Fails the requirement for Olive. 
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Thanks but Iām more interested in the sound signature of an all olive amplification.
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As others have suggested, iād get a 52/SC/135s and have Darren at Class A service the lot, assuming itās not been done already. Iād also buy the most recent 52 i could get my hands on as they certainly were ādevelopedā along the way. If you really wanted the whole Olive Experience of the time, iād grab a CDS1/XPS or CDS2/XPS as wellš
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Thanks Gary. Iām grateful to you for your advice.
Iām pretty sure that I will go down the 52/ 135s / SC route for amplification and yes definitely use Darren at Classe A.
However having had a bad experience with a CDX 2 that expired and couldnāt be repaired Iām not going to get an olive cd player good as they may have been.
My intention is to get a vintage turntable perhaps an LP 12 or maybe a decent Thorens .
Speaker wise Iām completely open. Again Iād prefer to go down the vintage route but not really sure what to get that would suit the amplification.
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SBL or
SBL or even some
SBLās
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I understand regarding the CD player Nick, the reason i suggested either of those 2 players, besides their sound quality, was that they are the most ārepairableā of almost any Naim player, but you do have to do a bit of research. Anyway, a nice LP12 would be good, just it will cost a few Ā£ to get something in the CDS territory. As for speakers, if you have a good solid wall, thereās no better option than a nice late pair of Naim SBLs, and they would complete the period set superbly. Like all the other stuff here, the SBL is getting on, so iād make sure they were in top shape, or at least consider the possibility of replacing the tweeters. I bought spares when they were last sold, and iāve seen recently owners finding replacements.
SBLs of course
Martin
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You probably know this about vintage LP12s but Darran will service Valhalla and Lingos PSUs using Linn-supplied components.
If you get an original Lingo then ask Darran to remove the mains filter so that it plays nicely with Naim. Lingo boogies a bit more than Lingo 2 (serial 614522 onwards) but not quite as detailed.
If you get an Ekos then ideally get one with a serial number above 9,000 because Linn will still repair them - no idea how long for though. Mine is being done now for Ā£550 
And of course a pre-Cirkus bearing for maximum boogie factor with Naim although a Cirkus bearing will still sound great.
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@Blackstar
@GaryYeowell
@martinzero
Strange but true ā¦Iāve never actually heard SBLs in fact Iāve never heard Ovators either.
The only " vintage" speakers that I can remember are Kef 104 ab / Quad Electrostatics/ Radfords and Rogers.
Thanks. No I wasnāt aware of this and my knowledge of LP 12 is limited to say the least. Back in the day I wanted one because it was so well regarded but I bought a Micro Seiki DD40 which sounded wonderful with an SME arm and Signet MC.
Since then Iāve been put off an LP 12 because of the apparent need to continually fiddle with them and the various potential upgrades which to be frant I find totally confusing ( which is why I love my plug in and play Rega P8 )
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If you go for a specific vintage then you wonāt have any upgrades, so that makes it simple.
Once well setup by a reputable LP12 dealer then you should be fine for several years, other than a drop of oil perhaps. Youāll need to replace the belt and mat eventually of course.
However, a moving coil stylus can need replacing after a 1,000 hours or so in which case the arm needs to be removed to replace the cartridge. This is one reason I now use moving magnet with their replaceable stylii, but not sure if the 52/SC/135s will be too revealing for most MMs - it might require some trial and error and a few trips back and forth to your dealer.
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Thanks once again. Great information.
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Although I own and love the older Valhalla/Ittok deck, I think youād be safer with a Lingo/Ekos 2 deck (which I also have) because it will be a more contemporary and refined sound. Not quite as much drive but plenty of fun compared to modern decks. And provided the Ekos is new enough then everything will still be supported by the manufacturer / Class A, whereas an Ittok (or ARO) wonāt be. That would be a 1992-spec deck with black liner bearing - just prior to the Cirkus bearing in '93.
Personally, Iād start with a Linn cart such as the Adikt MM or Koil MC (both under Ā£1k) but I like the way Linn carts make sense of the music. Iāve had a couple of Goldring vintage rebuilds (Linn Troika and Karma) and they were excellent in terms of balance with CB amps but didnāt convey musical meaning as well as new (Linn) carts. I only really like the cheap end of the AT MM market (VM95C / E) which might not suit such a good amp and speaker combo. Not tried Dynavector which might also work well.
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My Olive system was:
CDX+XPS
82+Supercap
SNAXO+Supercap
250 x2
Headline+Hicap
NAT03
And of courseā¦ā¦ SBLs!
However there have been some interlopers in more recent years:
Stageline (but with an olive Hicap 
)
NAT05 (NAT03 is now in my wifeās system, along with CD3.5+Flatcap)
nDAC (using the XPS from the CDX)
NAPSC2 on the 82.
Only question remaining; what should I do with my 102+NAPSC?
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Worth noticing Ovators weāre released around 2008/2009 - far into the old classic era.
Olive era ended around 2000-2001 or thereabouts.
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Thanks Per. Yes I was aware of that.
The point that I was trying to make ( badly ) was that I really havenāt heard any Naim speakers .
When I was younger and getting into hifi the advice I received was that Naimās electronics were superb but their speakers less so.
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The SBL is a very good speaker today - the clarity and timing in particular must have been amazing back in the 80s.
They are not super easy to setup though so you may need to invest time fitting a new gasket kit - they donāt like being transported. I only had one pair and went through the whole process. Not sure I really needed to in the end but it gave me peace of mind. There are many threads on the topic.
Do you need floor standers?
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No I donāt need floorstanders, indeed I was thinking of Rogers LS 3 5A
I used Epos ES14s on the end of 82/HC/135s for over a decade (a mains problem blew up a woofer otherwise Iād still have them). They worked brilliantly with the olives, if you could source a good condition early pair theyād be great fun. Not the modern version, that doesnāt seem much like the originals to me.
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I love the the midrange / KEF B110 (also used in the Linn Kan until mid-80s), but the ones I heard didnāt really boogie much, which is one of the key strengths of Naim gear (for me anyway). Wouldnāt an LS3/5A be better suited to a different sort of amp, like a Class A Sugden or something?
Linn Kans are the same size (first 100 units used old LS3/5A cabs back in the 70s) and do boogie (a lot) but they are an acquired taste. I love them. The Kan II is a little bit more neutral and refined. Kans are very much voiced for a quality analogue source but thatās ok with your plan to get an LP12.
Linn Tukans are also the same size (+1 inch for a front baffle) and also work well with vintage Naim. They are quite neutral even by modern standards, cheaper, and not quite so old so more likely to be working ok.
Kan II stands are easy to pick up second hand and will work with the Kan, Kan II, or Tukan.
SBLs provide quite a lot more clarity than the Linn models and take up no more floor space. I think these Linn speakers are more involving but Iām very much a Linnie when it comes to speakers.
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