Naim NAC 552 Preamp

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Bonsai said:
I cannot see how an 800VA transformer can help on a pre-amp

But dressing up a Nuvotem Talema toroidal to look like a Holden & Fisher is rather amusing, No ?
 

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Bonsai said:
However, I cannot se e how an 800VA trasformer can help on a pre-amp,


My own anecdotal tests show that there is a significant audible difference between different transformers and generally bigger is better. However, i believe that in a preamp isolation from mains noise is extremely important and an EI transformer with split bobins is a lot better than a huge toroid. But it doesn't fit in a slim case.
 
analog_sa said:
But it doesn't fit in a slim case.

The powersupply case of my preamp holds four 200VA R-cores for the amp stages, and those have 0.2" lower height than an 800VA.

The NAIM 552 is close to twice as expensive as a BT, with twice as much hardwire, and a whole lot more Reed switches (CP Clare types, the later Sumida RemTech Corp. PRMA, now Coto 8L)
Yet nobody seems to get upset about the 552, notta bad for a preamp that uses a couple of motorized Alps pots for volume attenuation.
Jolly old Britain, thank goodness the Naim Powerline is only a mere $600. :clown:

(Personally i favor the looks of the inside of a CTC powersupply any day)
 

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Absolutely, first 85% import duty to the UK and then 17.5% VAT added, a second round of fun and games follows when the item is imported into another country, much better to wind them in Ireland.
At least twice shy the current $30K, must be tradition for Naim, the 1/2" thick and full width suspended brass subchassis still is rare however.
I must say their latest phono stage is rather handsome, and possibly hard to resist in the UK at the current [still dropping] exchange rate, close to $900 cheaper than the suggested retail number of $3.2K here.

But isn't the Isle just lovely, end of April i'll be blasting to Calais for a week of lavish luxury leisure in Hastings and in August it's a ferry fare to upon Tyne for 70 miles walk the walk of Hadrian's wall, plus some Limey goodies shopping.
(serves as an anti-suit clause against any Kingdom contempt allegations :clown: )
 
Sorry to flog a dead horse, but just to go back to the specs as shown on the Naim website, it says Main Output = 0.775V.
I interpret that as 0.775V regardless of source, which would leave one to conclude that less than unity gain is used on the CD input (CD output being 2V).
Sorry everyone, but this is really playing on my mind.
 
You should have said so earlier on. The 0.775v is the full tilt output at 75mV input. The 0.775v is the sensitivity for max power of many power amps so it means that if a source has only 75mV output it will still be able to drive the power amp to full power.

2v input is only academic as at full volume it will most probably clip the preamp, not to mention the power amp. The 40db headroom quoted concerns only the tape monitor output.

Clearer?
 
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