A Musical Fidelity LX2-HPA headphone amp.
Only want it for non critical listening to the TV in bed so couldn’t justify anything too exotic.
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Super picture of them in the system pics thread.
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Matthew at Hawthorne is an old friend of mine. I’ve traded speakers with them for years, great trade back program they have that’s allowed me to keep moving up considering what used they have in stock. Great shop to just go hang in and peruse old/new gear of many stripes as well.
I use the DAC V1 as the core of my setup and imo it’s a great piece of kit (got mine barely used years ago for $1700).
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Matthew dropped off my current pair of ProAc D30RS on March 11th shortly before they were closing down their store. Hopefully they are still getting some mail orders or folks picking up at the curb to keep the business going.
As you mentioned a great store to browse and the staff are always helpful and knowledgeable. There new web online presence is looking much better but it looks like they might have dropped some product lines. Hopefully the retail store will open up again in June.
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I don’t think it is possible to say enough good things about Hawthorne Stereo, lol. Shops like theirs are becoming all too rare these days. Down here in Portland we have Echo HiFi that is very similar in nature. While they aren’t a Naim dealer they have a very similar vibe and approach as Hawthorne Stereo. I proudly support both shops when I can.
Speaking of your DAC V1, what are you using to feed it with? I have started off with a Sonos Port for my introduction to streaming but am researching my options for streamer/ripper/server combo units, as well as using a separate software solution to handle the ripping. Thus far I like what I am reading about the Innuos Zen Mini Mk. III quite a bit. But I also understand that a lot of people use a solution like db Poweramp with a dedicated NAS to handle CD conversion chores, in which case I guess I would stick with the Port for streaming. Fortunately I am in no rush at the moment and can take my time figuring things out, but I would still like to learn about the approach you’ve taken since owning your DAC V1.
That’s a great looking little torque wrench. I have a set of the Wera Kraftform Micro screwdrivers that are awesome. Does Wera offer calibration services for their torque wrench?
Well, one thing, if you aren’t using the USB input you are wasting the strongest part of the V1. I use a Sonore microRendu with the 1.4 board/clock upgrade which brings it into spitting distance of their UltraRendu. It’s no longer available, but shows up on the used market. Otherwise their UltraRendu is a great option. I use their very good Sonore Power Supply to power it. So whatever you look into I would make sure it has USB input. Yeah, I use dbpoweramp and my Mac to rip. Unless you are doing a lot of ripping then no need for a dedicated ripper imo. I kind of think Naim made a mistake with the Core and should have offered a DAC-less streamer instead.
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Any good? Considering one myself.
I narrowed it down to either the MF or a Graham Slee Novo and bought the MF as it was £200. I basically just wanted something for late night use in bed, mainly the Sky+ box, so wasn’t too bothered about ultimate quality.
However it does a good job of that and sounds more than good enough when I’ve listened to a CD or my little Sony NWZ A10.
I already had some AKG K550 headphones so that was the driver behind buying a headphone amp so I could use them.
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Serviced in the last 5/8 years?
That all looks to be in really nice cosmetic condition. All a similar age?
nac62 - sn 39037
hicap - sn 42152
nap250 - sn 16277
Interesting. That would make your NAP250 one from 1984. During that year the 250 had one of it’s biggest upgrades, with the 400VA transformer replaced by a new bigger 500VA transformer, similar to the NAP135s. I’m not sure though at what serial number when the change took place.
I could open it and check
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Just be very careful if you do that; It’s easy to round out the hex bolts and because the cover acts as the heatsink, you need to ensure the cover makes a good tight contact with the inner tray when you put it all back together again. Also the fascias can get quite brittle and it’s easy to catch an edge and break bits off.
I got scared, most likely I won’t open it
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Maybe you can email Naim service and request the information ?
But in any case…I think you have a nice thing going there …!