** What are the most analog pre-Naim?**
The sound of one hand clapping.
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Anything not using a digital source?
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I was thinking, any made before 1982?
Are you referring to preamps made by Naim?
I mainly use the turntable, from time to time the CD and the streamer
Yes, of course
The answer could be Nac 12………(if you don’t use a digital source)
It is the DAC that determines how good well the analogue is reconstructed and not the pre-amp (unless the preamp digitises and reconverts as in the Atom, Star and Nova), and you don’t have control over which DAC in the case of vinyl cut from digital recordings. Assuming you know this it might help if you were to clarify what you mean by “the most analog” when talking about preamps.
I have a Linn Sondek and I would like my pre to express it in the best possible way.
Probably something like a Superline with Supercap, and a NAC552 then.
If you want something a fair bit more affordable then consider a Prefix (ideal for a Sondek, just be sure to have an off-board PS powering the deck) and a NAC52. You could power the Prefix from the 52’s powered AUX2 socket (uses dedicated rails in the PS) or, if you want to push the boat out a bit more, a dedicated Supercap on the Prefix. I once described a super capped Prefix as being “The Who-like - Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy”…
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The Linn Sondek mounts the Lingo 4 and sl Nac 52 I had already thought about it. Sorry for my ignorance but I don’t know what the prefix is.
The Prefix was a phono stage that was designed to fit inside the Plinth of the Linn Sondek - it would attach to the front corner brace. There was great advantage with low output MCs by shortening the distance from the generator to the phono stage.
Here’s a picture of a K type from LP12bits;
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I have the Naim Stageline S
A Prefix is an appreciable upgrade over the Stageline.
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From what I see in the image you sent me I notice that the stageline is much more screened than the prefix.
Didn’t Naim use the very same phono boards in Stageline as in Prefix ?
Making the short signal and plugs create advantage ?
Almost, but not quite, here’s the Prefix (image borrowed from @skeptikal post from December 2023):
Biggest advantage was the super-short signal path, which was particularly advantageous when transferring the minuscule signal from a low output MC’s generator.
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I see, the only problem is that it’s hard to find and I’d have to find someone to install it for me.
You can fit it yourself quite easily, but you need to dress the cables carefully. There was one available a few weeks ago in a certain Naim emporium based near the coast in Suffolk! I’m running mine from the powered aux2 on a 282 fed by a Supercap and mighty fine it sounds; my end game unless a 252 comes along, oh, and a spare Supercap for £2.50.