Hello
I have a question
If use my Qute 2 as a preamp to drive my Primare I15 have to get off the speaker cables from Qute 2 or will damage the Qute 2 if stays without load the speaker terminals?
I checked the user manual but nothing
Help please
Have you set the Speakers to ‘None’ in Settings? Should be fine if you have done this and no need for speaker cables to be plugged in.
The UnitiQute2 is ok as a preamp when the speaker setting is set to “none.” This is how I use it paired with its NAP100 power amp; as intended by Naim.
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I recently pondered this as I lamented a lack of bass from my UQ2 > Klout > Kaber setup. I consulted other threads on this forum, which lead me back to page 10 of the Unitiqute 2 manual:
“The speaker type options specify high-pass filtering settings.
Select the Large option when the UnitiQute 2 preamplifier output is connected to an external power amplifier or to a subwoofer used to augment the low frequency performance of large (full bandwidth) speakers.”
On page 11 is the “none” info, which I now think is referring to when using UQ2 as a headphone-only box.
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Hi Johnnymax-
When they were current speakers in the Linn lineup, the Kaber’s were almost completely polarizing speakers- at least in our store. They were among Linn’s best looking speaker in that era, and still remain one of the best proportioned speakers ever, in visual terms. In the right room, they could sing, but there were so tight fisted in the bass that many fans gave up in frustration. The remedies to get more bass out of them were hugely expensive. Here are a few tips you may find helpful. They want to be right up against the wall behind them. Rock solid on their spikes. They would certainly benefit from a more sophisticated pre-amp than the UQ2, in my view. Most of all, they were voiced with the Linn LP 12 of the 90’s in mind, which was a warm and full bodied turntable. If you don’t listen to vinyl, I would look for a more full bodied source, or pre-amp or both. Among Naim fans in that era, a NAC 82/ Hi-Cap/ 250 system would be the minimum many Naim fans might have endorsed at the time for use with that speaker. In the Linn products of that era, a good source partnered with a Kairn pre-amp and a Klout amp were often used. Many Linn fans went active, which is even better, but perhaps not a viable strategy now that so many of the Linn products from the 90’s are no longer repairable. It always seemed to me that the woofers were simply too small to generate much bass unless partnered with very sophisticated amplification. Even systems with three Klouts or three Naim 250’s often felt very thin tonally. Fast, tight, and exciting, no doubt, but rarely a speaker you could relax with.
Good luck,
Bruce
MAny thanks to all M8s!!!
Bruce – many thanks for the detailed thoughts. It is always good to know others’ (especially long-time Linn/Naim dealers) views on such elusive things, like the somewhat-futile act of trying to squeeze bass out of Kabers! Once upon a time, my Kabers were Aktiv with three LK100s, and I concur even that config still won’t make Kabers thump. If I recall they are only rated 60 Hz on the bottom end anyway.
That said, I should have pointed out that my UQ2 > Klout > Kabers (de-aktivated) are a secondary system that I enjoy “fiddling around with” to see what I can improve cheaply. My main system is NAC-N272 > NAP 250DR > ProAc 140 mk2, which has enough bass for the whole neighborhood!
Ironically, even though I would like to get more bass out of the Kabers, part of the fun of a secondary system is that it doesn’t sound like the primary setup.
Oh, and by the way, changing the speakers setting on the UQ2 from “none” to “large” improved the bass of the Kabers incrementally (or is it my imagination?).
Happy listening!
John
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Set the Speakers Type to None. This way, the massive toroid transformer gets to be dedicated to the pre/dac/streamer stages only, offering a solid and stable feed. I use a UQ2 this way, pairing it with active Focal speakers. The results are nothing short of amazing!
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