Naim poweramps 180 & 250

[tomaso]

Poweramp
Naim nap 180 (new 1.800 euros, now 750 euros)
Specs:nap 180
Power output
Continuous, 8 ohms 60 watts per channel
Transient 300VA

Naim nap 250 (new 4.000 euros, now 1.500 euros) recap 500 euros
Power output
Continuous, 8 ohms 70 watts per channel
Transient 400VA
Voltage gain +29dB
Mark Levinson no. 383 (new 10.000 euros, now 3.500)
Power output
Continuous, 8 ohms 100 watts per channel
Transient ?
Voltage gain 27.6dB
Input impedance 19k ohms

Well I tought I had a good setup with a Naim180 pa as the engine of the Aerius' system.
Years later I hooked a fresh, 220volts (yeah guys), fully recapped Naim 250 on it and it suddenly struck me.
My Aerius' are nearly dead!
I got clipping all over the place and thought that something was wrong with the amp.

My brother who lives just a floor up came to the rescue with his set.
We hooked the Logans to his Levinson 383 and I hooked the 250 to his B&W 801 series III N.

The neighbourhood was not extremely happy with this new soundstage and enthousiasm as it was more or less very creamy and hellshrinking in volumes, but an eyeopener in clarity (and u-boat low level hertzes)..

My Logans meassured down in mid and high very slowly indeed, and without a proper listing week in years (wife and infant were on vacation...) I could find out this bitter discouvery. Okay, the birthyear of my Logans is 1997 a.d. and I tend to smoke a cigar or two...

We hooked up the Logans to the Levinson and it did not produce any sound in mid or high untill this Madrigal device was pulling a rocky6 in db. Woofers were doing there best too..

Therefore I can not say clearly that the 250 is a good amp for the Aerius, but the 180 was, only many years ago...

Damn I need a shower with them or new speakers!

 

[twich54]

much better tomaso !

 

[mentorron]

Poweramp
Naim nap 180 (new 1.800 euros, now 750 euros)
Specs:nap 180
Power output
Continuous, 8 ohms 60 watts per channel
Transient 300VA

Naim nap 250 (new 4.000 euros, now 1.500 euros) recap 500 euros
Power output
Continuous, 8 ohms 70 watts per channel
Transient 400VA
Voltage gain +29dB
Mark Levinson no. 383 (new 10.000 euros, now 3.500)
Power output
Continuous, 8 ohms 100 watts per channel
Transient ?
Voltage gain 27.6dB
Input impedance 19k ohms

Well I tought I had a good setup with a Naim180 pa as the engine of the Aerius' system.
Years later I hooked a fresh, 220volts (yeah guys), fully recapped Naim 250 on it and it suddenly struck me.
My Aerius' are nearly dead!
I got clipping all over the place and thought that something was wrong with the amp.

My brother who lives just a floor up came to the rescue with his set.
We hooked the Logans to his Levinson 383 and I hooked the 250 to his B&W 801 series III N.

The neighbourhood was not extremely happy with this new soundstage and enthousiasm as it was more or less very creamy and hellshrinking in volumes, but an eyeopener in clarity (and u-boat low level hertzes)..

My Logans meassured down in mid and high very slowly indeed, and without a proper listing week in years (wife and infant were on vacation...) I could find out this bitter discouvery. Okay, the birthyear of my Logans is 1997 a.d. and I tend to smoke a cigar or two...

We hooked up the Logans to the Levinson and it did not produce any sound in mid or high untill this Madrigal device was pulling a rocky6 in db. Woofers were doing there best too..

Therefore I can not say clearly that the 250 is a good amp for the Aerius, but the 180 was, only many years ago...

Damn I need a shower with them or new speakers!

I also have the original Aerius, which I have powered since the late 1990s with an Adcom GFA6000 5 channel power amp in 2 channel mode (that gives those channels a bit more power reserve, I believe). I have always been satisfied with the sound and had originally heard these speakers with much more expensive amps in showrooms before I bought these (used) back then. I did mention to the salesman that I'd heard I'd need at least a Classe or Bryston power amp for them (as they were the popular choices back then), but he felt that for my usage the Adcom would be the "sweet spot between cost and performance. Most of my listening is Classical Chamber Music but sometimes it's full orchestra and infrequently jazz and the old "crooners" (Bing, Frank, Tony, etc). I have LPs, cassette tapes and CDs. I NEVER listen at high volumes levels, maybe 85 db at the very most?
Also the issue about 2 ohm and even 1 ohm loads: from the tests I've read about the Aerius those are mostly in the vicinity of 20kHz where there is little "music", mostly faint overtones of high pitched instruments. It stays at 4 ohms or better below 8kHz.