with CB pre-amps until recently trying one with a 62, so it’s opening up new doors and perhaps some olive coloured equipment.

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Yes… :slightly_smiling_face:

Or… 135’s…?

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As a long-time olive-user, I’d say that this comes down to how much money and how much shelf-space you have to hand.

IanRobertM is dead right that the 72/ Hicap/ 250 combination is the classic choice for a reason, and should really grip the original Kans in the manner that made so many obsessed in the 1980s. However, as with any olive kit, f they have not been serviced in 15+ years, you should probably budget on getting that done at some point.

Too expensive? Try a 72 (or even 62)/ Hicap/ 140 combination. It’s certainly not as good, but VFM is impressive – I’d rather have that than a new Nait XS3, for example, though not all would agree.

If you can stretch a bit further, many (including me) found the 82/Hicap/ 250 to work brilliantly, with more transparency than a 72 can give.

More cash? Add a second Hicap or even an olive Supercap. The difference is not negligible.

Cash and patience? Hit the internet sale sites and watch out for a 52 pre-amp, with a Supercap or its own PS.

I went from 72 to 82 many years ago - one step sideways and 3 steps up.

I went from 82 to 52 more recently - nothing sideways, just better.

135 mono power amps instead of a 250 are another option, but IMHO the 52/250 mix is much better than 72/ 2 X 135. Of course, if you can find and afford and have space for a 52 (and PS or Supercap) and 2 X 135s, that will be the best olive setup of all.

Within their limits, the original Kans are plenty analytical enough to show off how good a 250 still is, and the differences between the pre-amps.

Good hunting1

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This looks quite similar to my journey, although my Kans were moved on when a pair of SBLs took their place

At every step the Kans were lovely, especially with the 135s, you can’t go wrong with the 72 and a 180 in my opinion, though the further up the power amplifier range the happier the little Linns seem to be…

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I’d stick with CB and hicap/32.5/250 unless you want to go to 82 level, then go Olive.

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I couldn’t get on with all-CB 32.5/Hi/250/Kans, all serviced, but maybe the Hi-Cap or 250 was a bit off. Just wasn’t all that musically engaging to my ears. The 32.5 is very good (straight into CB160).

I could go 82, or 52 as Nick mentioned, but just conscious that full width pre-amps were designed with digital in mind, so perhaps not as well suited as the 62/72 into an old LP12…

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Thanks. My dealer has a pair of 135s coming in few months so that’s good to know. Tempted to try an olive 250 before then though.

Thanks for the reply. Lots of ‘possible’ ground to cover. Were you using vinyl or digital with these setups?

I’ve already got CB 62/Hi/140 but just waiting for the 140 to come back from service. That’s my fall back option as I’d like more bass if possible.

Err… I don’t think so…

The 52 was ‘in work’ at Naim, for some considerable time, before it emerged, AFAIK. So from the Phono era…

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I’m with IanRobertM here. The 62, 72, 82 and 52 all have decent phono boards - they don’t get worse as you climb!

However, with a Troika and Kans you will really hear the benefit of a dedicated phono stage sooner or later. I find the Superline & Hicap) combination captivating, but many good phono-stages cost vastly less.

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Sorry I failed to answer the actual question!

I used 72 and 82 (and 250) mostly with LP12/ Core/ Ekos/ Lingo 1/ various cartridges, but my CDS2 (plus PS) got nearly as much use. By the time I got a Lingo 4 and a Karousel, I had found the 52. All these were steps up from 62/Hicap/140, but that was pretty good too.

If the LP12 does all the work in this system, I’d be tempted to get the Karousel bearing first (it is that good), then a good phono stage, before I started trying to find a 52 or 135s.

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Not a Karousel fan in vintage setups :slight_smile: It does sound stunning but musically not doing it for me (with old gear). I have some odd preferences at times.

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OK, thanks Ian - good to know

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