I’ve just acquired these, but I noticed on demos with different Naim’s (and an arcam) that in order to get them to sing, the more juice the better. I found the Kefs can be dull on a lower-tier amp, but the best amp (Dual NAP350) for £13k really showed off what the speakers can do.
My question is, is there’s a sweet spot in the Naim range, that can deliver high instantaneous peaks (the NAP350 does 1.7kW peaks!) for under £5k?
ok thanks. I guess £9k once you’re done. Are this discontinued (2011?). Might be hard to get a demo especially with the 252/supercap.
Anything pre / power under £5k would be where I’m looking.
R7 88db sensitivity,impedance 4 0hm, minimum 3.2 ohm.SN3 integrated 80 watt 8 ohm, 130 watt 4 ohm.No need to go further.
80s/90s amplication
a 250 or better yet 2x135 poweramp
Should make room for 52/SC or 82HC.
Otherwise a Rega Osiris s/h should do the job.
Rega Osiris?
Only “just” discontinued by being replaced (ish) by the 350 monos. If you liked what the 350 monos do then you are setting your sights quite high in the Naim hierarchy. Which means £££ spend.
That particular unit was built in 2011. Prior to the brand new “new classic” range which I haven’t heard, the 252/sc/300 was by far my favourite of all the pre/power Naim range, and that includes 500 and statement.
It’s a rega integrated amp.
You should probably wait until the brand new rega pre power is available.
With a £5k budget:
Pre loved 282 hicap 250. Look for “DR” where possible.
Of course a 282 hicap 300 would also work. Or older preamps 52 sc 300 (52 being the 252 predecessor) if you don’t mind but a mix and match olive / classic.
Thanks for the responses. Looks like I’ve got my homework to do!
Typically available s/h within budget.
Owner of Naim separates have reported a satisfying change to Rega Osiris.
Likewise I was happy went from SN2/HC to 3-boxes Naim to Aethos.
I think the key point here is that you should think about systems, not just power amps. The 350 is great, as is its predecessor, the 300, but Naim amps perform at their best when partnered with a matching preamp, so you should be thinking about, for example, 332/350 or 252/300. Then the quality of the source becomes critical, as these high quality amps, in addition to their ability to drive speakers well, are so much more revealing, and can expose shortcomings in a source that you never knew existed with a lesser amp.
What source are you thinking of here? It needs to be of comparable quality to your chosen amplifier.
It’s worth bearing in mind that most speakers will sound much better with a really good source and amplifier up them. I tried a 555/300 and CDS3 with a pair of little Naim nSats and they were fantastic. For years I had an 82/250 and Linn Kans and that was great too.
I looked up your speakers and saw dealers matching them with a Uniti Nova in suggested setups. There is also the Nova PE if you are convinced you need a lot of power. You need to build the system as a whole; maybe the KEF’s weren’t actually the best choice in first place.
I heard them with the Novas and really liked them. I’ll probably go for the Nova route as the used prices on these are around £2500.
I have Laptop / Hugo TT as my source at present, but am aware that technology has moved on, and suspect that for the £5k budget, I can get something that can beat out the Nova, eg. Hegel H390 (£3.5 used - £5k new).
I also heard the Nova (Class D) version, but didn’t like this as much. Cleaner sounding but not as enjoyable. So unless I can get a proper demo of these older Naim systems, then I’ll be restricting my choice to what I’ve heard.
If you mean Hegel can beat out a Nova,?
Thats on Watt output only.
Rarely have I heard such boring non-involving amps.
The Hugo TT is a very high quality source. With a £5k budget I would be spending it all on an amplifier. Your speakers can be driven adequately by a Supernait, or perhaps even a Nova, but they are capable of delivering far more if partnered by a better amp.
Yes I agree. Just need to get round to demoing the candidates.
