Nait 5i - how can I connect a head amp?

[admin_exported]

So I finally gave in and replaced my Audiolab 8000A with a Naim Nait 5i -- was quite pleased to get it for under £400 in great condition. So far I'm really liking it, though unfortunately I got home quite late today and can't blast it yet. However now I'm slightly confused about how to connect my Little Dot Mk III headphone amplifier to it.

With my Audiolab, I could connect the headphone amp to my tape loop, then use the tape input switcher to choose the input for the headphones. Since it was a mechanical switch, this handily worked even if the Audiolab was off. So I could really easily switch to the head amp just by turning off my main amp, turning on the head amp, and setting the Audiolab to whichever input I wanted.

The problem with the Nait is that it needs to be on to pass a signal through the tape loop, and unfortunately there's not a second switch for the tape input. Furthermore the volume of the Nait seems to control the volume of the tape out, which does not seem to be the case on the Audiolab.

This is quite inconvenient, since I do have four sources and two outputs (speakers and headphones). With the audiolab it was quite simple to switch between them, but with the Nait it's not obvious that it's possible.

Any suggestions?

 

[chebby]

Have you used the 'mon' (monitor) button on your Nait 5i remote yet?

With an actual tape deck connected you would select the source you want to record from by pressing the appropriate source button (AV, Tuner, CD) and when recording you would press the 'mon' button to monitor from the tape. (Pressing 'mon' again returns to listening to source.)

I don't know what happens when pressing 'mon' with a headphone amp connected (instead of a tape deck) because my DAC serves as the headphone amp and it is independent from the amp in that respect.

 

[Anonymous]

OK scratch that, the Naim volume does not control the volume of the tape out. The problem is slightly more annoying -- the Naim remote seems to send the same IR signals as my Hauppauge remote which controls the volume on my computer. Not sure how I'm going to solve this.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm, my remote doesn't seem to have a Mon button. This is a non-italic 5i, not sure if that matters.

Anyway, I've figured out that I can get the effect I want by leaving the Nait on, selecting the input, and turning it all the way down. Seems a bit silly but it works.

Now to stop my computer from accepting signals from the Naim remote...

 

[chebby]

lydgate:Anyway, I've figured out that I can get the effect I want by leaving the Nait on, selecting the input, and turning it all the way down. Seems a bit silly but it works.

There is a mute function on the remote. (Well, there is on mine.)

 

[chebby]

lydgate:Hmm, my remote doesn't seem to have a Mon button. This is a non-italic 5i, not sure if that matters.

I have the Narcom 4 remote.

I have looked at the old style remote (here) and it appears to have a 'mon' button. Still don't know if it will help though.

 

[Anonymous]

My remote appears to be an iCom according to the manual. It does have a mute button, but the mute seems to mute the tape loop too. But if I turn it low enough that the speakers can't be heard, then the tape loop to headphone amp does work.

I have a Harmony One so presumably if one of the other remotes would be preferable, I can set this remote up as one of the other Naim remotes.