Naim NAT05: outdoor aerial needed to shine?

[Audiofoolius]

I just (impulsively) bought a second hand Nat05 tuner to accompany my Nait 5i and CD5i. As it's impossible for me to install an outdoor aerial at my place I wonder if an indoor solution would give satisfactory sonic results. Could somebody reassure me that I haven't made a huge error in judgement having bought this tuner? I have always wanted this tuner (as it looks great and is said to sound wonderful), but couldn't afford buying it new.

 

[chebby]

I just (impulsively) bought a second hand Nat05 tuner to accompany my Nait 5i and CD5i. As it's impossible for me to install an outdoor aerial at my place I wonder if an indoor solution would give satisfactory sonic results. Could somebody reassure me that I haven't made a huge error in judgement having bought this tuner? I have always wanted this tuner (as it looks great and is said to sound wonderful), but couldn't afford buying it new.

A good outdoor aerial is essential with the NAT05. I had one for two years with the same amp and CDP that you use.

Don't worry. They keep their value. I paid £450 for mine and got £450 when I sold it.

 

[Audiofoolius]

Thanks for the reply, Chebby!

I must say that FM reception is rather good where I live. I'd give it a go to see how it sounds. If it's not up to scratch I'll sell it.

Would something like this make a difference if I placed it indoor: http://www.magnumdynalab.com/fmantenna-st2.htm

 

[chebby]

Frankly I wouldn't go buying any expensive indoor aerial solutions. They are usually a waste of money.

I would go for a decent, inexpensive, Japanese FM tuner with excellent sensitivity & selectivity (and good rejection of spurious signals) and a mono switch.

This sort of tuner (usually designed with the Americans and their distant FM stations in mind) would be far better than the Naim at pulling in a decent signal from an indoor ribbon aerial.

Here is an example for £40 that i'd snap up if I were you (given that it also looks gorgeous in a retro 1970s sort of way) and looks well looked after ...

clicky

If - as you say - reception is pretty good where you are, then a simple 75 Ohm ribbon aerial (get one at Maplin) will probably be ok. Make sure you actually put the 'dipole' of the ribbon aerial (the horizontal of the 'T' shape) up quite high in the room and affix it to something like a picture rail. (Opposite a window is a good place if the transmitter is somewhere in that direction.)

Maplin FM ribbon aerial for £6.99.

(Don't stuff it down the back of a cabinet like most people used to!)

All the other 'amplified' / 'powered' indoor aerial solutions are usually b#####s for the money they cost (often more than a decent tuner from ebay) and invariably end up just amplifying a signal that was poor to begin with.

Experiment with placement of the ribbon aerial (depends largely on which direction the transmitter is relative to your home) and good luck.

Sell the Naim though. You are never going to know what it is capable of without a decent rooftop aerial.

 

[AlbaBrown]

An outdoor antenna is strongly recommended to get the best out of the NAT05, but if you are in a strong area a more specialised aerial in a loft space would suffice. Sadly many aerial installers class those horrible little omin-directional types as "good enough" for radio, so it's worth finding one with more knowledge.

But certainly the NAT05 is more forgiving than the old NAT 01. It demanded the best and it's input was relatively insensiitive compared to (poorer sounding) rivals.

All said and done, the NAT 05 fed with a good signal will wipe the floor with ANY DAB radio.

 

[plastic penguin]

This is a problem with most FM tuners.

I have an outdoor aerial but my area is crummy in terms of signal reception.

 

[Audiofoolius]

Wow, thanks a lot for your extremely useful input, Chebby.

Now I sure have a good idea of what my possibilities are.

If it sounds decent I just might be tempted to keep it as it will probably look pretty cool in my all Naim set. :doh:

@ AlbaBrown: that's what I am hoping for. Nobody lives above me, so that might be an advantage.

@ PP: I think an outdoor aerial can be essential in places where reception is very poor.

 

[Audiofoolius]

The NAT05 has been delivered this morning. It sounds way better than every tuner I ever had just with a simple ribbon aerial! :dance:

I think I'll keep it as (1) it sounds great already, (2) it looks magnificent with my other Naim stuff and (3) maybe I'll can have a rooftop aerial in my next place in a couple of years. 8)

I just have a quick question: is it possible to set the presets without a remote? There was neither a remote nor an owners manual to find in the box. :doh: Or would the remote of the Nait 5i be capable of doing this?

 

[chebby]

I just have a quick question: is it possible to set the presets without a remote? There was neither a remote nor an owners manual to find in the box. :doh: Or would the remote of the Nait 5i be capable of doing this?

My old Narcom 4 remote handset controlled the NAT05 functions perfectly. (Press 'TUN' button for 'Tuner'). I sold my NAT05 with original box, packaging, instructions and remote (still unused and sealed as I didnt need it) and Naim 5 pin DIN interconnect. Your vendor should have provided all this (some sell all these items separately to make a few extra quid).

 

[Audiofoolius]

My old Narcom 4 remote handset controlled the NAT05 functions perfectly. (Press 'TUN' button for 'Tuner'). I sold my NAT05 with original box, packaging, instructions and remote (still unused and sealed as I didnt need it) and Naim 5 pin DIN interconnect. Your vendor should have provided all this (some sell all these items separately to make a few extra quid).

In the ad the seller wrote that a remote, owners manual and the original box would be included. None of this turns out to be the case. The box is from a Naim ND5 XS btw. I did believe that a professional and well reputed hifishop would do better...

So it is impossible to set the presets for me now? My Nait 5i remote only has a 'CD' button, no other sources are mentioned.

 

[chebby]

My old Narcom 4 remote handset controlled the NAT05 functions perfectly. (Press 'TUN' button for 'Tuner'). I sold my NAT05 with original box, packaging, instructions and remote (still unused and sealed as I didnt need it) and Naim 5 pin DIN interconnect. Your vendor should have provided all this (some sell all these items separately to make a few extra quid).

In the ad the seller wrote that a remote, owners manual and the original box would be included. None of this turns out to be the case. The box is from a Naim ND5 XS btw. I did believe that a professional and well reputed hifishop would do better...

So it is impossible to set the presets for me now? My Nait 5i remote only has a 'CD' button, no other sources are mentioned.

I guess you must have a much older version of the Naim remote. This is the version (NARCOM4) that was provided with both my Nait 5i and CD5i at the time (about 5 years ago) ...

http://www.hifix.co.uk/graphics/pics/large/29437.jpg

... as you can see it had the 'TUN' button for the tuner.

The older remote handset (NARCOM 3?) has a tuner selection button too ...

clicky

Have you got a photo of yours?

Anyway, get on to the dealer who sold you the tuner and get the remote handset and the instructions that he said were included. Hopefully he just forgot and will send them on to you.

If not, then such a "professional and well reputed hifishop" needs to be named here. (And reported to Naim if they are an official Naim dealer.)

 

[Audiofoolius]

I also bought my Nait 5i and CD5i second hand in 2010 and I realise now that there was no RC included of the 5i amp, but only one - actually two! :wall: - of the CD5i. :O

I contacted the seller and he promised he would set it straight. I'll give him the chance to do it before exposing his identity. As I am not a resident of the UK it isn't a UK seller, I can tell you that.