I am visiting Dubai on 24th January 2024 and I am looking to get a HICAP for my Naim NAC32.5 Preamp and NAP140 power amp bought in 1988. Both are recapped and I am happy with sound but would like to lift sound quality. If I buy latest power supply of Naim, will it match my current amp. What to look for whilst buying power supply and its interconnect cable? Can anyone help me as I am non technical man.
Any HICAP should work with your NAC32.5 and NAP140, even the latest HICAP DR (recently discontinued). However, if it were me, I’d be looking for a HICAP of similar age so there’s a nice aesthetic match.
Things to consider when looking for a secondhand HICAP are service history and does it come with a genuine Naim SNAIC5? A HICAP should be serviced every 8-10 years or so. While an unserviced HICAP can seem to work OK for much longer, it can eventually make the pre-amp underperform. I’ve heard poorly ones make thing sound thick and slow, and others flat and even harsh.
The early HICAPs came with a grey SNAIC5. It’s well worth upgrading to the later Naim black SNAIC5. Don’t worry about the early latching DINs, you can still use the locking collar SNAICs with these (just wind back the collar all the way), just be careful as there’s no latch or lock for them.
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