I never said that and nor would I but I think you should judge the kit after hearing it.
My 252 and SuperCap were 2006 and 2003 build, had never been serviced but were stored away for a couple of years and they still sounded fantastic. The new owner was also really happy with them too. I’m not ruling out that they’ll never need servicing but there isn’t always the need to get them done after x amount of years either.
This is a what ‘would you recommend question and why’ and I think I know what replies I am likely to get, here goes, I have recently purchased a Naim Supernait 3 with a HiCap DR, an NDX 2 and XPS DR all driving Focal Sopra No.3’s. It all sounds pretty good to be honest BUT had the chance to listen to NDX2 into a NAC 252 with Supercap driving NAP 300’s into KEF Blade 2’s and it got me wondering if I should have opted for this, albeit more expensive, system. Again this system sounded excellent but I would like to hear on my Focals, planned for next week. This urge to upgrade is a real expensive hobby but what are your thoughts, as said the Supernait 3 sounds pretty good to me, funding not an issue but I don’t want to go up to the 555 / 552 NAP 500 system etc. as that is circa £60k OMG but I bet it would sound fantastic but drive the need for Focal Utopia’s, even more money. Well, I look forward with interest to see what people have to say, be gentle lol.
Even Sopra 2s sound good with that kit. You could be patient and wait for a preloved 552/500 to come up. If serviced in the last few years but unDRed it could set you back up to £18k. A bit more for DR. You need good mains and racking.
Phil
You have a nicely balanced system which i am sure sounds wonderful, the trick is to listen to other hifi and not buy…failed miserably myself. Having had a 252/SC/300 dr myself it is as @Antz said a great system and would be a nice upgrade, its just when do you want to stop. If you are tempted i would stick with your Focals, at least for a while, they have plenty of potential.
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I’d suggest you have fallen into the trap of buying speakers that are too good for your electronics. As a new purchaser of Naim I’d suggest simply living with your system for a while. Get used to it, decide if it meets your needs. You’ll always be able to hear better things, but you don’t have to have them. The trick is to work out how far you want to go.
In the meantime make sure you are getting the best from your setup: dedicated mains, a good stand and so on.
If you decide you want to get something better sooner rather than later I’d go for the ND555, 552 and either 300 or 500, secondhand if needs be. No need for Utopias - when I heard them they were pretty nasty. You’ll be surprised how much more your Sopras have to offer.
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This is the same as my system, though the SN2. A couple of thoughts. Give it 9 months to fully settle, it will improve markedly. You can improve this set up quite a bit more with a Superlumina interconnect between the NDX2 and SN3, I’ve just done this, it’s as good as adding a black box!
Also, as HH says, get the best power supply and leads.
Also, have you maxed out your source. The SN is good enough to deliver all those improvements feeding into it, and the amp will do it’s job. Then, if you want more amplification, you’ve a sound base to work from.
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Talking about getting the best out of your system have any of you got / tried IsoAcoustics GAIA speaker isolators, I was surprised, watching a YouTube video on these, the difference they made on the sound output from the speakers, the clarity of the sound seemed to have a lifted and the sound became more clear and focused. Vibrations feeding back into the speakers through the floor or surrounding environment clearly have significant effect. I’m going to get a physical demo of these next Thursday to see in person if they are something I would consider buying, they are however quite expensive though and for a set of 4 isolators, for heavy speakers, they cost circa £600, so £1200 for a pair:dizzy_face:
Yes, I use Gaia II under my Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum. I’m not big on tweaks and claims that make subtle changes that may or may not actually be improvements. The Gaia II, however, made an immediate and noticeable improvement, with tighter and more well-defined bass, improvements to staging, and more refinement/clarity through the mids/highs.
FWIW: I also use other isoAcoustics products: the Delos platform under my turntable to the same effect, and their ISO Puck Minis as replacement feet for my tube phonostage.
I believe I paid $600 for the set of eight Gaia II, which support speakers up to 120 lbs each (mine are 90 lbs).
Thanks for your response, it is good to get feedback from an actual owner and user, I must say from the YouTube video they certainly seemed to improve the sound quality. I don’t normally hear much difference in these A//B comparisons when seen on a TV so this time I listened via headphones and it was definitely noticeable. I look forward to listening to some physically but I don’t like the idea of paying for them at £1200 lol.
I can throw my 2p in as well and use these and agree with @JosquinDesPrez that they are worth the investment.
I use them too.
I have on loan a NAC 252, SC and NAP 300, wanted to see how much of a difference there was to my current set up which is a SN3, NDX 2, XPS DR and HiCap Dr. I was hoping that the difference wasn’t going to be massive so not having to justify the cost difference should I choose to upgrade, well, initial reaction is that the 252 system, to put it in simple terms, sounds like it has a lot more pop to it, clarity, detail, bass response etc. I have even put some IsoAcoustics GAIA i’s on my speakers (Focal Sopra No. 3’s) just for the hell of it lol. I think I should have just lived in blissful ignorance with the SN 3 system and not worried about upgrading as the system does sound good in isolation to anything else, doh !! What to do, am I just getting carried away with the thought that it must be better as it costs more, no it does sound much better lol.
Probably better to upgrade now as I am sure your dealer will give you a VERY handsome return on your previous gear. Just a word of warning, if you have the funds then maybe just bite the bullet and go for a full 500 system as the system you mention is so close you will most likely upgrade at some point anyway and taking 2 hits vs 1 seems unwise. I believe your current system is very new and not yet burnt in so 500 is almost inevitable if you are already looking for such a big upgrade!
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Be interesting to hear the 500 series but that is a MAJOR cost upgrade, I think the wife would divorce me. 
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@mwomwell I have a 500 system and while not divorced I can say its VERY good and in some circumstances might be worth it 
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The amplification and power supplies are 4 times the cost, so one would hope it’s quite a bit better and you have big speakers. In the meantime, upgrading the interconnect and power lines and maybe speaker cables will still bring benefits for the SN3 and can be carried forward to an upgrade system.
Exciting times. I guess you would skip the 282/250. I’d probably would if I ever have a windfall.
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Sensible advice from @Mike_S right there. SL cables and Powerline(s) plus a 555PS DR (comes with a powerline) for your NDX2 and you are hot to trot right into a further upgrade when funds allow!
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I would get the boxes sorted first. A few SL cables and Powerlines can easily cost as much as a source or amp upgrade. Get that right, and the cables are just icing on the cake, and that assumes that you like what they do, which is by no means universally liked by all those who have tried it.
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I just bought a used PowerLine for my XPSDR (NDX2), but changed my mine and put it on my SCDR (252). Now that I’m playing records I like what I hear.
Unfortunate isn’t it!