Hi. I’ve got a Naim NAP300 + NAP300PS, comes with the 2 Burndy’s and two mono DIN to XLR cables.
At the moment i have no pre-amp for it, but was wondering how i connect it to a Pre-Amp. If i choose a Naim Pre-Amp, don’t they only have 1 DIN lead (with both left and right signal) from Pre to power amp ? So how do i connect these mono DIN to XLR cables to a Naim pre-amp ?
And if (sanity leaves me and) i get a non-Naim pre-amp, can i just get a “normal” RCA to XLR, or XLR to XLR pair of interconnects and connect the pre-amp to the Naim NAP300 ?? Would that work ? Are they wired the same ?
The NAP300 XLRs are wired differently to the XLRs that are commonly used for balanced connections, so you would need to source some that are wired specifically for Naim Classic amps, or you could have the Naim cables you already own reterminated with RCAs.
If you choose a Naim pre (likely a safer bet in terms of compatibility with the 300) there will be two DIN sockets available to connect the two cables.
Just to add to @ChrisSU excellent post most Naim pre-amps need an external power supply and the installation is to connect the pre-amp to the power supply using a cable supplied with the power supply and connect the power supply to the power amp using the din to XLR cables you already have. The most common Old Classic preamps are:
The 202 or 282 which can be powered by a Flatcap or (preferably) a Hi-cap or a Supercap.
The 252 which requires a Supercap.
The 552 which comes with it’s own dedicated powersupply
The 272 which includes a first generation streamer and its own power supply, so the 300 can be connected directly to it using the DIN to XLR cables you have.
You can get a complete illustration of all options from the Connections Guide which can be downloaded from
Don’t be discouraged from considering a non-Naim preamp with the 300DR. I have excellent results doing it that way.
You will indeed need a special interconnect to hook them up as noted by others. If the preamp has XLR out then you can buy an excellent cable off-the-shelf from AV Options (their Signal cables). If it’s RCA then you will need to get one custom made, as I had to do for my previous pre.
Thank you ChrisSU, LutherP and Taake for your replies.
I had a look at the cables from AV Options, and they wanted $1,700 for their cable - which is more than i paid for the NAP300 + PS !
As budget is quite tight, i will probably go 2nd hand with a 202 and flatcap (and later upgrade the power supply).
So can i just make sure a NAC202 (with flatcap) and NAP300 / NAP300PS will all connect together ?
And if thats ok, can i use any flatcap ? ie: flatcap, flatcap 2, flatcap xs etc ?
A 202 will certainly work, but Naim systems generally work best with the highest quality preamp and skimping on it is not ideal. The natural partner within the Naim Classic range is the 252, which would certainly be a better match.
You certainly don’t need to spend 1700 on a cable. Did you net get suitable cables supplied with the 300?
Yes. Budget’s tight at the mo - hence having to make do with a 2nd hand 202 etc. But later hopefully will upgrade the Pre-amp.
Yes, the normal cables came with the 300 + PS, but was thinking of using a non-naim pre-amp, hence requiring different cables to connect to the 300. But to save all the faff etc, probably will go with the 202 + flatcap.
Do you know if any flatcap would do ? ie: flatcap, flatcap 2, flatcap XS etc ?
