You are receiving a considerable number of diplomatic hints to go for a NAC82, NAC282 or higher, with an Hicap power supply for the pre-amp.
You are most welcome to ignore the hints, as it will function safely and electrically with a more modest Naim pre-amp.
Good luck with whichever option you finally choose.
Best regards, BF
I havenāt tried the Atom He but it canāt come even close to a NDX2 and Nac 82/282 with Hicap. The 82/282 I would put firmly in the camp of high end. The Atom, which ever version is a lifestyle product. If it could compete with the 282 which the 82 can (and to these ears wins) it would be a catastrophe for Naim sales of their classic line.
By the way- ive noticed that i need a singe xlr male cable With a dual female 3pin on the other end. Kinky!
Thanks for the nudge getting a used 282 and new ndx2ā¦with some power supplies of course
The 250 is supplied with the cable required to connect it to a Naim preamp, which is a 4 pin DIN to XLR. Did the seller not include this with yours?
If Dfresheness is thinking of pairing the NAP250DR with an Atom HE then the DIN-XLR lead that came with the NAP250 canāt be used.
In this case, as the NAP250 input is single-ended, itās best to use the single-ended RCA Phono outputs on the Atom HE and avoid the balanced XLRs. It will though require a custom interconnect - 2 x RCA Phono to 1 x Cannon XLR.
This is blatant nonsense. A Gucci bag is a lifestyle product, a Naim Atom puts every device sold in a high street hifi shop to shame.
I had assumed he was coming round to the idea of a separate preamp in which case he shouldnāt need to buy a cable, but yes, it would be easy enough to get an RCA to XLR cable made.
Really? I would have thought it was a lifestyle product in line with other uniti products. Also in line with other life style products such as Goldnote IS-1000 but I must have misunderstood. Also I didnāt mean to insult anyone and am sorry if I did. However calling it blatant nonsense seems a bit harsh donāt you think?
Hi Lucifer, be assured that its not intended to sound harsh, but more a reference to previous discussions where Uniti products were called ālifestyleā products which quickly escalated. I should have included a reference to that and some :-).
A suitable source, separate pre-amp and power supply would probably be a better idea here, for sure.
Lucifer the atom is a very nice piece of kit which beats my old linn preamp and meridian amp.
Thank you i had already ordered the single male and dual female cableā¦.very kinky
Sure. Itās most likely a very fine piece of equipment in its cost bracket. However the NDX + 282/Hicap is not twice the price of the Atom HE but more than 4 times the price. So if it isnāt massively better Naim has done it wrong and they usually donāt (except 82 vs 282 
)
272 question. I have the opportunity to buy a 272 from a dealer for a very fair price (2500US) which I would utilize as a preamp for my 250 DR. I would additionally add an nd5xs2 or ndx 2 down the road. Would this be suitable for the the 250DR?
82 or 282 with hicap if youāre going for a separate streamer. As has already been stated! A 272 250 XPSDR is a finished system in itself.
Dan_M, Iām aware that its a finished system, Iām also aware of the streaming platform limitation of the 272, so without trying to be TOO thrifty, 2500US seems like a bargain for this as a preamp only and then could be enhanced by a current naim streamer? While Iād love to get a 282 plus and NDX 2 my wife has her eye onā¦decorating.
Hi Dfreshness,
without trying to sound rude but you seem to be looking at things a little bit willy-nilly here. Firstly, you appear to be trying to build your main system backwards, this causes a conundrum, as others have already explained above, regarding the source first mantra. Secondly, youāre trying to expand on a second system at the same time without trying to blow all of your budget, which again causes another conundrum.
You already have an Atom, keep that as your second system. You have already committed to a 250 DR (wrong move but hey ho, itās done now), so your next thing to do now is get a decent source & pre-amp such as a NDX 2/NAC282/HiCap DR. Youāll then be able to slum that system with some cheapo speakers until you can build your budget back up again? Also factor in a decent HiFi rack such as Fraim as wellā¦
Of course if you hadnāt of gone for the 250 to begin with then a NDX 2 and SN3 wouldāve been the most obvious choices here.
Iād also encourage caution about the 272 and its older streaming architecture as an ideal solution. If trying to keep total cost under control, getting a NAC82 from eBay may well cost under US$1500, and a Hicap more like half that, so much cheaper than a 282.
NickofWimbledon- I shall heed your advice and tread cautiously. I heard a 250DR/272 system 7 or so years ago and though that was all I ever needed. I just returned from a short vacation and there was a cable waiting for me that allowed me to use the Atom as streamer/pre with the 250DR as amp. While it has been described as a willy nilly approach, there is a method to my madness. My dealer had recommended using the Atom HE as streamer/pre (improved pre amp to the original atom) to a 250DR driving tune tots. I do understand the importance of the front end, and for my family situation I need to maximize this opportunity to build a system considering my wife, esthetics, size, and $$$.
I figured it would be nice to try the 250DR with my existing system. After just an hour listening I can report that the combination is a definite improvement over the original stand alone atom driving my bowers 705 S2ās. Soundstage, midrange and bass control are all improved, with the soundstage and increased āslamā being the most notable improvements.
I do think that having done this experiment has lead me not to think that the Atom HE/250DR combo might be a cheaper way to get to the same place, but instead to develop an appreciation for further isolating functions and noise in a system. I am very curious to find out how the nova would sound in comparison as well as what an SN3/NDX2 would sound like with associated power supplies. Yes the permutations of my primary/secondary systems is absurd, but it sure is fun. Iām considering the 82 preās for the next step~