I don’t think so, I looked in the PDF scan of the paper manual that Rotel have online. But it’s rather meaningless, anyway. The gain of Naim power amps is generally +29 dB (with occasional small deviations, I think the 500 has +28 or so). I.e. the signal comes out 29 dB louder. Another amp may have more or less, it’s a result of the design and by itself means nothing.
Hi
A lot of this comes down to marketing and the average person assuming a 2 x 30W amp will be worse than a competitor’s offering 2 x 100W.
Within the same manufacturer’s tiered product line at a given time that may hold some merit, but not necessarily.
There is actually far more to it than this when comparing differnt products/manufacturers.
Even very expensive Naim amps may look ‘underpowered’ compared to cheaper amps purporting higher W/channel.
One of the big considerations is what the amps can suddenly deliver during powerful transients when a lot more power may be needed very briefly rather than continuously and that unless I’m wrong is part of the Naim philosophy - steady output with the ability to really deliver those brief bursts when needed. Apologies for non-techie speak here, I’m sure Xanthe could put it more eloquently.
Assuming this is your Rotel, sorry for different pic sizes, but look at the difference in size of the transformers and largest capacitors:
Rotel
Olive NAP 250
If the 250 is new, it will take some time to settle down and it will improve.
Generally, Naim amps are not known for sounding overly pleasant, rather for having some urgency. And much depends on the synergy with the speakers.
The Rotel and the Naim are very different designs as well, Rotels generally have a huge damping factor, while Naim have a quite low one. I had Rotels before and thought they sounded rather stiff with some speakers, though others worked well with the strong damping factor, if their design by itself made their bass rather boomy.
Though usually this would mean less bass with the Rotel, so it does not explain your opposite experience with a lack of bass with the Naim. Are you sure that you have the speaker cables connected with correct phase on both ends of the cable for both speakers?
And what speaker cables are you using in the first place?
Hello. Let’s just not ask me about the difference. Could you tell us all what we should see as a difference. Which capacitors are bigger, which transformer is bigger? Thanks.
I’ve had 250 olives, 250-2, and now 250DR, and every speaker I’ve hooked up to these amps sounded great, ideal really.
The transformers are the big round things.
The ‘big’ capacitors (I assume, help @Xanthe), but not the only ones in either are above the toroidal transformer on the NAP 250, but 4 in a row in the middle of the Rotel.
I’m sure the Rotel is a very competent amp, just saying that output specifications in terms of Watts per channel simply don’t tell the whole story, and also consider if you think ‘power’ equates to quality then it all falls down if circuitry earlier in the chain cannot presevre the fidelity of the source no matter how good.
Hello. The Nap 250 is 10 years old and has around 150 listening hours (thanks to my former neighbours system was off) Yes all I connected in the last days just sounded wonderful. I use Naca 5 Naim cable.
Naim Nac 282/ Nap 250/ Hicap with B&W DM 580: Result perfect, lots of bass because speaker have a big volume
Naim Nac 282/ Nap 250/ Hicap with B&W DM 100 i : perfect, very little bass (on Linn Kan stands though) as little speaker volume
B&W DM 580: Rotel RB-980 with Sudgen HA-4 or Rotel RB-980 with Naim Nac 282: same result: power at 8o’clock at 75 dB already, and more bass, but I suppose that was before I found the best position for
the speakers, less toe in, much more distance inbetween
Sudgen A21 SE Signature with B&W DM 580 had not the same magic as the Naim system, and a little bit more bass.
Actually Diana Krall and Eyes wide shut soundtrack listened on Naim with the small B&W DM 100 i. Synergy works but limits when big orchestra plays, a little bright (I do not like the Hi-hat sound) for Bryan Adams “Waking up the neighbours” , piano sounds more natural (I played the piano for 4 years) than with the big floorstanders. Kurt Cress drum playing sounded thin, no wide soundstage. Way less soundstage than my favorites B&W DM 580 but more airy. Next could be CDM 9 NT, as I suppose for 27 m2 I need floorstanders, even if I prefer the airy standmounting speakers.
Ok, the basics don’t seem to be the problem then Maybe just speaker matching with the DM100, but as I don’t know them at all there’s nothing else for me to add
As a generalisation, no amp is “too strong” for any speaker (there are some exceptions, but not in mainstream hifi). What counts is how far you turn the knob! Many amps have very similar gain - tge degree of amplification - more powerful ones simply allow you to turn the volume control higher without overloading the amp.
More speakers are destroyed by amps that are insufficiently powerful, because when the amp is driven to clipping while trying to turn it as loud as is wanted. A clipping amp can quickly destroy speaker drivers.
I’m uploading a video to Youtube, sending link in 5 minutes
B&W DM 100 i with a high end Naim hifi system - YouTube
yes I read that I was wondering, even at lower volume, let’s say 70 dB, my Cambridge Audio A500 connected to my second pair of B&W DM 580 big floorstanders, well if the CA 2x 50 Watts amplifier was not strong enough. So now I suppose that playing at low volumes will not hurt the Cambridge, as the two together with Naim Nat 02 tuner have also a great synergy for the week-ends, when no top end is needed with classical music broadcasting. Here is the video: Regards B&W DM 100 i with a high end Naim hifi system - YouTube
I’m listening to this with BT headphones, but I can’t detect any “very lack of bass”. I would even go so far as saying that if there was substantially more bass, I would probably find it unnaturally much. Heights don’t seem overly aggressive either, but of course that’s even harder to tell with mic recording into headphones
I listened for around 1 week now with the B&W DM 580 and was used to the “a little tiny bit of mellow” sound, only once in 1 week, I felt the acoustic guitar to be near my limit. Now with the DM 100 i it is more airy and more crisp, but not yet fatiguing. Next week I connect the Nautilus tweeter B&W DM 601 S2, and then I have to decide which way my new speaker will go: To the crisp side with 2003 set of B&W for 2 different rooms (used buy) or to the very less bassy side perfect for classical music, to the Jean-Marie Reynaud (french speakers). Either 1000-2000 eur or 8.000 eur (new buy). For my old rock CD’s, I found my heaven with the DM 580 connected to Naim. Sometimes my neighbours will be out, so I will choose to listen to this style and have to be prepared Have a great evening. Regards HF
My first ‘proper’ speakers were a pair of B&W DM 110i in the mid 80’s.
I powered them initially from a lowly Arcam alpha, later Linn Intek but never actually from any Naim amps. They’re in the attic but I blew the drivers on one I used at a staff disco decades ago!
Well, you imagine that I listened B&W through my sister’s rooms walls (2 cm thick paper), from 1988 until 2010 there was only Panasonic & B&W in my life Then came Avantgarde Audio and then a small Heco speaker to get all the oil from the kitchen vapors Ah and MB Quart in 2013 which got thrown out as I hated the aggressive tweeter. Now I pèlan DM 570 , a little smaller than my beloved DM 580 and surely less bass. For 150 eur with stands available, but I suppose that is a stupid idea
I believe there’s some strange statement or experience here, perhaps they are based un-qualified or errors.
Talking “80W” speakers and judging differences caused by gain difference, makes me think so.
Just went through your 2021 hifi journey. Very nice what I read and what I see. Didn’t you listen to Avantgarde acoustic horns and what B&W speakers you were interested in. I think we have to discuss a little about Dynaudio, Focal and Sonus Faber Olympica Nova 1 , which were on my list. Thanks for your precious help. Greetings from Germany. HL
Not at all if they work in the context of your system.
My favourite speakers ever in terms of value for money are still my Epos ES14s from the early 1990s. Heybrook HB1s are also up there due to such a fantastic transparent midrange and overall musicality.
I had quite a journey, but are you sure you read mine? I don’t think I ever mentioned the Avantgarde and never considered them, though they may have been suggested to me, maybe. B&W I probably mentioned mostly to rule them out for aesthetic reasons. Dynaudio I may have mentioned but never listened to (found no reachable dealer). I did listen to Kanta 3 and Sopra 3, SF Olympica Nova 3, PMC fact.8, Dali Epicon 6, Paradigm Persona 3F, Audio Physic Codex. Liked the Codex somewhat, the SF a lot, none of the others. Eventually ended up with local ones from around the corner in Berlin, Sehring Audio S913, which blew me away (https://community.naimaudio.com/t/what-was-the-last-bit-of-gear-you-bought/4115/6141?u=suedkiez)
If your Germany is not too far, I can only recommend visiting Sehring in Berlin Neukölln. Sehring-Audio dot com
it’s near Trevorum Romanum, so quite far. Yep I read the right journey No Dynaudio dealer, wow, and you liked Sonus Faber, double wow. I only travel a max of 100 km as I have some … let’s call it health issues