Planar Speaker Asylum Welcome! Need support, you got it. Or share your ideas and experiences.

---

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Planar Speaker Asylum ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

RE:Good luck

Posted by Davy (A) on August 12, 2010 at 16:40:53

In Reply to: RE:Good luck posted by Satie on August 12, 2010 at 14:35:44:

Thanks Satie,
Wow you really know your stuff, - thanks for the great insight into the Naim amps (don't understand it all of course!, but I can follow it and its very interesting) . I've heard people say before the cable issue with Naim amps was just so they make you buy their own cable!, but its interesting to know it has some merit (having less components in the amp). I will say for sure my Dad's 80s set up of 32.5/HICAP/NAP250 pre/power combo was never less than magic with the MGIIIs. It was a really great combination in my opinion. I later tried those MGIIIs on some cheaper NAD amps (and some other better amps too) and they never sounded anything like as good as they did with the Naim amps. I heard that system in a lot of rooms too, some big, some small, and the NAP250 (like I say rated 70 watts into 8, 120 into 4) never did seem to run out of steam, - just driving the speakers passively with the crossover box with a single NAP250. It did however sometimes get very hot and maybe after 8 hours constant use or so it did sometimes shut down for some reason! So yeah the 250 drove the MGIIIs really great despite looking on paper like it doesn't have enough grunt. I think the amount of Ampage/current that amp can supply is pretty high compared to most amps of similar power so that probably helps a lot with Maggies. I suppose it depends on how loud you like your music. For some that like REALLY loud volumes the NAP250 would no doubt come up short.

I personally really like the mid/treble of the Naim amps, - perhaps like you say in the future I could use a Naim power amp on the mid/treble section and a class D amp on the bass in active mode, - would be ideal I guess. I think the Naim power amps are class B designs, not the more usual class AB design.

The Naim amps did indeed have really great dynamics with the MGIIIs, - they made the speaker really come alive, but I am thinking that whilst the dynamics are not as good with the Quad amps I have, perhaps using rigid stand with my Maggies might help a lot with the dynamics. We'll see I might aim for Naim amps in the long term. It will cost so much more than the Quad amps for some used 80s chrome bumper stuff like my Dad had but it might be just about attainable for me if I sold a lot of stuff! But I would have to factor in servicing I guess if they had not had it already! And sending it back to Naim for servicing is well known to be EXPENSIVE!

Some people say Naim amps have over the top dynamics but I think it depends on the speaker, - my Dad's Naims worked well with the Maggie in my opinion. I heard a different Naim system at a guys house last year (about £30K worth of kit, - and it was actually a 10 year old system!, - CDS2/52/supercap/NAP500, - but a lot newer than the stuff my Dad had). This guy had big Naim DBL speakers and boy the system sounded horrible to me, - very loud, harsh, hard and such a massive massive unnatural overemphasis of dynamics. Its was mainly due to the speakers I think, - I really didn't like those DBLs, - more like a PA system or something. Crash bang wallop extraordinaire but it was so obviously not like real life! There was little clarity in the treble compared to Maggies too. Just coarse and nasty!

Maybe the newer NAP 500 power amp sounds more overly dynamic like that than the NAP250 does , or maybe it was the speaker or the combination but I really didn't like it at all!

I've heard many times that the 80s Naim chrome bumper kit is the best sounding Naim kit as that the stuff Julian Vereker designed /voiced. Opinions do vary though and the new stuff is very popular but some people think the older stuff is better. But like I say on the used market any of the main 3 type of Naim equipment (70s 80s chrome bumper, 90s olive case and the current 2000+range) cost so much money, even here. The prices in the USA much be even higher I guess! And new the prices of the current Naim range are insane! How about a CD player for £20K?!
Similar to Linn stuff, - just ever increasing prices every year!

Yes the Yaqin is an integrated amp, - it has some line level inputs which I think (!) go through an active line stage and one other different input which they call "pure post stage" which I think bypasses the line stage but the volume control still works, and it has less input sensitivity. I think its a more direct route to the power amp but I'm not sure.
I can't test the amp now though, - its need fixing as its got a problem hum and also it won't even work at the moment as some water got in the circuit board (I think!) and at a point on the circuit board the HT arcs when you switch the amp on (very scary clicking sound!) so it needs to be fixed. I could try to bypass the arching point on the circuit board myself with a wire and it might work (and I had a look I can see where the spark/arching is!), but I just don't want to risk going inside this amp as I am aware of how high the voltages are!
I will get it fixed soon, - its been sitting dead for nearly a couple of years now!
The amp sounded quite good with the Proacs but it had different problems with the two type of inputs (normal active inputs and "pure post stage"). The active inputs had the hum (Pure post stage did not), active inputs had a fuller sound (than pure post stage), but a rolled off treble (the pure post stage input is less rolled off at the top for some reason). The pure post stage input sounds thiner than the active inputs. I think you are meant to use the pure post stage input with an active preamp but I'm not sure. Its got lower input sensitivity as well.

Here is a photo of it
http://www.uraltone.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/yaqin-ms-300b_1.jpg

You can see the "pure post stage" input selector is the button on the left with the box around it. The amp uses a 5U4GB rectifier, 12AT7 line tubes, 6SN7 tubes as drivers and 2 300Bs. It has 8 ohms and 4 ohms speaker taps from the output transformers. Here is the schematic, - means very little to me though!, - on a glance does it look any good? (don't worry if you don't have time to look at it though of course!).
http://www.4tubes.com/SCHEMATICS/Hi-Fi-Brands/YAQIN/Yaqin-MS-300B.jpg

Its a heavy amp, - 27kg or so, there seems to be a lot of weight in the transformers, (though I heard that weight there does not always equate to quality). From what I remember it has quite a pure sound but its a little clinical sounding. The guy I bought it from reckoned that just how single ended amps sound, but I have since spoken to a real pro (the guy who I am going to get to fix this amp) who suggested that its possible to make a 300B single ended amp sound any way you want, if you know how to do circuit design. This guy told me that as well as fixing it he play around with it and try to turn it into something really special (I guess by upgrading parts and possibly altering the circuit) I ask him if he could do that, but he said it would be pricey to do , - near to £1k most probably - well more than the amp cost to buy new! (have no doubt it would be worth it though if I had the money, but I will give it a miss and just get it repaired I think!)

Sorry this message seem to be going on a long time, - of course don't worry if you don't have time to reply to these every day, - just if you have time etc!

I tried the Quad 99 preamp tonight,- not had time at all to test it properly yet but on first listen it sounds more trebly and more modern than the 66 preamp and less laid back. I am undecided. I think its better in my system but I have not tried out all the features yet and compared properly to all my other preamps , - will do at the weekend. The 66 does have a subtle sound which is nice and musical but its definitely a bit fuller and more laid back than the 99 which is probabyl not so good for the 2.7s. Funnily enough the tilt control on the 66 does seem quite a lot better/more effective than the one on the 99 for some reason (I though the newer preamp would have a better tilt!),- similar of course but the 66s one just seems to really work very well,- perhpas it jsut suits my speakers/room better than the 99 tilt?
So I am not sure which of these two to keep, - I suppose it will be the 99 as I think it matches my system a bit better. ITs abit more lively and modern sounding than the 66. I also need to try out its adjustable phono inputs which I have not done yet. The 99 input sensitivity can be switched between 100mV, 300mV, or 775mV (100mV is the loudest). 300mV and 775mV input sensitivity for this preamp seem to both work well with the 606 power amp (100mV is too much). Do you think I might get better dynamics drive you using the 300mV louder input sensitivity rather than the 775mV? Or is this not related to the output level of the preamp?, - is it just an input level adjuster (I don't quite understand it to tell the truth!)

I tried the Promethius and Moth preamps again, - both do sound good in terms of the detail and purity with the 606 amp (its very useful that power amp has such high sensitivty, - ideal for these passives). A loss of dynamics compared to the active pres yes, but for music with not so much dynamic requirements the extra purity of them is really good. The promethius is more detailed t the top which is nice but the Moth is quite good too, - I might keep it, - I would only get about £90-100 selling it and it might come in handy for active operation). Promitheus I am not sure but I do like it for sure, - I will probably keep it. Its interesting what you say about the output voltage, - so I might do better using a DAC with higher output voltage than using a CD player. Do many DACs Have high output levels like the one with 10Vs you mention or it that not so common?

I am sure the 3.3R tweeter strips are at eh post office depot here down the road, so I am now free to take the 3.3Rs home, - probabyl early next week. But I need to get a Behringer and also work out how to set everything up of course!

Anyway, sorry for such a long message, - I will stop droning on now and I hope I've have not sent you to sleep reading this!,
All the best,
Colin

Edits: 08/12/10 08/12/10

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---