250 vs 300

As you said , the 250 is safer. The 300 may be clearly better or overwhelm your room, as it did for me. And then you will have to bother on acoustic treatment, not an easy work.

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Given the deal on the 252/SC I’d definitely go for that. The SN2 as a power amp clearly drives your speakers well - you know that already - so this is a reasonable interim step. Whether you decide on 250DR or 300DR is a function of your wallet really but the 250DR is a damned fine poweramp…

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For what it’s worth. I have a small room and never for a second had the feeling in that 300DR overpower my setup compared to the 250DR. In my case it was more the opposite but no Naim amp I’ve owned have been a bass monster. If one have problem with this I’d say it’s a speaker issue, not amp.

Hi Slamdam, it can only be the fact that the more powerful amp with increased bandwidth= more bottom end energy simply kicks off room modes. These were always there but not as prevalent with in this case a 250. A higher ranking amp with a lower noise floor also makes it forever tempting to tweak the volume knob up a notch. It’s all about increased pressurisation really and viola room modes rear their ugly heads. ATB Peter

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Hi @Mike_S ,

These are my thoughts having a not dissimilar system to what you are proposing. With the 250CB I found it limiting at higher volumes. I changed it for 2 x 135sCB which is the modern day equivalent of the 300DR.

With that the sound signature was similar but with so much more power. And better at low volumes.

I don’t think the 300DR would be too much at all.

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You seem to have more space than Mike.
e_S

frenchrooster

3d

Here’s a panorama sweetie:

If we compare the distance between speakers

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That’s exactly it! :smiley:

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The better the amp the lower the noise floor is.
The lower the noise floor is the higher we tend to increase the volume.

…and the higher the volume, the more the room modes are present :dizzy_face:

  • So the easy answer to room modes : not buying nice gear :joy:

  • My advice would be : buying the best gear we can afford and… being gentle with the volume knob :innocent:

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Yeah, I can’t say that’s an easy one with the S1 in play mode Thomas :wink: ATB Peter

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Tweaking the volume and only realising how loud it is when your partner tries to tell you something.

“What?!” “Eh ?!” “Say that again?!” "Yeah, ok! (no real idea what she just said - get rid of the whole system?) :grinning:

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I think I need a 500 system then :grin:

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I think I’m confused. Will consult with dealer. Home demo not an option, so would prefer to edge on the side of caution.

Maybe I have missed this in the thread but what are the dimensions of you listening room @Mike_S ?

[quote=“Dan_M, post:578, topic:10131, full:true”]
Maybe I have missed this in the thread but what are the dimensions of you listening room @Mike_S ?
[/quote

3.7m x 5.1m - listening across the room. Being a basement it has concrete walls on 3 sides (with false timber and plaster walls) and a floating plywood floor over concrete with carpet, but a low ceiling (2.05m).

There is a thread here about how I moved my system:

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If you buy and can’t return the 300 dr, it would be very risky. There a 4 members here who preferred the 250 dr in their system and room, as a better match.
What is the height of the ceiling? It seems, on the pic, a bit low too.
I just seen the response above, as I was writing…

I loved my 250DR. The 300DR I now have is a better amp for sure though…

If cash isn’t a limiting factor chances are you’ll appreciate the finesse and control of the 300DR.

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I believe those going for 250DR instead of 300DR many times judge too fast. The 300DR need more time to be appreciated than the 250. I had the same journey myself and almost bought a 250 again. Then I let my mind rest and suddenly the 300 started to grow week by week. Decided to change speakers and everything just snapped in place.

It’s within their sonic presentation. But once the greatness of the 300 gets inside your mind there is no going back. My room is extremely small compared to many rooms here. No issue at all.

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so you changed speakers to make the 300 work?

interesting.

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No, I had struggled with the speakers for a long time with different Naim products but I thought amplification was the issue which it wasn’t. What I’m saying is that if one have issues with sound quality neither 250 or 300DR is the issue. They do sound bit different but they are not worlds apart so either amp should work not creating room nodes or whatever issues. I would recommend those making an overview of the speakers if they really are suited for the room, performance you’re looking for. Big chance is you will not be entirely happy with either 250 or 300.

You apparently use bookshelves speakers, which can work generally better in small rooms.
The reason your 300dr can match with your room.

In my case I had the 300dr during 1 year and tried different acoustic treatment also, but was not entirely satisfied. The 250 dr worked perfectly. It gave a leaner presentation and airier too, without the overwhelming bass.

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