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.
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😉
How about 282 hicap newest 250?
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
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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