NAIM AUDIO NAP 90 DIN rear panel input connection

[Vicca Tito]

What type of DIN input is on the rear of this power amp (Naim NAP 90) if anybody knows, since I am about to help to connect NAP 90 with Naim NAC112x to my friend?
Is it possible (due to mismatch of components in time-terms, since the NAP90 is quite an old poweramp)?
What type of cable SNAIC should we use?

Cheers

 

[Mr Pig]

Hi there,

The age difference won't matter. Did the amp come with a DIN lead, four-pin I think? It should have. You just plug that into the relevant socket on the 112 and you're away. The lead carries both the signal to the amp and the power from the amp to the pre.

All Naim products have the pin functions very clearly marked next to the sockets and they use different pin numbers/plugs for different jobs so it's almost impossible to go wrong. The worst that will happen is that it won't work, say if you left the link plug off for instance.

 

[Mr Pig]

Oh, the leads have a white marker next to the plug on one end. That end goes towards the 'front', the pre-amp. It does matter on some leads and the screening in the lead is only connected at one end, if I remember correctly. It's been about six years since I used any Naim kit I think.

 

[Vicca Tito]

In fact, I am also off the Naim for some time now,
but wanted to help a dear friend of mine, I would
just like to try my NAC 112x, which I still have (you
never know if I become infected with Naim, again)
and which is a newer product with DIN outputs
(think 4-pin DIN, AFAIR) with his NAP 90.
I am asking this, presuming the fact that some older
Naim NAPs have something like this on their rear
panels - i.e.an XLR input.
What to do with this one? DIN to XLR cable?

 

[Mr Pig]

The DIN-XLR is for the larger power amps that cannot supply power to the pre-amp, like the 250, 135 etc. That lead connects to a pre-amp power supply, like a Hi-Cap for instance, and a five-pin DIN (I think it is) goes from the Hi-Cap to the pre-amp.

The smaller amps can supply power to the pre so need the four-pin lead. It's very simple as all of Naim's boxes come with the correct lead to connect them to the box in front of them in the chain.

So to connect the 90 straight to the 112 you use the four-pin DIN-DIN that came with the 90.

 

[Vicca Tito]

Thanks a lot Mr!
I think it's an interesting and very valuable insight, thanks for sharing the knowledge/experience.
I will pop-up with an update on this thread as soon as I test the mentioned gear .
Keep Cool

 

[Mr Pig]

thanks for sharing the knowledge/experience.

Just hope it's right! ;0) As I say, it's years since I used Naim kit. I was lying in bed last night, just drifting off and 'was a five-pin or a four pin!' popped me awake again! ;0)

Yes, let us know how you get on please? :0)

 

[trailer]

You can download manuals for Naim kit here:

Naim Audio - British manufacturer of high-fidelity audio electronics - Product Manuals

 

[Vicca Tito]

Hello friends, as I have promised, I am giving back with an info on Naim NAC112x and NAP90 combo, which I managed to connect flawlessly.
Only thing that I have been noticed is that connectors on Naim were a little bit skewed and experienced a problems with plugging the SNAIC 4 grey cable into its place (obviously because of unit has being pushed with non-Naim gear).
Turning up was a bit of a painstaking 3-4 min. waiting for mute button on NAC112x to disappear and that sudden crack on the speakers to appear.
But from everything that was so-so from the start turned out to be a very lively at the end with obvious Naim PRAT and not expected but satisfiable degree of forwardness.
I have decided to get myself similar unit and went for NAP90/3 with NAC112x with Living Voice speakers that I have acquired in the meantime in trade for Spendors.
Again, everything went fine but have noticed that volume control on NAC112 is a bit fuzzy, i.e. the sound starts only with volume turned at 9 o'clock or a bit less.
Am I experiencing some degree of incompatibility or something?
The sound is very, very inspiring, but the volume pot is AFAIC a bit user unfriendly.
I have came back to my Naim roots and even decided to trade NAP90/3 for a NAP150 or NAP150x or newer with the risk maybe to be prone to softness with new Naim gear.
Any thoughts of changing a preamp to higher Naim stuff?

Thanks

P.S. Or am I going in completely wrong directio regarding Living Voice spk?

 

[Mr Pig]

Thank you for letting us know how things are going :0)

I haven't heard any of Naim's recent products so can't comment on how they compare to the 'olive' stuff. However I do think that a lot of the olive Naim amps were a bit harsh and thin, at least they had a tendency to be like that if you were not very careful with system matching. It could be that the more recent amps will prove easier to live with and match.

However, if the NAP90 drives your speakers ok and you like the sound I would recommend upgrading the pre-amp first. The differences between Naim pre-amps is MUCH bigger than the differences between power-amps. The NAP90 may not be brilliant but you'll still hear a far bigger improvement if you get a better pre-amp.

In fact, if you could only use a lower range power-amp with the NAC 112x because the bigger Naim power amps do not have a built in pre-amp power supply. So you'd be swapping an older entry level Naim power-amp for a newer entry level Naim power amp. I think they'd sound pretty similar!

The other thing you should consider is a power supply for the NAC 112x. That would be a noticeable upgrade and would provide greater flexibility for the future. I would also recommend upgrading the power supply before the power amp.

Speakers are a very personal thing. If you like the sound of them and they work well in your system that's all that matters. You may hate the speakers that I like! ;0)

 

[John Martin]

Naim equipment likes to be left on. The sound can be bright and in the opinion of some, harsh, from cold, but improves markedly if left on.

 

[Vicca Tito]

Thank you for letting us know how things are going :0)

I haven't heard any of Naim's recent products so can't comment on how they compare to the 'olive' stuff. However I do think that a lot of the olive Naim amps were a bit harsh and thin, at least they had a tendency to be like that if you were not very careful with system matching. It could be that the more recent amps will prove easier to live with and match.

However, if the NAP90 drives your speakers ok and you like the sound I would recommend upgrading the pre-amp first. The differences between Naim pre-amps is MUCH bigger than the differences between power-amps. The NAP90 may not be brilliant but you'll still hear a far bigger improvement if you get a better pre-amp.

In fact, if you could only use a lower range power-amp with the NAC 112x because the bigger Naim power amps do not have a built in pre-amp power supply. So you'd be swapping an older entry level Naim power-amp for a newer entry level Naim power amp. I think they'd sound pretty similar!

The other thing you should consider is a power supply for the NAC 112x. That would be a noticeable upgrade and would provide greater flexibility for the future. I would also recommend upgrading the power supply before the power amp.

Speakers are a very personal thing. If you like the sound of them and they work well in your system that's all that matters. You may hate the speakers that I like! ;0)

Hicap CB series (recapped) is on its way to my home to feed NAC112x.
I will also try how does NAP150 handles the stuff.
I think I haven't failed in choicewith Naim on Living Voices.
Good Match.
Other good matches were Lavardin and Border Patrol, also a Conrad Johnson, i.e. all valve based hiend gear.

 

[Vicca Tito]

Naim equipment likes to be left on. The sound can be bright and in the opinion of some, harsh, from cold, but improves markedly if left on.

Yes, it was left turned on, no debate.

 

[Mr Pig]

Hicap CB series (recapped) is on its way to my home

You should notice the difference. Do you have proof that it has been recapped? Sometimes people say they have recapped Naim stuff in order to sell it but they haven't. Ask for the receipt. And when was it recapped? Last week, fine. Ten years ago, it's probably going to need done again soon.

For future reference, you can change the capacitors in Naim power supplies yourself quite easily. You just buy new ones and swap them over. You cannot do this with power amps though as they need to be adjusted to suit the new caps.

I got a mail from a guy just he other day. He's been using valve amps for years, his system sounded really good too. He picked up a Naim Nait 2 at a good price, just to see what it was like, and he's blown away by it! Loves it. Says that it has totally changed his views on Naim products. I wish more people would be open-minded enough to just try things.

 

[trailer]

If you can get the serial number Naim themselves should have a record of it's service history if it was done by an official vendor.

 

[Vicca Tito]

You should notice the difference. Do you have proof that it has been recapped? Sometimes people say they have recapped Naim stuff in order to sell it but they haven't. Ask for the receipt. And when was it recapped? Last week, fine. Ten years ago, it's probably going to need done again soon.

For future reference, you can change the capacitors in Naim power supplies yourself quite easily. You just buy new ones and swap them over. You cannot do this with power amps though as they need to be adjusted to suit the new caps.

I got a mail from a guy just he other day. He's been using valve amps for years, his system sounded really good too. He picked up a Naim Nait 2 at a good price, just to see what it was like, and he's blown away by it! Loves it. Says that it has totally changed his views on Naim products. I wish more people would be open-minded enough to just try things.

Officialy it was upgraded to olive range of hicaps, with replaced capacitators some time after that as I recall.
Anyway, I'm gonna check the unit when I get one, but am also very curious about the caps best suited for Hicap and the way how to do that by myself?

 

[Mr Pig]

I am also very curious about the caps best suited for Hicap and the way how to do that by myself?

There are a few people selling capacitors for the HiCap, like Avondale Audio for one.

Changing them is easy, in fact you don't even need to solder anything. You unscrew the clamp holding the two caps in place, unbolt the wires from the tops of the caps and bolt in the new ones. That's it!

The only thing you need to watch is that you connect the caps the right way round.

 

[trailer]

All I would say is if you start doing DIY with "non standard" parts it will likely affect it's resale value. If that bothers you of course.

 

[Mr Pig]

You could buy capacitors from a Naim dealer if you want to keep things 'authentic' but it will of course cost more. Probably about double. Obviously more if you get them to fit them.

It's also worth noting that Naim don't make capacitors, they just buy them off the shelf, and have used different brands over the years.