Mix and match.

[CycleCoach]

Is it possible to use an NVA pre amp with, say, a pair of Naim NAP 135s?

The Naim cable routing through the HiCap is what makes me wonder (star earthing? Is that a thing?)

Anyway I would like to try maybe a P90 in there instead maybe with some special cabling?

Thanks in advance.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

I will let others comment. Some people have tried and hated it, some have tried and liked it.

[CycleCoach]

My Dad said the same to me on my wedding day.......

[guydarryl]

[_D_S_J_R_]

You can use a Naim preamp with anything, as it's so safely band limited, but it was never recommended the other way round, as Naim amps of old needed the band-limited preamps to keep them stable and as distortion free as possible (any ultrasonic hf in your system from either MC cartridges or noisy digital - SACD especially - may make the amps limit with audible, tweeter killing? effects with a 'wide-open' preamp I understand).

135's are rather better than lower caste Naims at least when new I remember, due to better transistor matching amongst other things, so you may just get away with it, but I'm not sure you'd genuinely get a better sound overall, but that depends on how your 135's are behaving.

Sorry this isn't what you want to hear.

[CycleCoach]

DSJR, are you Noel Keywood in disguise? Your grammatically poor sentence construction is very typical of his often published style.

Thanks Terry but this person gave me open advice: I will listen and take my own council.

What is your contribution to my enquiry at this stage?

[_D_S_J_R_]

The Doc will confirm I'm not.

I've known Naim practically since the beginning in the mid 70's and didn't want to scare the OP off. I've used Naim preamps with other power amps but the recommendation has always been for their preamps to be used with their power amps.

Where Naim were the first to make a big thing about power supplies for their low level circuits and took the output inductor out of the modified 1950's RCA PA amp circuit also used in Sinclair project kits I recall (made over-crossovered 70's speakers sound more 'exciting'), I feel NVA have looked again at the signal path and come up with a simpler and more novel way of doing the amplifying job.

Brainwashed, cloth-eared? I disagree. In the early 80's, what did we have freely available on the UK market? The 'terrible two' and the magazines had a complete hold on 80% of the supposed better dealers (sorry Doc, but your pal PM had a huge part in this - Colloms later) and so many of the alternatives (Meridian, Quad) lacked direction, Meridian especially back then and the burgeoning Ab Sounds portfolio was full of even more expensive bling, even before Krell got going. 135's are old now, worth as much or more as they cost new, despite in my experience needing setting up and servicing every few years (maybe current caps are more tolerant) and sounded less forced and harsh than the lower models (Nait 1 excepted).

[CycleCoach]

Here's the thing.

I'm not going to throw money at my system like I did before I had kids and responsibilities and I asked *if it was possible* to mix and match as this seemed like it could be an easy win if there was a gain to be made. The thing is I'm pretty sure my power amps aren't "crap" and I chose them (as I thought at the time (early 90s)) carefully. I am pretty sure there should be better sounding stuff out there these days, but as I haven't been part of any HiFi "scene" for many years I really don't know what I should be looking for. Hence joining here. Hence asking questions.

Maybe I do have cloth ears in my brainwashed head, or perhaps you were irked at being called out on an irrelevant personal comment TerryMadher? but I can assure you I have no interest in "controlling" this thread or any other - I just asked a question about kit - that's what I want to talk about. If you don't like Naim stuff then that is of interest to me and I will take it on board: and then make up my own mind. For your opinion on kit I thank you.

[slinger]

Put your handbags away please. Address the post not the poster.

[antonio66]

Why not give it a try, I think you would need some of these although check with Flashback first. http://www.flashbacksales.co.uk/acatalo ... html#SID=9
I eventually purchased 135's which were on my want list for many years after hearing them at dem against active 250. Only 3 people preferred the 135's out of 30, but they were so much more relaxed/ musical than the 250. They never really drove my Shahinian Obelisks though. I do think they can be well and truly bettered now, since hearing a wider variety of amps.