You obviously haven’t seen the cost of SuperLumina speaker cables yet!
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I just looked 
Keep a look out. I grabbed a bargin on 7m length (pre-loved). Almost half price!
I finds the Naim sound to be driving and involving but I’m sorry, I don’t know the rest of your gear so can’t comment on how the Naims will sound with the Personas.
From what I read here, the N-272 and NAP250DR are well respected.
I have 2 components on loan for demo: Naim Uniti Nova (they didnt have the 272/250DR stack I was looking for), and PrimaLuna Dialog Premium.
Did extensive comparison this weekend and determined that the Nova is almost indistinguishable from my Anthem AVM-60 processor and NAD T955 amp.
I would probably fail to identify the pieces in a blind test.
One things for certain, with 1-2 minutes between sample tests, this human brain does a poor job of retaining audio-memory. Often, when I think I hear a difference, I repeat the test only to find it sounds the same! Repeating and verifying tests is the key.
I was expecting to see a night/day difference like streaming Spotify vs Tidal. No such luck.
Now the PrimaLuna is a different animal altogether.
If I find the Nova so close to what I have now, anyone think the 272/250 would be worth getting for its improvement?
If you do want NACA5, it’s easy to find used here in the States. Super Lumina is so much easier to work with, being floppy, but also so much more expensive.
Based on the rest of your post, I’d say you need to audition before committing. A 272/250DR certainly should improve upon the all-in-one-box Nova, but it’s too much to spend without hearing yourself. And the 272 really shines with an external power supply. Where are you located?
I’m in Newfoundland, Canada. There’s one place on the island to get Naim gear and it’s a 7hr drive away. The 272/250DR demo would not be possible unfortunately.
The power supply is basically the price of the 272 itself. Crazy. I dont see these kinds of add-ons for brands like Simaudio, so it raises the question of how they compare with/without the ext power.
I am not entirely convinced that a Nova can sound that close to your Anthem and NAD amplifier.
You would need to listen to different types of music and not listen for sound differences, but rather how they play music, and how each one involves you.
Naim specializes in Pace, Rhythm and Timing.
The 250 DR is a fully regulated amplifier, something quite rare, and will improve on the amplifier in the Nova, but again, the Nova is a very capable unit that I rate very highly.
I remember when I plugged in my 250 DR from a Nap 200, it was an instant improvement and one that I never regretted.
Believe me, I expected a difference, and wanted there to be a difference. I think for many, that alone is enough to convince one’s self that they hear a difference. but on repeated comparison I couldn’t identify anything of significance. (the tube amp was clearly different, on the other hand)
I have since changed up my approach and will not compare, but rather listen and absorb the music at length, and see if I find one more enjoyable than the other.
What kind of differences did you notice with the 250DR?
Yes it’s tough when you live that far from a dealer. If you have the stomach for it, you could buy used and then re-sell if it doesn’t suit you. I recommend buying used in any event.
As for the benefits of the power supplies, plenty of folks here on the forum can describe the benefits. As @anon4489532 wrote in the past day or so about the N272 – he finds that it punches WELL above it’s weight and is probably under-priced for what it delivers in the Naim lineup. You can also read his review of adding an XPS power supply and then a 555 power supply.
What I’d say to @Titan , in response to his post above, is that he should look at things in a different way. The 272 is effectively three different things, depending on the power supply used, ie bare, with XPSDR and with PS555DR. Say the second costs £7,500. The question is how does it compare to another streamer and preamp combination for the same price. The fact that the power supply costs as much as the unit itself doesn’t matter, just think of it as a whole.
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I took me many wasted years doubting and resisting Naim power supplies, writing them off as over-priced ‘nice to haves’. Then I replaced a cuddly toy with a PS555DR to power my NDS and then I realised what all the fuss was about and why they are not cheap.
We live, we home demo and we learn.
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