Naim Olive

My N Dac sits amongst a 72,250 and hicap that are olive. Its doesnt look too out of place. And its only about 6 years younger than the 250.

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You can use an Olive XPS for the NDac. I bought one that had just been recapped with a warranty, and it makes a noticeable improvement. A 555 power supply is certainly better, but also significantly more expensive.

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I have considered this, but am weighing it against my other half’s comment about the growing number of boxes…

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That’s a totally different rabbit hole altogether.

DG…

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Oh yes I understand very well. I have a dedicated listening room in our house. Before, I had only Uniti Atom in our living room, because we dont like racks with much boxes, cabeling etc. there. Enjoy your NDac. It is a very impressive dac, even without additonal power supply. If you are interested in more (click here)

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IME, a lot.

The 82/Supercap is excellent, and does a lot of things that the 52/Supercap does. But the 52/Supercap is simply better.

One of the pieces of music I used when I did the comparison was a solo lute piece. The 82 conveyed the dynamics, emotion, and feel of the piece really well and, when heard in isolation, was something I could happily live with. The 52 retained and even enhanced those qualities while also making the music sound more natural. The best way I can describe it is that with the 82, the lute sounded like it was made of metal, whereas with the 52, you could tell it was made from wood.

The source was one of the best Naim digital sources available at that time (the original CDS CD player). As @NickofWimbledon suggests, you might be disappointed with changing the 82 to a 52 if the 52 reveals any shortcomings in the source more clearly. My guess (based solely on what I’ve read here) is that an NDX 2/XPS would be at around the same level as the CDS.

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The nDAC was my downfall. ‘Twas the beginning of the end for my all Olive system, being swiftly followed by a NAT05, Stageline, Headline 2 and a couple of NAPSCs.

Oh, how we suffer for our art.

PS the nDAC does run very nicely from an olive XPS. And the BNC-BNC DC-1 cable is beneficial…….but not at full price!

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As I think I have said in an earlier post I do feel the Olive journey is at its end. I am driven to distraction by things that don’t match. So this might well bring newer boxes so they all match. The Olives look and sound amazing, I am not going to lose the 72/HC/140 in my office but the 82/SC/250 might be for sale in the new year. Need to see how funds are and how annoyed the look of my system makes me :slight_smile:

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Just got this chestnut back from Service/Recap. Surprisingly inexpensive and quick-turn here in the USA.

The lore around the Nait2 is justified. Not as sophisticated sounding as modern kit, it just boogies and gets the tune right. It’s a kick to listen to and embodies everything right about the olive era.

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I am with you on the last bit too. The NDX2 was clearly good enough to be really enjoyable with the 52 and audibly better than the ND5XS2. However, the CDS2 was better than the NDX2. That we added the XPS to the NDX2 and then none of us could had a preference between CD and streaming. Other ears may differ of course.

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Here’s mine. 72/hc/250 bought new 30+ years ago and recapped for the 3rd time 3 years ago. There is a bit more ‘grain’ with these olive Naims than the newer amps in my view, but they are so much fun to listen to endlessly I don’t mind.
My dealer has suggested it is time to go to a nc332 to replace the 72. I might just do it…but even if I do I won’t sell the 72. I agree it’s not as wide an envelope as the formidable 52, 252, 552 etc but it is just an incredible preamp nonetheless. It does less than those preamps, but what it does it does brilliantly.

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My 72 is standing in for my 282 whilst it has gone to Sheffield for a short holiday.
Ok, so it is fed with a ndx2 ( bare) and supercap dr, but i could easily live with it like this. Lack of RC is the main downside. Cd555psu is on holiday too.
Im struggling to hear what is missing.

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I would either keep things as they are, or rather than a 332 which would be incongruous in your set up, get an 82 or a 52.

Both 82 and 52 are wonderful preamps.

With a nice Olive Supercap your system will sound even better.

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So, you’ll be all sorted when your boxes come back from Class A. Ready to roll!

Yes. But right now that 72 and standard ndx2 is sounding pretty good. If i had to, would be more than happy to live with this. Going to dig out sone 323 cards and fire up some vinyl tomorrow.

But yes, looking forward to the 282 and 555 coming back.

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It’s all top equipment so it will sound great! But you have more than that! Enjoy the 72 while the other kit is away. Brilliant that you have back up kit.

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nDAC fitted and first listen sounds another step up. Bass is better again. Listening to Deadmau5 and my heart is pounding along with the track.
Just hope I don’t get too much grief for the extra box.

I was in the same boat, loved the olive sound, built a nice little system around a CD3.5, but felt the draw of new, better tech, streamers, waning support for CDs, recap costs for my aging 250, and a general lack of enthusiasm for much of the new stuff.

It took a few years and some time spent listening to gear, but I think the current crop of Naim gear includes a few absolute gems that capture the olive drive and excitement. I owned both the UnitiAtom and Star integrated streamers, which were both really good and were exceptional value IMO, but never really grabbed me the way the old olive kit did. Then I demo’d a Supernait3 with the ND5XS2 and I was immediately smitten. I sat forward in my chair and couldn’t get enough of the music coming through this relatively simple system.

We swapped in the Nait XS3, but the life left the music and I couldn’t wait to get the SN back into the system. There’s a bit of dark magic at play with the SN3 if you ask me, so if you’re after that olive vibe, give it a try!

I traded the Star and haven’t looked back. The SN3 and new streamer make a thrilling combo, bring the box count down to 2, make way for hi-res streaming, and all through a super clean control interface.

PS -for what it’s worth, I had a P6 + Ania + Rega Fono and I sold it when I bought the ND5XS2. Playing same for same, the streamer was 99.9% as good as the P6, and I genuinely loved the P6!

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I have one sitting around that’s due for a service. Can I ask how much it cost and who did the work?

My dealer sent it to Naim/Focal USA. Only took a few weeks and the cost was around $400.00

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