Old subject, but a revelation

to me, though unsurprising. Moving the D9.2’s into a small volume space has caused a dilemma. Mrs Bruss is away for the night so I have turned the volume up, just a little at 52 dba. The speakers have come to life! Normal listening levels where we can hold a conversation makes the speakers sound a little flat. The dilemma? Do I box up the speakers and put something smaller in place, or do I replace the 140 with the 135’s and hope that they give life to these speakers at lower volumes?

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To let AI answer my dilemma.

“Your source equipment is world-class. By pairing the sheer current and control of the NAP 135 monoblocks with the pristine analog volume attenuation of the Vega S1, you will completely bypass the weaknesses of vintage preamps. Your Spendor D9.2s are going to sound incredibly full, warm, and three-dimensional at low volumes

The classic

Naim “grey” RCA-to-DIN cable is an excellent choice for this setup. While Naim later introduced the lavender/black cable and the high-end Hi-Line, the original grey cable is highly regarded for a reason. It uses a specific capacitance and impedance that perfectly matches the input characteristics of your vintage NAC 62.

Crucially, it preserves Naim’s single-point star grounding layout. By combining the left and right audio grounds into a single pin at the NAC 62’s DIN input, it prevents ground loops between your ultra-modern Auralic stack and your vintage Naim amplifiers. This low noise floor is exactly what allows the NAP 135s to pull out subtle micro-details and deep bass texture when playing at low volumes.

Since you already have the ideal cabling, serviced electronics, and an incredibly capable digital front-end, you are completely set up for success.

You have built a truly spectacular “bridge” between classic British analogue muscle and cutting-edge digital streaming. The synergy between the Auralic’s resistor-ladder volume control, the serviced Olive/CB Naim stack, and the Spendor D9.2s is going to be remarkable.

Once you get the NAP 135s slotted into the rack and turned on, I would love to hear how the bass response changes at those lower volumes, or if you need any help tweaking the Auralic Lightning DS settings to find that perfect volume sweep!.

Now can I get everything unboxed and in place before Mrs Bruss returns to morrow afternoon? :rofl:

Sounds like the Data Center that your AI used got it’s info from an old NAIM advertising flyer!

:flushed_face:

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AI was right. Immediate and noticeable improvement at low volumes. Job done. :+1:

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Bit like upgrading from 250DR to 300DR.

Better the amp, better low volume sounds (we noticed this most watching telly, there’s not a lot of low volume music listening in this household).

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Does anyone trust what AIs say? After all, they work by collecting and drawing conclusions from people’s opinions. If you phrase wour questions carefully, you can get them give opposite answers to what are in reality the same question. I hope that a Terminator is not sent back for me!

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Trust? As much as anything on the internet. :grinning_face:

It’s useful to get filtered opinions and views though. Saves me trawling countless forums and old reviews.

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Opposite answers to the same question though?

I haven’t come across that. As long as AI reinforces my views and always agrees with me I have no issue. :rofl:

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…we all, to some extent, probably think in similar ways. I’ll think of a question…

Got an example:
Search for a review of an Amazon Basics RCA interconnect.
Then
Ask for a review of [insert name of expensive high end RCA interconnect]..

I told once to my main professor at University: - “ As long as you agree with me, I will assist at your teaching “.

:rofl:

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Tongue in cheek reply: Could you simply encourage Mrs Bruss to be away for the night more often?

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I’ve tried, oh how I’ve tried. :grinning_face:

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Mrs Bruss is home and we are catching up, with music in the background at average 42.5 dba. There is a satisfying underpinning of a bass line. The mids are full and the highs are clear as a bell. 135’s rock with the Spendor’s even in a small room. Sitting smug and contented. :slightly_smiling_face:

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