I found that when I tried Chord Signature. Took a few weeks to settle.
1 Like
Extensive listening yesterday confirmed really excellent SQ, detail and beat/rythm, no sharp edges either.
But thenā¦ā¦. the 222/300/250 delighted out of the box and continued to improve over the past 3-4 months.
Will do some more āfavouritesā listening today and then replace the SL with factory defaults and consider the audible differences.
Unfortunately, an extended loan of the SLās is not possible at present - I wonder why 
?
ATB, J
Thank you for taking the time to share your findings.
I think my concern would be longer term fatique if it opened everything up too much.
The fact you already have the SL speaker cables in the mix is a key element also as I certainly found when I evaluated Chord Signature last year for over a month, the real synergy came when combining equivalent cables both speaker and IC, when I mixed and matched, things felt a bit skewed, not entirely unpleasant but just a little off.
I certainly found the cables needed a decent number of days to be left alone and settle in to the system, they were also likely already well used as they were from the Chord āCable Libraryā and in constant rotation between dealers.
If you can keep it longer (Iād insist on that if you can) and leave it untouched for a good week or more that would be interesting.
Iām going to do that once my 222 has had a little run in time.
Not an easy decision as standard Naim cables work well and to my ears do not hold back 200 series deliver its key strengths ā clarity, dynamics and PRaT.
Given you already have S/L speaker cable Iām sure there will be a synergy which, for me at least, would be fairly hard to resist making the pairing.
In your room, if they donāt make the sound over analytical but give that added detail/resolution and retain the musical coherence youāve got an expensive decision to make. Good luck!
Do you have a view on 222/250 compared to your previous NDX2/SN3 combo? Hope youāre enjoying the new set up until the 332 lands!
Rumours and speculation! But yes thatās the general direction of travel, the 222 is the next step towards that of course.
Itās an interesting question regards the SN3 + NDX2.
I guess one observation is the NAP 250 does a very good job keeping control even at higher volume, the SN3 in my case could get loud quickly but became a bit boomy and congestion would creep in, thereās certainly a sense that the New Classic is tuned more towards digital as opposed to analogue sources in a way the SN3 perhaps wasnāt.
Thereās also the issue of PSUās on either system, so a HiCap and an XPS vs an NPX, once youāve maxed out either I imagine many would favour the 200 Series, itās certainly fast and agile and has the extra degree of grip and composure the previous system was unable to attain.
Sounds promising and the NPX does give you more! Some have suggested that the 200 series struggles with Slowdiveās track Shanty, not my view, so well worth a listen to test out the 222 assuming you donāt mind Slowdiveā¦
I can shoegaze in the pursuit of research!
Iād go loveless MBV, the vinyl reissue version after perhaps?
2 Likes
The SL XLR interconnect had certainly done the rounds and is, apparently, in high demand for both demos and home loans.
With three days listening, initially with the SL XLR and latterly back to the supplied XLRāS, Iām almost 
convinced of the following;
-
The standard Naim cables work well and to my ears absolutely do not hold back 200 series delivering its key strengths ā clarity, dynamics and PRaT - thanks for the words @Tapp, couldnāt have put it better.
-
The SL XLR genuinely adds to the above delivery, extracting, IMHO, the last possible ounce/gram of performance the NSC222/NPX 300/NAP 250 has to offer, particularly at lower volumes I thought, although that might be imagined. Overall I thought unarguably a reference performance across multiple musical genres, so from a listening standpoint, a palpable winner.
-
However, whether the difference is actually worth the not inconsiderable cost of the SL XLR interconnect, that I cannot say, probably not in cost-benefit terms. Bit if itās worth it to the listener, then itās worth it, is it notā¦ā¦ā¦.?
In conclusion, I REALLY enjoyed listening to my 200 Series with a full SL loom, now I just have to decide if I REALLY want it, or more accurately, if I miss it enough to HAVE to have it 
?
ATB, J
1 Like
Interesting and your evaluation chimes with Martin Colloms, the HiFi reviewer, that the 200 was high enough in quality to clearly hear the advantage of Super Lumina.
As you say, the only downside is the high price.
In your position Iād be very tempted to get the āfull loomā but Iāve got to say Iām happy with standard cables for now.
Appreciate the insights, itās very much a nice to have in my view, as opposed to a necessity, it certainly sits well outside of the casual purchase or affordable bracket so youād want to be sure it added enough to the party to be a longterm contributor.
Once my 222 has some miles on the clock Iām aiming to do a side by side between SL and Chord Signature, it feels too soon to do that yet. Even Sarum seems a bit overkill, Epic probably different more than better, hence a focus on Signature, which when I last tried it I found capable and enjoyable, if a little too āHiFiā to my ears/room.
1 Like
I was/am considering looking at Chord SignatureX Tuned Aray XLR Interconnect as a (slightly) more cost effective alternative to the SLā¦ā¦
ATB, J
Sgnature XLR often come up as dealer ex demo as a plus, you should be able to pick them up that way for a lot less on retail and theyāll be basically the same as a new pair.
I doubt thatāll be the case with the SL XLRās, dealers wonāt be sitting on those, and ex demo pairs wonāt spring up for another year or more.
Iād be reluctant to pay full ticket price on any IC.
I had to go without the SL XLR for a while when I moved from the 250 to 300, on an otherwise full loom. Without it I thought the system wasnāt at its best. It certainly brings in a lot of refined micro dynamics and texture that I find really draws you into the music, and this is enhanced with the full loom. Depth of the sound stage and tighter bass are the other benefits Iāve found.
2 Likes
Forgot to ask at the show, but does the new 222 and 332 have a tape loop?
Tim
Iād bet Naim will continue replacing model lines as, to me, there are too much of them, xs and
So, they might replace ndx2 and nd5xs2 with some streamer, and the price will be somewhere in between, closer to ndx2
Some of the Nait 5si, XS2 and Supernait will be replaced with some new models, probably, with the power off button on the front panel. Most likely, there will be something like Nait 5si 2 that will replace 5si + XS2.
So, in short:
Nait 5si, XS2 ā Nait xxx (not sure what code it might be)
ndx2 and nd5 xs2 ā ndx3 but with different name
At the Naim demo I was at at Bristol Show Mark Raggett described the NSS333 as the replacement for the NDX2.
3 Likes
Yes.
Well, not really. The NAC332 has a line out available on one of the DINs (input 8) so you can attach a recorder to it, but thereās no proper tape loop or monitoring facility, so any monitoring would need to be done directly via the recorder.
Input 8 (5 pin DIN) has line level outputs mirroring the currently selected source. Note that when this input is selected the source connected will be mirrored, so beware of feedback loops if using a recording source.
1 Like
Would love to see a little power amp for the atom