i heard the 333/332 combination but didn’t seriously demo as they were above my budget allowing for a phono at similar level. with the 222 i tried adding a 300 using 250 vrs the 350s. i felt that the upgrade to 350s gave far more than adding the 300 for roughly the same cost. so for me 222/350 was the obvious choice allowing me to upgrade the front end in stages starting with 333. this was a long time ago and i am not good with hifi terms but overall the music felt more real and involving with the 350s.
i mainly listen to classical chamber music and other small scale acoustic genres foe which the 222 is fine but i have found the occasional complex recording where the vocals are not clear. demoing adding a 300 to the 222 didn’t help - but adding the 333 solved the problem. i haven’t done anything about that yet as the 222 is fine for most recordings and there are always other ways to spend the money. plus i am not keen to add boxes as it make the system more intrusive in the living room. sorry none of that helps you much. i can only suggest you demo your options thoroughly (my dealer was kind enough to set a whole day aside) for me in the end it was a gut reaction to what i found more enjoyable over extended listening rather than a checklist of hifi terms
Thank you for your reply. I’m currently running a 222/250, so I’m particularly interested in what I might gain sonically. If you had to describe it in slightly more concrete sonic terms, what did you notice most? More bass control and dynamics, a larger or more stable soundstage, better separation, more texture or nuance?
I suppose this upgrade itch is common to all hi-fi people, but Naim seems to be a particularly dangerous. You just keep adding boxes, without ever having to face the inconvenience of selling anything you already own. It’s basically crack.
sorry it was a long time ago but i remember feeling it was better in every way - but it is twice the price of the 250 so it should be - only you can decide if it is worth the extra money
When I bought my 333/332/250 I spent some time listening to a 222/350 system as a possible alternative 3 box system. It didn’t take long for me to decide that the latter really wasn’t up to the same standard, perhaps unsurprisingly given the compromise of putting all those electronics into a single box.
With the previous Classic amps my dealer was a huge fan of the 300, and would often try to steer people towards it, but with the New Classic he said to me right from the start that he thought the 250 was plenty good enough, and I think he was right.
I started this thread thinking I just wanted a more powerful stereo power amp to my 222. Now I’m apparently doomed and heading towards a four-box system. Shortly after that I´ll be wanting a PSU.
Based on limited first impression, but I do think the 350s give noticeably more body and impact in the lower frequencies. Not more level, but more substance. It may be that the increased authority makes the midrange come across as fuller as well. The detail and information are still there, but perhaps feel less prominent. The 250 may be slightly more forward in its presentation. I played at moderate levels, nothing remotely extreme. Anyone else recognize this?
I started my NC journey just over 3 years ago in September 2023 with a NAC332 using a NAP250DR. The level of musical insight and enjoyment the new preamp introduced over my previous SuperNait2 + HiCapDr, was substantially increased.
Four months later in January 2024, I auditioned adding an NPX300 (for the pre) and NC250 versus the NAP350s (without any power supply), and the mono’s were clearly the better option for me, and an order was placed.
Apart from never struggling with any recording (I have heard), the substantial power of the 350s bring an amazing soundstage, with musical performance and production details clearly defined.
Reading your comments after your initial listening, it is likely you haven’t heard the amps at their very best yet…
Bear in mind that I moved from olive 250 to NC 350 but I noticed significantly more seismic bass extension and that bass was sublimely taut, much tighter and more agile than on the 250. In addition I found there is a feeling of complete authority and soaring power with the 350’s that I’m not sure I have heard with any other Naim amplifier. One day I would like to do a side by side comparison of the 500 with the 350’s but I have a feeling that the 350’s may actually be preferable to me.You really just sense the limitless headrooom and power especially driving relatively heavy and inefficient ATC’s and that is incredibly addictive.
Across the whole Naim 300 series I also noticed a feeling of less grain, more detail, lower noise floor and a feeling of the system going from 2D to 3D in terms of imaging, but that’s replacing olive remember.
That’s very interesting, especially the description of the bass as more taut, agile and authoritative. That’s probably the area where I noticed the biggest difference initially as well. Again, not necessarily more bass level, but noticeably control underneath the music.
And regarding detail: I definitely didn’t mean that the 350s have less detail or information. Quite the opposite. It’s more about presentation. As I sad the 250 can perhaps put some of that information slightly more forward, whereas the 350s seem to integrate it more into a more effortless presentation.
I’m only a few hours in, though, so I’m trying not to get too carried away.
The NAP 350 vs. 500 comparison is interesting. I have heard both, just not in the same demo. When I did go to demo the 350s, I also demoed a power amp of similar money to a 500. Naim has always made a thing of power supplies, and each 350 has a transformer of 1100VA. The 500 has one transformer of 1100VA. As most who listened to them find, the 350s are hard to beat. Whether a 500 is better is down to personal choice, but I preferred the 350s. The bass is particularly impressive.
I also think (and this is entirely superficial) that I haven’t lusted after the looks of Naim as much as I have with New Classic - they absolutely nailed the design! Fortunately they have the sound to match the looks…
My second favourite is probably Olive, followed by chrome bumper with Classic bringing up the rear.
I agree with that order in terms of visual preference. When the OC came out I preferred the look to the olive which I thought looked dated. But over time I changed my mind and now think the olive has a beautiful classic look. NC is best by far.