Add Olive NAP 250 'V1" to Uniti V1 or Supernait 3?

[fzman1956]

I recently bought an original Uniti (dirt cheap) to use as an analog integrated amp. It sounds prety good, but did not now it had a tuner, and had no idea the in-built cd player would sound so good. It’s for a second system, and is driving some EKSC Audience 6.5" 2-way speakers.

I just borrowed a NAP 250 (original olive version, and connected it to the pre out 4-din of the Uniti, and the improvement is pretty dramatic.
Question:
Would the Supernait 3, fed from the Uniti as a multi-source component via anaog line outs sound better, or even as good as using the Uniti as a preamp into the 250?

I now there are age differences and thet the Supernait offers some redundancy in my pln, but the qurstion comes down to whether the analog amplification via Supernait 3 makes any sense to try.

Thanks for reading this.

[NickofWimbledon]

I am not sure that SN is the value for money option.

Would it make sense to keep the 250 and get an actual preamp - 72, 82 or 282 - from EBay, Pinkfishmedia or wherever?

If you don’t mind the older streaming tech (and no inbuilt Qobuz), the great sound-per-£ option is probably a 272, a great preamp and a very good streamer in 1 box. No CD player though.

[fzman1956]

Nick, thanks for the reply. The core of my question, which i may have worded poorly, is howthe power amp section of the Supernait compares to the 250.

I own the Uniti, and will be keeping it. I have other streamers that I can use instesd of the basic UPnP built into the uniti.
The system sounds much better with the 250, than it does with just the Uniti’s internal amp. I am borrowing the 250, but do not own it. So, comparing the two 2-box combos, does it make more sense to add the supernait 3 to my uniti, or add the 250 to it?

[NickofWimbledon]

Understood.

I’d get an ‘olive’ 250 that has been serviced in the last decade or so for less than £1k, or a 250DR for a bit over £1k, rather than buy a Supernait 3 for well over £2k. SN3 has a good power amp, but not as good as a 250, and that cost gap is big.

In time, I’d anticipate that you will get a dedicated pre-amp too, but that’s only my guess and not required to make a 250 worthwhile.

[fzman1956]

my initial goal was to add speakers to this home office setup, which is/was built around Meze Empyrean headphones, a HiFiRose 150b dac/streamer, and an ALO Studio Six tubed headphone amp.

The Uniti popped up as a tradein, working, but with a dead screen… The rest, as they say, is history. To borrow from fiction for apt metaphor, what started out as a wooden puppet is now a real boy–which is a mixed blessing

Was hoping to make-do with what I had, but the speakers need just a bit more power than the Uniti can give (hence my thinking about the Supernait 3).
I agree that the 250 is a keeper and tat I will probably end up with a preamp as well. My ‘250 friend’ also has a 72 and a hicap, but the 72 is only functioning as a single input and is not fixable. I live near Chicago, perhaps 2 miles from AV Options, should things need to be fixed (and where this 250 has likely been serviced in the recent past).
I may even pondre a Fraim or Fraimlite but, ouchie, they are dear.

[NickofWimbledon]

That all makes sense.

First, I have never heard the HiFi Rose - what’s it like?

Second, can you use the single-channel 72 as a pre-amp just for the one channel of the Uniti, just to serve until you can get a serviced and working 72 or 82? I am surprised it works at all if it is completely unfixable.

I don’t know about US pricing, but I did look at eBay. That suggests a bit over $1000 for a 250, with a Hicap costing a bit over half that (and as with power amps servicing any Hicap over about a decade old may need to be considered if it has never been done). Preamps look a bit rarer, with 72s costing over $600 and 82s a bit over twice that. Note that a 250 won’t power a pre-amp, hence the Hicap is needed if you get a preamp that needs powering.

Have I got those costs about right?

In any event, we can see what others here think, but if I were in your situation, I would get a decent 250 as soon as the opportunity. I would also want an ‘in principle’ or ‘if I can find one’ preamp decision, because if I will be getting 72 or 82, then I know I will need a Hicap. Of course, if you are not at all likely to get a preamp, then you won’t ever need a Hicap.

Bear in mind that there is nothing bad about stopping where you are or at any stage. This is important, because, if you have (say) 82/Hicap/250, then arguably they will be showing up that the Uniti is a good source but not a perfect one. This is a slippery slope that leads to a different streaming source, or a different DAC or a different CD transport or more than one of the above. Pretty soon, you have 5 or 6 boxes (plus speakers or headphones) just to listen to music.

If you get that far down the road of upgrades, you may feel the need for a dedicated rack, perhaps even a Fraim. However, for pure sound-per-$, I’d be surprised if that was top of your priority list any time soon unless the boxes will be sitting on something really weird/ unstable.

Good luck!

[fzman1956]

I work in the Hi-Fi biz, so i try not to wax effusive about brands i am associated with, nor to be pejorative about those i do not. (This can also explain why some choices/options Iinquire about are stilted, based on what I may able to have better $$ access to)