102/180 to 202/200?

Hi-Fi Corner
1

Hi all,
I’m a bit old school, being familiar with the olive range, but have no experience with the “newer” black boxes.

It appears to me that the 202/200 was placed as a successor to the 102/180…
Is that correct?

If so, what could I expect to gain from changing my 102/hicap/napsc/180 to a 202/hicap2/napsc2/200 ?

My longer term goal, currently, is to aim at 282/250-2 (perhaps 252 if the right one were to present itself)

So, would it be a worthwhile upgrade to stop off at 202/200 on the way, as I won’t be entertaining the possibility of a 282/250-2 for probably around 6 months yet…

In the meantime, I have plans for a speaker upgrade and a streamer of some type.
Currently, I’ve been trying out some streaming with a modest trial run using a tablet and a Chord Mojo and have been favourably impressed, so intend to go ahead with a streamer.

So in short, would there be much to gain at changing to a 202/200 in the meantime, or if the upgrade were to be fairly minimal, should Ijust wait and jump straight to the 282/250-2 in 6 months, or so?

Any thoughts much appreciated!

2

If it was me, I’d stick with where you are at the moment and put the funds towards the 282 /250 combo rather than taking the 202/200 mid step. Look for a 250DR rather than the 250-2.

I’d also suggest getting the front end sorted first before going the 282 route…

4 Likes
3

Thanks for your reply!

Yes, the front end is going primarily toward streaming, I think…
This is why my “meantime” plan is speaker and streamer purchases, delaying the amp upgrafes…
Basically an almost whole system change, in the end.

4

As the other member has said I’d skip the 200/202 as an intermediate step. 200/202 is fine but would be an unnecessary cost if you’re aiming for a 282/250 in the near future.

5

How about looking for an 82… :thinking:

Will blow the 102 away. Totally.

Or even a 72… :astonished:

4 Likes
6

Another vote for going straight to the 282/250 here. A 282 would fit into your present system perfectly and you could add the 250 later to stagger the cost.

7

Same. I had 102/180 and went first to 282 and then 250-2. Personally I thought the 250-2 was great, and whilst I had mine DR-ed, I’d still be v happy if I hadn’t. 202 was only a marginal upgrade over the 102.

8

You might want to hold off. The “black stuff” has been around for over 20 years and may well be awaiting a significant update/replacement.

3 Likes
9

I wouldn’t fuss with the 202/200, not worth the effort. I’d grab a SN2 or SN3 and go from there.

10

Yes, that was my intended goal for many years now - 82, maybe 52.

Thats actually what started the whole thing off! A friend of mine had a 52/supercap system. This put me on the Naim path about 15 years ago now…

Then, I went through the last 10 years not actively concerned with upgrading.

Recently, I’ve caught the bug again!
But this time I started to consider going the “black box” route, hence the original question…

I would be very happy to receive opinions about olive vs black box counterparts, although Im not sure if that ought to be a new topic?

11

You just need a 72. Then sit back and enjoy your music.

3 Likes
12

If you don’t want to go to a 282, which is much better by the way. Even with a 282 I would not bother with a Supercap. If you have a 202 then get a Hicap and NAPSC. Then when funds permit go to the 282.
Personally I would stay with the 202 and 200 and possibly add the Hicap and NAPSC and that’s it.

As always give this time and try to enjoy what you have if possible

14

Yes I mean napsc. Thanks for correcting. I corrected as well

1 Like
15

Any dealer will be thrilled to have you walk through their door if you keep buying new ‘boxes’ and trading up through the range in individual steps. They will be able to take a ‘cut’ each and every time that you buy, sell or part exchange each product, particularly if you intend to keep doing this over a six-month period.

You would be far better to buy straight off whichever preamp you want to have ultimately at the heart your system (in your case a 252). Then just wait until funds become available and buy the 250-2 when you can afford it.

16

I try to avoid advice like that. Not knowing the financial capacity of people and their state of mind regarding upgraditus. Of course a 252 and 250 will please but it’s not in the reach of everyone, especially at today’s prices. I paid significantly less for my 252 plus Supercap and 300 ( the 300 was €7998 with a discount taken out of that, in 2004). I don’t remember for the pre-amp but significantly less than the price new today

17

I don’t know of the OP’s finances either, but the first post says that he/she wants to reach their ‘end’ system within 6 months. It seems to me that he/she would be throwing away many hundreds of pounds to move up the chain (if that be the correct analogy) buying and selling like crazy.

18

I went from a 202/200 with Hicap to a 252 plus Supercap/300. Kept the Hicap for a headline2. Swapped my cdx2 for a cds3. I already had the xps2. Also swapped my b&w 705s for SL2. The room to house it all was not ideal. Fortunately when we move to France we have a great room for it all.

Not knowing your personal circumstances I would certainly home demo at that level before committing so much money. I borrowed the complete system before I bought it and had it for a few weeks

19

An 82 is very similar to the current 282. It would be a bargain. Likewise 72 would be a big improvement on 102.

I wouldn’t bother with a 202 200 system.

An 82 HiCap 250 Olive or mix of CB, Olive and Black will compare well to a 282 HICap DR 250DR, but on a budget.

This is what alot of us have done.

1 Like
20

I had a 102, years ago - never liked it - sold it. I now have an 82 and a 72… Better.

2 Likes
21

Let me just clarify!

Yes, I am wanting to move to an 82 or 282, with a 250 or 250-2.
This will take me 5 or 6 months to save for.

My thoughts were whether an affordable intermediate upgrade to a 202/200, in the meantime, would give much improvement whilst saving for the end goal.
I dont intend to buy everything in between, on a weekly basis!! (Sorry, dealers!!)

One of my main interests, at the moment, is in discovering the sonic differences between the olive and black box counterparts?..
One member has already touched on this, but I’d like to hear some more experiences and opinions?

Thanks to all !