Hi
I have a Nad 314 with Mordaunt Short MS10i speakers, Cambridge Audio CD4 and Dacmagic2, bought in the late 90s. Over the years the bass became more loose and rumbling, and recently one of the woofers went open circuit, so I purchased some Wharfedale 12.1 as a replacement. I also replaced all the power capacitors in the amp.
The wharfedales are bright and sound good with vocals, but the bass completely overpowers any bassy tracks, especially electronica.
A discussion with Richer Sounds points me to the amp rather than the speakers which was my thinking too.
So, after reading for a few days, I'm trying to decide if replacing all the capacitors in the NAD will fix the issue - or perhaps just replacing capacitors which affect the bass? 3 of the power capacitors were around 30-50% of their rated value.
Thanks in advance for any advice or comments.
Ray
I have a Nad 314 with Mordaunt Short MS10i speakers, Cambridge Audio CD4 and Dacmagic2, bought in the late 90s. Over the years the bass became more loose and rumbling, and recently one of the woofers went open circuit, so I purchased some Wharfedale 12.1 as a replacement. I also replaced all the power capacitors in the amp.
The wharfedales are bright and sound good with vocals, but the bass completely overpowers any bassy tracks, especially electronica.
A discussion with Richer Sounds points me to the amp rather than the speakers which was my thinking too.
So, after reading for a few days, I'm trying to decide if replacing all the capacitors in the NAD will fix the issue - or perhaps just replacing capacitors which affect the bass? 3 of the power capacitors were around 30-50% of their rated value.
Thanks in advance for any advice or comments.
Ray
Hello Ray and welcome!
Did you experiment with speaker placement?
And did you try listening with another amp, to confirm your amp problem assumption?
Did you experiment with speaker placement?
And did you try listening with another amp, to confirm your amp problem assumption?
Hi stv
Yes, I've moved the speakers to a couple of places and now have them wall mounted. Unfortunately I don't have another amp I can try. I'll see if I can borrow one.
Is it known that capacitor replacement actually makes a big difference or is it very subjective?
Thanks
Yes, I've moved the speakers to a couple of places and now have them wall mounted. Unfortunately I don't have another amp I can try. I'll see if I can borrow one.
Is it known that capacitor replacement actually makes a big difference or is it very subjective?
Thanks
In many products it makes no difference, even if they are a few decades old. NAD amps often run hot in various locations on the PCB and they used... well lets say budget parts... so when it comes to NAD I would probably say change them all.
Having said that you must be under no illusions and we often see the results of 'recaps gone wrong' on the forum. Replace like for like and do not assume the circuit diagram, parts lists or board details are correct. Look at each cap for real and fit an exact replacement value wise and fit them the same way around as the original no matter if the circuit or board details show otherwise.
Also do not go increasing values because it seemed a good idea at the time 🙂 Good luck.
In some product it does - if there is half a dozen of "semi dried" (by ESR and signal loss measurements) lytics in signal path and you replace them with new ones then it is most probable that you can hear the difference - at least with good headphones.
That might be the or at least one reason for the bass boost.
You could try to stuff one or both reflex vents with cloth (socks?), just for a first try.
Hehe 🙂
In some it does, in many it doesn't. 'You pays your money and takes your choice' as the old saying goes.
A component tester will tell you if replacement of a cap is necessary or not. The standard Peak ESR70 tester is excellent for this. But a cheap one from ali will do fine for hobby use as well, search for a TC1 multifunction tester. They are well worth the investment.
But first of all, I agree with the comments above that excess bass likely has more to do with placement, the speaker itself, or the room than with dodgy caps in your amp. Try another amp before you start poking around in your NAD again.
But first of all, I agree with the comments above that excess bass likely has more to do with placement, the speaker itself, or the room than with dodgy caps in your amp. Try another amp before you start poking around in your NAD again.