Upgrade for Nait 3 (for vinyl!)

Yes, am in the UK and have a friend who can service amps so that’s all good. With the Nait 3, it’s just that it’s been with me since the late 1990s so if I was to change, I wouldn’t want to sacrifice those aspects of the Nait 3 that I like, I suppose. Looking more to upgrade than a significant change - as you say, the Nait 50 would then be the obvious choice?

Correct, and there’s a choice between internal MM or MC phono cards, you may need to shop around or the 72 may come complete with cards you require. For a grand you can pickup a serviced 72/140.

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The phono stages for the Olive preamps are cards, that can be swapped in for different cartridges or a straight through card for an additional line level input.

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This is the most sensible path :index_pointing_up:

SN3 if you’re flush, XS3 if you want some input flexibility and a remote, N50 if you want the adulation of the SuperFans and hipsters. The choice is yours. You can’t go wrong.

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Sn2 plus a phono stage, or Nait 50 would be within your budget. Personal thoughts are the xs isn’t up to the sound quality of those two.

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Thanks! Final question, I think (!). In your view, how would a NAC 72 / 140 combo compare with the Nait 50 (given that the 50 seems to retain the Nait 1/2/3 vibe but significantly improves on it, this is my current favourite option)?

OK, another question. A second-hand hi-fi emporium not far from us in deepest Lancashire have a NAC42 / NAP110 combo for £600. Bought from them before and they service everything well. Would that significantly improve on a Nait 3, do you think? (They also have a NAC72 / NAP250 HiCAP, which is a bit too pricey for me, sadly).

If you go N50 make sure you don’t pay too much. They went for around £1k a few weeks ago.

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@John1966 Hi, sorry I’ve never had either of those combinations so can’t specifically answer your question. Others maybe able to help. If it were me and a remote control isn’t a requirement then a Nait 50 would be a modern integrated that doesn’t need any servicing. But how it compares sound wise to what you have and early Olive separates I can’t say.

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The Nait 3 is a bit under appreciated!

What about getting it serviced?

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Yes, it was serviced about seven years ago but with a reasonable spec LP12, been advised to upgrade the amp. No complaints with the Nait 3, though. Been a trusted part of my system for nearly three decades!

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Hi John, welcome and happy new year!

To me a Nait 3 is already the less clinical, and warmer sounding of the bunch. It could be either the Nait reveals the more neutral/clinical sounding of Lingo/Akito (Cirkus bearing as well?), or indeed the sound of Dynaudio speakers which tend to be neutral.

If you aim for an amp upgrade you could live for many years the 72/HC/250 combo to me is the way to go. Not sure if a SN3 would get things worse (more clinical and sharper) tho as it defo more revealing and neutral. A pre-Cirkus black liner bearing could be all you need. The Superline could be too revealing for your source and lead to another wave of upgrades.

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Do Naim (or Class A??) still offer the upgrade to permit the use of a Flatcap or Hicap on the Nait 3?? :thinking::thinking:

I’ve owned a Nait 3 twice with other Naim offerings in between.

I would recommend getting the 42/110 but only if it has the MM boards as they are increasingly rare these days. These are 322 or N designation.

This combo will, in my mind give you an improvement all round over the Nait 3 without going too detailed or refined. If you don’t like it, you could always resell without making much of a loss!

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Adding flatcap was better than hicap when I did this with my second Nait 3.

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Thanks Julius - and a happy new year to you too!

Really appreciate all the comments here. Think I’m going the pre- and power route (instead of Nait 50, SN, etc.). The 72 seems to win the plaudits. Is an 82 as good? A cheaper alternative would be the Nac 92 / Nap 90 but not sure that really improves on my Nait 3 significantly? 72 often paired with 140. Does the latter really matter in terms of which power amp? So many questions! Anyway, will start by trying to find a 72 (or 82?) with phono card for a reasonable price. Or the combo with power amp.

Thanks Richard - so you’d recommend the 42/110 over the 75/140?

The 82 has a remote control and most people would consider it more capable, but needs a power supply. The 72 has no remote control.

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A Nac 82 can be powered by the smaller amps like Nap 110,Nap 140,Nap 99 etc Napsc PSU is included as it won’t work without it.

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I’ve not actually heard a 72 preamp, in the Naim hierarchy it would be superior to a 42 but there’s a few on here (me included) that would recommend the 42/110 as a bit special in its own right.

Your mention of the 140 does remind me that not all 110 amps are in fact a 110 anymore as Naim offered an upgrade to turn the into 140 with a change of the power supply board. You’d need to get a photo of the internals to confirm this.

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