For what it’s worth, I’ve had a pair of NAP135s in my system for just over 30 years now, and I would never change them. They were essentially mono versions of the (Olive) NAP250 and they do all that that amp does, but with so much more oomph (which I think is the correct technical term).
I attended a launch event for the NAP500 on its release, and it’s a wonderful amp, but I felt no need to change from the 135s - neither then, nor ever since.
I see that James at TomTom has a pair of serviced NAP135s for sale at what seems a very fair price. Someone should grab them fast, as I can’t imagine that they’ll be sitting on his shelf very long, and I don’t think that these amps come up for sale very often.
I’d be fascinated to know how many NAP135s were made and sold. Does anyone have the numbers?
@feeling_zen you are correct. The entire setup changes everything. There’s no doubt the system was different than my set up and every part of the chain influences what we hear. What I was stunned by was just how much more dynamic it was. The source was generally equivalent and my speakers, neat Sx5i’s, are decent for dynamics so I’m thinking the biggest difference came down to amplification including the pre. My Sn2 is dynamic but what I heard in the other system blew me away. I know there would be some difference I just wasn’t prepared for how much. I’m thinking now that a 300 plus 282 will be part of my future planing. 252 would be better but realistically I think a 282 is as far as I can reach financially for some time. Others are reporting that this set up will see a significant improvement in dynamics, among other things, compared to my sn2.
Being a Naimee for over 25 years now, I sometimes wonder how my gear (300DR-252/SCDR, CDX2/SCDR, Superline/SC (waiting to be serviced)) “measures up” against other brands – ps included. I’m in queue for major service for my SC (unfortunately I waited too long to order the DR update for my SC so am having it recapped+regulators replaced due to age-but no DR upgrade). Considering the high price for this service (I’m in the US) I’ve wondered if paying a high price for service is rational, especially since there’s no DR upgrade involved. I propose that when one is involved with one brand for decades, the cost and effort to make a change to a different manufacturer is prohibitive, but I admit to thinking about this each time I spend so much to have one of my units serviced. I think my system sounds very good, but don’t know how it would compare to other brands at an equal level of investment - and at this point have no plans to change–but that itch never seems to go away.
Every Naim component I had serviced sounds great. Similar to getting a new piece so price is justified imo. Amps and power supplies will benefit the most but my Nac 52 improved considerably also.