250 vs 300

Indeed. More than enough music with my CDS3/252/300/XPS/300PS/SC. It was a great single Fraim stack system.

I bet you struggled with the burndy cables? Keeping them off the floor and not touching anything when close to each other and low in the rack is very difficult to achieve.
I struggled with them in two racks side by side, when low in the rack, the cables could do with being half the length at times

The best solution against the impossibility of having some cables touching is to just forget about it if you can’t avoid it and enjoy our darn good systems…

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Yes, same goes for a lot of things i think

It’s not perfect but with the 2 & 3 shelves (PSU on 2nd 300 on 3rd ) it works - 252 on top shelf allows the cable to hang in a u shape so you can dress as close together as possible

Bubble wrap.

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My cable dressing looks similar to yours. I put some sorbotane when I couldn’t avoid cables touching.

But what I have done is not as neat compared to what I have seen on some pictures.

Here’s my take. See the 282/250, 252/300 and 552/500 each pairing as blood brothers.

282/250 - dynamic, expansive, engaging music maker, great soundstage and visibility of the music.

252/300 - largely as above with greater maturity, insight and resolution. Better grip at lower volumes.

552/500 - greater everything including staging, insight, resolution but most focus on the music.

Regards,

Lindsay

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Your natural upgrade will be 500 dr.
This will be an unnecessary step in the process.
Just as the 52 will be upgraded to 552 with no intermediate parking at 252

I’d add :

better gripe in the low end, better separation and immensely better microdynamics at both low and higher volume.

It has a few things in common with another amp I enjoy : the Soulution 711. An incredible control in the low end, and being fast!

Of course, the Soulution 711 has a far better layering, imaging and resolution.

Hi Thomas,
Would you consider getting the 725/711 combo at some point- looks equivalent power to 500 but I would imagine with somewhat more of everything? :thinking: ATB Peter

Hi @Thomas
You have mentioned the Soulution series 7 components multiple times recently and seem to be very impressed.
It seems that the power supplies are integrated into the same box which are not very big like the Statement boxes for example. These are “ no holes barred” components with best SQ the only criteria. How do you understand their decision not to have separated power supplies as opposed to Naim’s philosophy?

Hi Peter :smiley:

I’m not planning to move away from Naim, at least not for now. I have a real-estate project in the pipeline. Meaning no funds available for HiFi at the moment.

All things being equal, The NAP 500 DR is more on the Soulution 511 level, in terms of price and performance.

The Soulution 711 is on a different league, and the 701 mono blocks are the Statement level.

As for the 711’s ability to deliver current comparing to the 500 DR, the specs speak for themselves. It’s a lot!

Soulution and Naim chose very different paths regarding amplification.

In über short, I’d summarize it that way :

  • Naim : ok I accept some noise. But will choose the noise I like and reduce it as much as possible, and will focus on something else with no compromise (Statement is all about that).

  • Soulution : noise in not acceptable, I will reduce it as much as possible without compromising speed and without adding any other issues (related to feedback). But, you’ll pay for it!

If I had to leave Naim it would probably go for a 2 boxes system: Soulution 711 and Soulution 760 DAC.

You get what Naim offers in terms of speed plus an incredible clarity, soundstage, layering, etc. Recording venues, when in the recording, are so very present. And this is soooo enjoyable! Especially with acoustic and classical music.

Soulution probably achieves that by lowering the noise floor and with an excellent channel separation (I’m no specialist, of course).

I trust Naim achieves similar results with the Statement, the NAC S1 being the heart of it.

Both Naim and Soulution have interesting ways to achieve the same goal : grabbing us by the head drowning us into music.

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I can’t some somehow separate the source from the amp though.

does it not depend on which source is attached to the amplifier? or not so much of a difference in your experience?

I have heard Soulution many times, at Hifi Shows and dealers place. It’s completely different from the Naim sound signature. The sound is very clean, transparent, resolved, dynamic, fast. But a bit lean and cold.
It’s one of the most neutral sound available.
Naim is less accurate but more engaging emotionally, for me of course, organic and with a feeling of urgency of the music that Soulution lacks.
But it’s mine ears, don’t say I say the truth.

Two different approaches really.
Soulution uses audio grade switch mode power supplies.

Both seek different things with their different approaches and both excel at doing it.

That’s something really interesting.

Listening to Steve Sells describing his work on the Statement is something rather interesting too. He explains Naim’s approach :

https://youtu.be/yqDlAV_tr2s

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A Nait 5i played better than a NAP 300 on that system? Thanks for the hint, I take a mental note to add the Avant Garde horn speakers to the “don’t buy” list.

Claude

These speakers work best with low powered 8 watts tube amps. Naim is not a good match.

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Yes, I was really impressed. I loved it! On classical music it is… well, one needs to hear it. The voices, the piano, … God it was truly amazing.

Unfortunately, the cost is closer to the Statement then to the 500 DR.

But don’t get me wrong I also love the Naim way to presents music.

It provides less details and the sound stage is flatter. No doubt about that. But, as replied to @PeterR , Naim grabes you and drags you into the music, and you just lose track of time. Gorgeous too.

Very different systems, and I love both presentations.

If your thing is classical music, then you should listen to such a system (in a a big or well treated room, with Magico speakers). It’s a glorious experience.

A full Statement with a pair of Magico M6 surely is outstanding as well (but never had the opportunity to listen to such a system)

Ok that’s the best post I’ve seen! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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