Nak CA-5 Review

curved
curved Posts: 664
edited April 2010 in 2 Channel Audio
So I just received it today (B-day present for myself ;)) and I do have to say that it's a lot different sounding than I had expected. When I first turned it on, it sounded OK....almost like it lacked a little bottom end and sounded a bit flat. I did try it with both the 545 and 555. The more I listened to it, the more I am liking it. It is EXTREMELY accurate sounding and I have to say that the 8's don't sound bright at all. I would say they sound very neutral but detailed. I know this sounds odd especially for the RTi series...but after the mods, IC's and pre, it sounds REALLY nice. :D
Living Room:....................[HTML] [/HTML] Zone 2 (Workout Room):
AVR - Yamaha RX-V757......JBL 4312 Pro Monitors
Pre - Nak CA-5
AMP - Adcom 555 (Main)
Main - Polk RTI8**/RTiA5
AMP - Adcom 545II (Center)
Center - Polk CSiA4**
Sub - Snell Basis 300:p......Zone 3 (Outside)
CD - Yamaha CDC-555.......Def Tech AW5500
TV - Pani TH-42PZ80U
BR - LG BD390
Monster HTS1600 Power Center
Dedicated Circuit - (2) 20amp, (1) 15amp
Ben's IC, Canare 4S11
**Dayton and Sonicap Caps with Mills Resistors**
Post edited by curved on
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Comments

  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited March 2010
    As you move up the chain (in your case from an AVR to a dedicated pre) you'll find bass *seems* like it's less, but actually it's much more accurate and less colored and more tactile. I'm sure your AVR was emphasizing the bass and it wasn't really part of the original signal. The more you listen, the more accurate you'll find those same old recordings. Every recording should sound different.................because they are different.

    I think as you get more time in, you're really going to love it. Give a couple of weeks of extended listening and then put the AVR back in.............bet you'll wonder how you ever listened with an AVR as a pre. :)

    The Adcom and Nak are a nice combo. One thing I found when I had my Adcom is it really shines with the correct pre. Many say Adcom is bright, I never found that to be true. It seems synergy with a pre-amp is important with the Adcom.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • comfortablycurt
    comfortablycurt Posts: 6,745
    edited March 2010
    Sweet! Good to hear you're enjoying the tunes!

    I almost bought a Nak CA-5 when I was looking at pre's last year. In hind-sight, I kind of wish I had. I'm still quite happy with the Acurus L10 I'm using though...it sounds great paired up with my Adcom 545 and SDA2A's.:)
    The nirvana inducer-
    APC H10 Power Conditioner
    Marantz UD5005 universal player
    Parasound Halo P5 preamp
    Parasound HCA-1200II power amp
    PolkAudio LSi9's/PolkAudio SDA 2A's/PolkAudio Monitor 7A's
    Audioquest Speaker Cables and IC's
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited March 2010
    Nice !!!! Slowly converting over to 2 channel I see.
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  • curved
    curved Posts: 664
    edited April 2010
    leroyjr1 wrote: »
    Nice !!!! Slowly converting over to 2 channel I see.

    I am and loving every second of it.
    comfortablycurt wrote: »
    Sweet! Good to hear you're enjoying the tunes!

    I almost bought a Nak CA-5 when I was looking at pre's last year. In hind-sight, I kind of wish I had. I'm still quite happy with the Acurus L10 I'm using though...it sounds great paired up with my Adcom 545 and SDA2A's.:)

    Separates are big improvement in many ways.....although I think I'm pushing the limits on the RTi8's for music. I may just have to pick up some LSi9's to use with my 555.
    Living Room:....................[HTML] [/HTML] Zone 2 (Workout Room):
    AVR - Yamaha RX-V757......JBL 4312 Pro Monitors
    Pre - Nak CA-5
    AMP - Adcom 555 (Main)
    Main - Polk RTI8**/RTiA5
    AMP - Adcom 545II (Center)
    Center - Polk CSiA4**
    Sub - Snell Basis 300:p......Zone 3 (Outside)
    CD - Yamaha CDC-555.......Def Tech AW5500
    TV - Pani TH-42PZ80U
    BR - LG BD390
    Monster HTS1600 Power Center
    Dedicated Circuit - (2) 20amp, (1) 15amp
    Ben's IC, Canare 4S11
    **Dayton and Sonicap Caps with Mills Resistors**
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter