An unexpected windfall means I might move to the new streaming platform.
Anyone have any experience of 272 as pre (to 250DR) with NDX2? Ideally I’d like to stick with 3 boxes as its all I can accommodate in our living room. I guess a 282/HC/Napsc might be manageable but it’s long in the tooth now…decisions decisions.
Thanks
G
I know four people with 272 based systems and they all sound great to me - very musical. Two people used theirs with NAP300 and one uses his with 2x250 Active and it sounds pretty amazing.
Possibly a very under-rated device that seems to achieve more than it really should.
DB.
Hi DB - Agree. I’ve used the 272 for a few years as pre & streamer. The move I may make is to NDX2 with 272 as pre only. It’s that ‘pre only’ experience I’m curious about.
Thanks,
Graeme
The 272 sits at an odd position for its performance. I had a demo of it with a friend that was considering at the time an NDX with 202 vs all-in-one 272; I was along for second opinion which I really just confirmed what he heard.
They were similar but different in that some things were done better by the NDX-202 combo, but the 272 seemed to benefit from an extra clarity in presentation of mid and high level info, possibly due to a better more recent Volume control design that seemed to give it a boost.
In the end the 272 was chosen on balance as the neater solution. Another friend uses it just as a Pre with his Vinyl source at times and it seems to do a good job. For sure the more expensive Naim Pre combos are better, but you would have to make a decent step-up to ensure yourself you had a good upgrade. I’m not directly familiar with what the NDX2 does over the older NDX into a 272, so await on more informed opinion! 
DB.
Just wait for the new pre/streamer if you like the 272 route… it will come out soon
I’m a bit confused! You sold the 555PS to free up funds and bought the Hugo. That means that the Hugo is acting as preamp, fed by the 272 digital out from the streamer. With the 272 the PS boosts the streamer, dac and preamp. So the bare 272 as pre won’t be as good as a 282/Hicap, which is the logical thing to get if you want a NDX2.
Do you know why you want the NDX2? Will you use its additional functionality. I’d say it’s NDX2 with 282, or get another 555 and keep the 272. Maybe a new 272 will come, or maybe it won’t.
That would be ideal as far as I’m concerned!
G
Do we know why we want anything in this game? I’m curious to test the NDX2/Pre into 250DR and see how it sounds.
Ultimately I’d rather be ‘all naim’ and this combination intrigues me.
G
I’d be very interested in how you think a NDX2 does fed into 272. Demo scheduled yer?
272 as Pre… I have been using it as Pre for quite a while. It’s good but you are putting a lot of money into the idle parts as well. I guess you can move it on and save some funds by swapping it to a 202 or get a 282 with the funds…
One thing good about 272 is that you can control it with the Main app… This won’t be the case for the other Pres I think?
I agree with the above. the 272 is really a very good streamer/dac/preamp.
But to use as only a preamp - I would go for 202 or 282 - or look for a used 82.
I owned both 202 and 282, and 10 years on, I have no regrets at all about buying a 202.
As for new streaming platform - yes I would wait for the inevitable 272 MK 2.
I added a NDX2 in January 2019 to my 272 / 250DR set up. Hi-line connector from NDX2 to 272 and basic Naim cable from 272 to 250DR. Compared the set up with / without NDX2 at my dealer before purchase and the difference was quite large to my ears. Took about 2 months for the NDX2 to settle down after purchase and I am very happy using the 272 as a pre. My plan is to go to a 252 with PS and a PS for the NDX2 but that won’t be until year end. For £5K the NDX2 made a big difference in my set up.
Really helpful thanks.
G
Thanks - If Naim would produce a no frills one box pre that would meet my needs perfectly.
G
If the 272 does get an upgrade “soon” then it will likely be just the streaming part that you are not going to use.
The 250DR is seen as a recent product but it is mainly just the power supply part that is upgraded. If the 282 had an integral power supply then it would be a 282DX by now but the power supply is external so maybe look at the 282-HiCapDX as an updated 282-HiCap.
I would get a 282-HiCapDX to replace the 272. Or rather I would do the demos and then decide…
If you plan to move to a separate preamp this makes total sense. However, if wishing to stick with three boxes only, I wonder which is best: 272/555DR/250 or NDX2/272/250. Maybe someone has made the comparison.
It would be an interesting test
A bit of a mullet but if we can throw into the mix ND555/555DR/SN3 as a third 3 box option
A NDX2 with an XPS DR through the SN3 will be a pretty fine 3 box setup too and the streamer source will be well ahead of the 272.
@GraemeH. You have the NDX2? Then why buy a pre with a redundant streamer section? The 272 is a great streamer-pre but the NDX2 warrants a better pre. Nothing redundant about the 282 it’s way ahead of the 272 as a pre.
Regards,
Lindsay
That’s the comparison I need! I’ll try and borrow an NDX2 and see how it goes.
G