What do you think would work better? Passive 2x250 or 1x300? They are known to be current hungry so I would think perhaps 2x250 but saying that no issues with 1x250 driving at the moment. The rest of the system as in my profile pending a 252 SCDR upgrade. 500DR will be out of reach for a while.
I’m only offering this response as no-one else has answered. I thought the rule of thumb was one of the higher model bests two of the lower model - so 300DR > 2 x 250DR.
This will no doubt be refuted soon enough …
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Thanks SteveO that’s also my understanding. The common view for Naim is that biamping is neither beneficial or detrimental but could be useful if the speakers are current hungry.
I’m pretty sure it’s higher model passive beats 2 x lower model active. Less sure about that though tbh.
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300DR, no doubt.
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The 300DR is a very fine power amplifier.
We did ponder 2x250DR instead, since our speaker manufacturer recommends biamping.
Adding a second 250DR would have been cheaper than upgrade to 300DR, but we’re not regretting the swap.
Passive 2x300DR - now there’s a thought. If we got rid of nDAC (leaving NDX2/555) we have the shelves….
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If it’s more power you’re after, I would have the New Classic 250 on your shortlist. I haven’t heard it so I’m not going to speculate about whether or not it’s a better amp than the 300, but on paper it has more power. One interconnect, one shelf, one power cable and one pair of speaker cables. I hate clutter.
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@Buns, important not to confuse bi-amp and active. Long time I have the later with Naim’s own speakers.
Naim made active available for most of its own speakers, but not all.
While Naim made active crossovers for some other speakers, perhaps not so B&W.
B & W web site refers to connecting these speakers in bi-amp fashion. Linn amongst others, have made
bi-amping available. I’ve tried it with Linn, it’s nothing special; full active a different proposition.
Comments above make clear this is not a usual Naim configuration, so there is part of the answer.
There is absolutely, only one way to know about upgrade - dealer thence home demo.
To ascertain the level, compare NAP300 and NAP500 before making any decision. I rather imagine the speakers will perform best with the latter, if the source is good enough.
Your comments suggest you are ok with one NAP250.
Maybe focus on source first, either 555PS or 252 / SCDR before changing power amp.
Source first is comprehensively covered on the forum.
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A no brainer IMHO, 300DR.
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I would suggest the 300, not only based on the discussion, but also some other benefits of the 300 over the 250 (tonality, details etc).
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Chris a wise and sensible sentiment; made me smile! With a full Naim active system, across four stacks of Fraim, the sofa does a good job of hiding it all; sounds sublime!
On the question of NC250 v NAP300DR, I have the latter in my main system and have recently switched out Nova for NSC222 + NAP250 (w/oNPX) on S400 in kitchen/diner. If it wasn’t for the cable issue, I would have done some alternate listening by now. My great dealer is due for supper sometime, perhaps if they bring suitable cables I will report back. Just a hunch, but while NC250 closes the gap beyond NAP250DR, it doesn’t exceed NAP300DR, however it may be fairly close. If VFM is important, then mixing classic with new classic is tricky.
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I can say from experience the 252DR NC250 combo is spectacular and on par with a 300DR. They each have their own strengths.
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