The discussions above are not about which one is better. Of course the 300dr is better and costs more.
But sometimes better sounds not better.
It’s like wine. Some prefer cheap sweet red wine that hits your taste palette in 1 second rather than complex and expensive that you need to swirl and give a full evening to feel tastes grow. 250DR is more easy going and I understand many love it at first sight and that the 300DR is like an expensive more complex wine that grows on you if you are open for an invitation of musical happiness. 250DR is like a grown up SN2 . The 300DR is more related to the sound signature of the SN3.
You would be amazed if you slotted on into your system.
It completely transforms the S20’s.
About four grands more of everything
Don’t agree with that Slamdam. The 300dr is like a good old Bordeaux, the 250 dr is more like an exceptional Bourgogne, light and fruitful.
I heard both at my dealer place during 2 hours. On my brand speakers, in a very good sounding room of 35 m2.
Obviously, from the first seconds, the 300 dr sounded bigger, more open , with more defined and extended bass, more extended highs and better macro dynamics.
But, very surprisingly, on 1/3 of tracks, I preferred the agility and a bit faster sound of the 250 dr. A bit better groove factor too. I was more connected on some tracks.
But I finally decided to buy at that time the 300 dr.
Then 1 year later I sold it. The reasons already explained. Not the best match with my room and speakers, despite a lot of efforts to improve the room treatment.
When the 250 dr was finally bought, I was surprised at how well It responded to my preferences of sound and matching with my system.
3 years ago - When I started to dive into the Naim world…my 15 year old Levinson amp and preamp had failed. I started with the Naim 250DR and NAC272. Sounded terrific but missing was a deeper soundstage and an ambient clarity in vocals and acoustic instruments. 2 months later I swapped out of the 250DR for the 300DR…huge improvement - richer sound, clearer vocals, ambient acoustic instruments, real piano key decay. All quite pronounced on good quality SACDs played on either my Classe or OPPO UHD 205. This January I swapped out my 272 for the NDX2 and the NAC252 preAmp…WOW! at low volumes every aspect of the sound has noticeably improved to my ears. At moderate volumes…I am fully immersed in a sound stage with depth, clarity and full engagement and in musical nirvana.
cheers!
So the 250DR is the equivalent of Blue Nun wine?
Romanée-Conti of course
The 500dr is a Romanée- Conti Grand Cru. Have not heard the Statement, but it must be the best Champagne in the world,
Yeah sorry Nigel, I shan’t be banging on. Fully appreciate the constraints people here suffer with regard to room treatment. Looking at the System Pics. thread often tells the story of uncluttered and contemporary sleek interiors, and I don’t blame people for not encompassing room treatment, as also the mind works its mysterious ways in finding musical bliss regardless. After our house move and being allocated my ‘own space’ , I simply had no choice from what I was hearing initially (…but that’s just me ).
Good thing is that speaker/ listening position optimisation and furnishings can get us a lot of the way. Have fun with your room-move and fingers crossed you’ll get there! Best Peter
Cheers, Peter. I will let this place know how I get on via a new Topic.
Like most things, we all like different things.
But for sure the 300dr is much better at low volumes and high volumes, plus a 300dr is really just a 250, with a larger heat sink, fan and transformer and bits in a separate box?
Its extra grunt will help to drive move difficult speakers and like i said its lower volume is much better controlled, but also i guess its like all gear, as you get better, you get more transparency and details, this could certainly highlight problems that you have in your system, and if you dont treat it, then maybe going backwards is the best way for you to go, but for me i would rather try and extract all the details from my music, rather than just part of it, after all isnt this what we all want?
But for me i would certainly have the 300dr over the 250dr every day of the week
No doubt Thomas, but unless I get the deal of the century on 500 (DR or not) the 300DR will have to do in a foreseeable future
Claude
Like most things, we all like different things.
But for sure the 300dr is much better at low volumes and high volumes, plus a 300dr is really just a 250, with a larger heat sink, fan and transformer and bits in a separate box?Its extra grunt will help to drive move difficult speakers and like i said its lower volume is much better controlled, but also i guess its like all gear, as you get better, you get more transparency and details, this could certainly highlight problems that you have in your system, and if you dont treat it, then maybe going backwards is the best way for you to go, but for me i would rather try and extract all the details from my music, rather than just part of it, after all isnt this what we all want?
But for me i would certainly have the 300dr over the 250dr every day of the week
A 300DR is much more than that
No doubt Thomas, but unless I get the deal of the century on 500 (DR or not) the 300DR will have to do in a foreseeable future
Considering your taste in music, I would rather go for a pair of Magico Q1. The speakers are discontinued and easy to find used.
I was flabbergasted when I heard them.
I believe they can be found at around 10K euros.
Well its not really, when you look inside them, basically the same boards, just turned round, with the fan board on the end, massive twin heat tube with fan. Ps box, transformer, 4 caps and the power board.
Its basically the same design but split into 2 boxes, with greater separation, its certainly not like the 500dr, its certainly more 250 than 500.
I know there are differences but not really that far apart
I know there are differences but not really that far apart
That’s what Richard said as well
For those who understand electronics having a 5 second look at the PCB of 250DR vs 300DR will understand that it’s more than a fan, split boards and a separate PS. One side board on the 300PS is like the full PCB on the 250. They might share a lot of components but I see more differences than similarities.
When I heard the 500 dr on the same system some months later, I felt it was like a 250dr on steroids. Even in a different room and house , I know I will not buy a 300dr again. 500 dr or something else.
The boards in the 250 are much more compact if you look at them, much more room on the 300 boards, also part of the 250 boards are covered with the heat sink that wraps over it, unlike the tubes on the 300, plus the 300 has the fan module built into them.
But what i was getting at is that the 250 and 300 are from the same design, its not that different, it has more room to help spread it all out, especially being in 2 boxes