So I had decided, 282/HC DR/300 DR!
It was a done deal, barring actually parting with funds. In my head, it was a done deal!
Until I went and listened to a 282/SC DR/250 DR today.
Now, I haven’t actually listened to the 282/HC DR/300 DR yet, but I’m wondering if the addition of an SC DR to the mix is a bigger game changer than the 300 DR🤔
Obviously listening to the 300 DR is essential, but the views and experiences of the Forum “Illuminati” would be much appreciated😉
I have just removed my 202 and put in a 282 and the system is sounding really good, a much bigger upgrade than I was expecting.
I was going to add a 250dr as soon as I could but to be honest I don’t feel the need to rush plus it’s the finances as well, what I’m suggesting is why not add one item at a time, get used to each new piece then decide where you want to go, just my take on it, hope it helps.
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It’s a valid approach, but I am moving my 202/200 to our media room so I need to do the Pre & Power together.
Also my wife has put a moratorium on HiFi purchases after this series of upgrades so I really need to get it right in one hit😉
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How about 282 hicap newest 250?
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Yeah, I considered NC range products, but decided there was plenty of great bargains to be had with the Classic’s.
i am a somewhat heretical Naim lover, who tends to experiment with cross-brand combinations rather than 100% all-one brand systems.
That said, I’d be very unlikely to go with a non-Naim pre-amp. Over several decades I’ve owned most, including a very recently-arrived Nac-552 and 555DR PS.
these are replacing a lovely Nac-282 I bought about six years ago. I’ve run it with two HiCaps (and equivalents) and with a Naim SCDR (and equivalents).
I have also run a SuperUniti, Nac-172, Nac-272 and other streaming sources.
My overall view about the upstream stage of the system is ‘keep the pre-amp away from the streaming medium’, because no streaming Naim pre-amp I’ve used has been as good or better than the equivalent stand-alone pre-amp.
I predict therefore that the recently-delisted Nac-282 will become as widely sought after as the old Nac-72, and for much the same reason that it is a superbly designed and engineered pre-amp that stands alone and yet can be coupled with a range of different Power Supplies using comparatively inexpensive interconnects.
On power-amps I am less convinced about Naim’s stature. But I have used most of them with pleasure and respect up to the Nap-300. I have never had a Nap-500, so no comment on that.
My personal favourite for ‘plain Naim’ is the CB Nap-160, which is amazingly agile and well-balanced. Very hard to find a really good one, but there are some out there. The Nap-135 is a great amplifier, but you need a well-matched and recently-serviced pair, which is quite expensive and may provide less long-term vfm than a Nap-300.
I have owned about six CB Nap-250’s, which I find like the Curate’s egg (‘Good in places’) but tending to weigh too much on the bottom end of the sound spectrum.
Being heretical I have also been hugely impressed by what some ex-Naim engineers have done with Nap-250’s. In deference to Forum Rules I won’t say more about that, beyond mentioning that I have an amazingly impressive Nap-250 that was ‘tweaked’ for me; which I think makes the point that the inherently high quality, durability and flexibility of (non-streaming) Naim equipment has been consistent for decades, and underpins the loyalty and love of users.
Skyebridge
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Had 282/sc/250 for a few years. Such a well balanced setup with plenty of grunt.
I’ve just moved to a 300 and the new amp certainly shows through.
Not heard the hc version with the 300 so can’t comment on that.
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So you have recently switched from 282/SC DR/250 DR to 282/SC DR/300 DR?
Problem is I definitely don’t have the funds for the 300 DR & an SC DR🫤
However, I am very interested in hearing your expanded views on the previous system.
I have owned 202/HC-DR/200 and 282/2xHC-DR/250-DR.
I recently upgraded to 252/SC- DR/250-DR.
I enjoyed all three systems.
In hindsight, I wish I would have purchased the SuperCap-DR sooner. It all worked out, but when I moved from the 202 to the 282 I should have traded-in my HiCap-DR and purchased a SuperCap-DR rather than buy a second HiCap-DR. Cable management is cleaner with a single SuperCap-DR compared to two HiCap-DR.
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I’m pretty sure @seakayaker recently added a SC to his 282/250 set up. He might have some good insight.
Why not wait until the autumn and listen to the new 332 and a NC250? If nothing else there will be even more bargain old classics available. If you really want the 282 now, do you really need the 202/200 in the second system. Is the Roksan not good enough. Selling the 202/200 could make the SC and 300 affordable.
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Selling the Roksan & Dali Opticon 1 Mk2’s would go some way to doing the same HH.
I definitely want to keep the 202/200 pairing to drive the Keilidh’s and I was very impressed with todays listening session.
The 300DR is affordable and I can always find the majority of the SC DR with the afore mentioned Roksan & Dali’s with the HC DR a little further down the line I guess.
Problem is, I really want the cycle to be finished by the end of August🤷🏻♂️
It’s a bit of the old “Cake and Eat it” issue😂
Is a 252/300 out of the question, even if you just go with the SC on the 282 as a first step?
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I honestly see myself quite happy with a 282 Mike. Power Amp and PSU are the only things still in doubt for me really.
I may change the streamer a bit further down the line to an NDX2, but that is the only other system mod I can see after this amp selection is made.
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Fair enough and I admire your resolve. In my experience the Naim preamps benefit from the best power supplies, so my choice would be a SC, and of course it’s a better match visually with the 282.
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Two dealers said this to me recently.
Lots of demand for a quality pre at far less than the £9K needed for a 332.
NDX2/282 a great value pairing, lightly used.
Nobody struggled to shift any 282 they held. Used market likely to remain buoyant.
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I had a 282/HiCap DR/250DR and added a 300 DR first.
The improvement was massive.
Soon after I added a Supercap DR and was slightly underwhelmed to be honest. I was still in the honeymoon period of the power amp change which could have been a factor but I did feel that the Supercap was the icing on the cake and no where near the level of improvement that the 300 gave.
In hindsight I would been very happy keeping the the HiCap DR with the 282.
A 252 followed on and despite an early wobble I am now delighted with the 252/Supercap DR/300 DR combination.
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Start at the front!
I swapped 82 (very like its successor 282) for a 52 ( rather like a 252), and swapped 250 for 300DR, and before that I ran the 82 with Hicap, then 2 Hicaps then a Supercap.
Imho, all were upgrades, but the biggest was replacing 82 with 52, and mix-and-match (before sending the old boxes to a different system) strongly suggested that my ears are not that impressed by Supercap on 82 or by the 82/300DR combo - neither makes full use of the quality of the best bits.
Given all that, I’d suggest 282/HCDR/250 or 252/SCDR / 250DR or 252/ SCDR/ 300DR.
Boxes over about 12 years old can sound just as good as the new ones, as long as they are serviced by Naim or Class A.
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If you like the gear, it suits room/budget the 282/300 (utilising existing HCDR) combo to extract most from LP12 and drive those big dins I can see your logic.
The SCDR is an upgrade I’d evaluate when you are more familiar with your set up.
Sounds like you’ve got a busy few weeks to get it all sorted by end of August.
Still think having separates for a 2nd system deserves respect 
.
Enjoy and good luck
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