Yesno. It is true that you cannot tell on size alone. There are so many exceptions. But as a general rule larger speakers with larger drive units are often easier to drive. Think about all those massive classic JBL and Yamaha monitors and all the tube amps driving them.
And once you start getting to flea power amps of 10w or less, nearly all compatible speakers are very large, either due to horn loading are conventional loading with large shallow throw drivers.
But I get your point. And a difficult crossover can come in any size box.
Haven’t seen the inside of the 350’s but obviously the 250, 300, and 500 are all based on the 250
250 a 250
300, 250 with it’s power supply in another box.
500 bridged 250s with again separate power supply.
Would like to think the new 350’s are a new design, rather than a revamp of something about 40 years old.
Well a 250dr is just totally different in design from the 250s before it. Only the power supply is in common between the 250.2 and 250dr. So even before the NC range, these were not based on 40 year old designs. Ditto 300 and 500.
The dr was just a part re design and not a complete new one.
As said not sure what the new 350’s are. They could be a redesign of the 250. As said dont know
It is quite old and even the new one is based on it.
But the software that runs on it has changed massively, so has the analogue stage.
But the basic rig dac is still there.
Not saying the naim amps are bad, its probably what naim does best. But what i said above is true i believe unless you know different.
But basically what i was getting at is i don’t know what the new 350’s are based on. Or maybe they are a new design, as it does have true balanced design unlike the rest.
Agreed @Dan_M I would still be happy if I had my 135s in my system. Great monoblocks. The midrange is very engaging and dare I say it but do we need anything more. The 500dr is a more accomplished amp in ever metric but the 135s absolutely hold their own in the company of the 500dr.
For the subject at hand I think sometimes we just confuse ourselves. I think all this choice can be a detriment. 500dr is an amazing amp and definitely when partnered with 552DR.
I’ve made the mistake with sw1x tube preamp. Where now I keep going back n forth. Both the 552 and the pre 3 have amazing qualities and I’m confused as to which one I prefer now. I really could’ve done without this lol.
I really enjoyed 82 Supercap 2 with 2 x 135s for a number of years. It has soul and is an amazing set up.
52 was great for brief period I owned it. But I always wanted full 500DR system as my dream system. It’s been great despite firmware issues with ND555. It’s a bigger sound now. 552DR and 500DR has better bass control, is more detailed and has more effortless power.
However, what I had before was in some ways less fussy and more enjoyable.
I don’t regret going full 500DR system. But 135s and 82/52 Supercap2 was a superb amp set up at relatively low cost.
52 Supercap 2 500DR was lovely sweet spot in terms of money I paid.
I have reached my financial limit and won’t go Statement. Unless some large amounts of money come my way.
Yes but I want my main system to be the ultimate listening experience and I’m now left confused as to which presentation is better. In any case, this reinforces my opinion that the 552DR is a brilliant pre as sw1x gear is far more enjoyable at any level than the equivalent alternatives from other brands I’ve heard. The fact that the 552DR shines in many key areas of hifi for me is an absolute win.
Just a thought but as someone said (I forget who) that they preferred the 252 to the 552. I understand their point… similarly the tube pre I have has that lushness but also has the speed and detail retrieval that tube amps often don’t. If you’re wondering what’s missing, Naim still trumps everything else on leading edge attack and tightness of bass and slam. This is very addictive for me and I don’t know if I can ever live without it. Oh and I forgot to mention, tubes are known for huge soundstage but my tube pre sounds a little more intimate than the 552DR so again the 552 has great sound staging which Naim isn’t usually praised for.
My experience has been that there’s not much between 2 350s and a 500DR, just different and you may prefer one or the other. However Zi found 3 new 250s active with Exposure crossover better than 1 500 then 6 350s better again and then better again with Sigao…
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