Hi All, newbie here. I’ve been fortunate to inherit some rather nice hi-fi including Mark Levinson CD player, Sonus Faber Cremona Speakers and a Naim Nac-N-272, the latter of which my question is about.
I have some Maplin Millenium Monoblock Tube Power Amplifiers which I intend to use with the Naim but how do I connect them? I’ve looked at some info online but it only talks about connecting Naim equipment to Naim using a DIN plug but may as well be a foreign language to me.
Basic stuff I know but if anyone could offer some guidance on the best way to connect I’d be grateful.
The 272 has a choice of DIN or RCA output sockets, either of which can be used to connect a power amp. It’s generally best to use DIN where possible, but in this case the easiest way is to use the RCA sockets which I presume is what you have on the power amps.
Thanks both, my monoblocks only have RCA in. Would it be better to go through the Din ouputs with DIN to RCA cables (and are there such things) or just RCA to RCA?
Also, sorry to change direction suddenly but I currently have a Marantz network streamer and I use Jriver to play my files stored on a hard drive. Does Jriver work well with the Naim?
You would need to have a Left and Right pair of DIN to RCA cables made, as these would not be standard off-the-shelf cables. Perfectly possible, but a pair of RCAs would be easier to find.
JRiver includes a DLNA media server, the Naim app should be able to find that.
Alternatively the JRiver control app should be able to find the 272.
Using the Naim app has the advantage that the entire playlist (i.e. the whole album track list or up to 500 separate tracks) is downloaded to the 272. If the tablet or phone then goes to sleep, the 272 will still continue playing the entire list. The JRiver app is likely to have to send each track separately as and when required.
The JRiver media server may not be capable of gapless playback (the 272 and Naim app will do gapless if the media server supports it).
Jriver supports gapless and anything else you might need in a upnp server.
I haven’t done extensive testing, but the latest Naim firmware (possibly) has broken jriver being able to play direct to Naim devices (I can’t send to my ndx2 anymore, but works with qb gen 1 and unitiqute on 4.7).
However if you are driving it from the Naim app, then all is well.
Sorry for being a pain but I suspect my amplifier is the weak link in the chain and I’m now aspiring for an upgrade (already). I would have only about £800 to spend. I can see that I may be able to get a NAP 200 for this money if I’m patient. Would this be a good partner for the 272? Or would I be better waiting 'til I could afford a NAP 200 DR? Or maybe a NAP 250? Or would a power supply for the 272 be a better option? There seems to be so many options…not sure if that’s a good thing or not
A 200 would be a good partner to the 272, as would a 250 if you spend more. There is no benefit to getting a 200DR as the DR spec only applies to the power supply that can run a separate Naim power amp, which you are not using.
A 250DR, on the other hand, is worth considering.
Be sure to check the age and service history of any older Naim amp, as you may need to put some cash towards a recap and service at 10 or 15 years.
It really depends on your preference and wallet. I never cared for the 200 (maybe the DR version is better). The 250DR is an exceptional partner for the 272. And a 272/250DR sounds great on their own but you have the option of adding a PS (XPS or 555PS) to the 272 later for another nice jump in SQ, esp with the 555PSDR.
The 200 can power a preamp, the 250 can’t.
So the “dr” in a 200, if you’re not powering a preamp, doesn’t do anything / gives you no advantage over a vanilla 200.
In a 250, the “dr” applies to the 250 itself, so 250dr is better than a vanilla 250.
It’s probably the Naim app that you are referring to. It’s pretty self explanatory really; just try it and you’ll soon get the hang of it. There is no guide as such.
Not self explanatory for me evidently Fortunately, I have connected via Jriver and all is well there but wanted to at least try the app. The front of the unit shows I am connected. Naim app doesn’t list my product but I’ve chosen another one and it’s asking me the colour of the standby button. Checked the manual and can’t find standby button - neither can a friend who’s come round. Getting no server found on the other app. Being asked to press play on the unit and then to press and hold home button on remote. Checked remote and no button marked home - checked by others too. I have 5TB of music on a hard drive so not really interested in Tidal, Spotify etc. The screen on the unit shows upnp and Mike’s PC but how do I search and play music without the app? Sorry but just so frustrated with it and manual seemingly no help + no guides on the web
Fortunately, I have connected via Jriver and all is well there but wanted to at least try the app. The front of the unit shows I am connected. Naim app doesn’t list my product but I’ve chosen another one and it’s asking me the colour of the standby button. Checked the manual and can’t find standby button - neither can a friend who’s come round. Getting no server found on the other app. Being asked to press play on the unit and then to press and hold home button on remote. Checked remote and no button marked home - checked by others too. I have 5TB of music on a hard drive so not really interested in Tidal, Spotify etc. The screen on the unit shows upnp and Mike’s PC but how do I search and play music without the app? Sorry but just so frustrated with it and manual seemingly no help + no guides on the web 