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I recently purchased a used Naim Nait 2 and have a couple questions. Is the following normal for this unit:
1) Loud start up 'thump', with a 10 sec. delay following.
2) Loud power-down 'thump'
3) Volume pot sensitivity. I'm driving KEF 103.2 (88dB sens.) and I can hardly get the pot to 9:00 before it's too loud.
4) Channel imbalance at low volumes.
Other than that, I'm pleased as punch. Everything this amp is known for seems to be true. Thanks in advance for any advice/comments you might have.-David
Follow Ups:
I had a nait 2 many moons ago and it didn't exhibit any of those problems. Get the Naim cable ASAP as it's essentially part of the circuit design and you'll only get the best from it with the Naim cable.Aside from that, the Nait 2 is one of the only pieces of equipment I've had that I wish I'd kept. There's a lot of magic in that little box and when partnered with the right speakers it's a joy to listen to. Enjoy.
Cheers,
*I had a nait 2 many moons ago and it didn't exhibit any of those problems.*
Turn-on and turn-off thumps are all normal on all Naim amplifiers. (even the current ones )Also, all Naim preamp is high gain and in the most system 9' O'clock volume is sufficiently loud unless you run a vinyl source. If you use a high gain phono stage with speakers over 90db, your ears would give out before it reaches 9 O'clock, even.
A channel imbalance at a low volume is common amongst the Nait 2 That's how they were on the even newly serviced units I have listened to )
Nostalgia can make everything looks prettier than it was, perhaps? ;)
Go figure, I guess I got one that slipped through the net. It did not exhibit those problems. Using it with Epos ES11's in a medium sized room my normal listening level was about 10 o'clock on the dial, and at times higher.
of course I didn't turn mine on or off very often as it was left on all the time so it may be that I missed that aspect.
I realise that you *can* minimise by matching caps and diodes. And that I could see some units, by luck, might have a lower turn-on noise than others.It's perfectly normal and do not harm anything, anyways. I realise it's disconcerting for the first timers, however.
I keep my amps 24/7, not from the necessity but purely out of laziness.
It is more sensible if you turn off the system when not used. However, in the case of an older NAP 500, it easily blows a fuse at the turn-on.
I think naim said leave it on all the time because of what has been mentioned.
Yes to all. you probably have the no.3 problem only with CD. Get some NACA5 cable if you haven't already got it.
Many thanks! Good to know it's not a lemon. One more question-what would be the reason that Naim cable fixes this problem?
they'll make the amplifier less prone to blow up ( earlier Naim amps are designed to be stable with cable's load in mind ).
Does regular stranded copper speaker wire ala Radio Shack present a capacitive load that makes Naim amps act funny? Should I not use it? Thanks....
According to the factory, NACA5 would have the 3.15 uH inductance @ 3.5 m to protect the amp and only 56pF capacitance to upset it.I don't have the figures for the RS cables, but my guess is not a good thing for your amp.
Naim amp would be happiest with 5 m (= 16.5') NACA5, providing 4.5 uH inductance while confronting it with only 80 pF capacitance.
In reality, this formula isn't set in stone, ( speakers/loudness matters, also ), however, I won't be taking chances especially older amps, for sure.
Think before you keep using your RS cables on your beloved Nait 2 as NANA does not offer to fix them any longer.
Naim recommends the cable, which may not mean a lot to some, but the cable is designed to be used with Naim amps. It is not that expensive and you can find appropriate lengths available on audiogon from time to time. I think the minimum is about 4 metres but a lot of people recommend 5 metres. Also the input cables should be of a high quality. Chord make some din/rca adaptors that work well.The 2 is a very desirable integrated among the Naimees. I have both a 1 and 2. Both are great, altho limited in terms of speaker choice.
In the old days it was suggested to leave the amp on all the time to avoid the turn on/off thumps, but as the amp is old, I have been turning it off when not using it.
Well okay then....thanks, that's exactly the info I needed! I'm really enjoying the sound of this amp. I've tried alot of mid-fi and budget gear (I'm broke, and cheap on top of that), and it's currently running in place of a Luxman R117 160 wpc receiver. A nice unit to be sure, but the Naim is holding it's own and actually giving a little more performance in the midrange. I'm driving KEF 103.2's, I think I mentioned, and it seems to be controlling the bass well (closed cab with an 8" woofer). I'll keep an eye out on ebay and audiogon for the NACA 5. Again, thanks for the advice-David
till you get a NACA 5. ( remember you need minimum 3.5 meter ).The first sign of distress of amp: touch the amp and if it's too warm or getting warm, your amp might be experiencing a thermal runaway...
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