I think we had some part of this discussion earlier in this thread but I can’t remember much about it apart from the suggestion that DAC mode produced a voltage a tad on the hot side but not unacceptable for a 202.
Are we saying that I should move to AMP mode; set the pre to where i would want my normal listening volume and then up the TT2 volume until it’s turquoise/feels right?
How do I know I’m not exceeding the DAC mode voltage and doing harm?
Precisely. It will do no harm – in fact, the object of this exercise is to reduce the voltage from the (too high, with Naim) standard DAC mode setting.
Okay then. That’s something I shall do tomorrow. Thank you.
You’re quite welcome! Let me know how it goes. You paid for high-rez files and I for one am of the opinion that you should get all those bits! 
I agree. It’s just that my initial experience of having the volume at 100% was that it accentuated the impedance mismatch between amp and speakers, which I will eventually sort as described earlier. It sucked the warmth out of the sound.
Still, that was in DAC mode with a fixed output and a few mm of travel on the volume. It may be different in AMP mode.
I’ll need Mrs. H. with me. I’m red, green, yellow and blue colourblind so turquoise is not a real thing for me 
Easiest thing is to turn the volume all the way down on you TT and then slowly turn it up until you reach the correct level. I did the same when I had my 282 with my Hugo 2 and TT 2. It was one of the reasons I moved on from Naim amps, although the fact that the chord also sounds quite a bit better was the deciding factor
Duly noted. Been up since 7am but have to wait until the rest of the family get up off their arses.
Going to mute the pre; put is volume to somewhere between 9 and 10 o’clock then; make sure the volume of the TT2 is at zero; start playing some music and then slowly turn it up.
Quick update.
Dropped pre volume to zero; muted; switched the DAC to AMP mode and made sure I was in LO GAIN mode. Set the server volume to 100%. Consulted the nice chart I got by email from Chord and settled on -12L dB i.e. roughly 1V RMS. A drop of 1.5V from DAC mode. The volume colour is blue rather than turquoise but everything snapped up a level. Bass will never be stunning until I sort a new amp but this is even better than DAC mode and then some. Volume on the pre is lovely at around 8:40 to 9:00 o’clock. About the same travel as for the TV so it makes sense to the family.
Messed about a bit wuth -9L dB i.e. roughly 1.5V and lilac. It’s okay but not as good.
There’s a crispness and clarity now the server is back at 100% which is just… wonderful. @sweet.bippy big thanks are due for reminding me to try this.
Result! I’m so pleased to hear that it’s working well. I have an RME DAC with my 282 and have whacked the volume right down to get better travel on the volume pot – and to address a slight channel imbalance at lower gain levels on the 282. (This is really common with Naim preamps.)
Yeah, I’d read your profile. I really like the RME DAC. It just works. Will never appeal to some people because of the look. I can’t comment as I’m no fan of the look of the Chords but boy do they deliver.
Have spent years trying to avoid boxes with flashing lights and now find myself with a blue glowing volume globe; a window onto the ICB lit red alongside the Naim green. Initially it was easy to set the Innuos colour to green but now I’m wondering if I should just go yellow for the full set!
Less of a fan of the 282 although if I wanted to stay with Naim amps it would arguably offer a better match with my speakers.
Interestingly, my speakers don’t really come to life at low volumes and aren’t helped by the Naim channel imbalance at such volumes. I wouldn’t say they came alive at low volume tonight but goodness they were lovely.
Currently lost in an hour of Christy Moore with Mrs. H. swearing at me for “keeping her up late”, which roughly translates as “it’s really hard to tear yourself away from this”.
It’s really very nice when things click but and this is really important you just have to live with the fact that some recordings even some that you love are just badly done and will never sound as good as you want them to but as @mikehughescq stated up thread for every one of these there are enough wow moments to compensate.
I’ve ended up with an integrated amp that cost less than a third of the amount my best Naim pre/power did, a turntable that cost half what my last LP12 did and cables that cost the same as a single Power Line and I’m really loving the sound.
I do want a better DAC to go with my Auralic Aries and some Gaia 2 feet for my speakers but I think I’m getting very close to satisfaction.
Nice post @Bobthebuilder and it’s a good point. My system now, more than it ever did with a Naim source, allows me to hear the differences between different albums from the same artist and, well some just aren’t recorded that well. However, given the number of wonderful moments I’m having at present then it’s an issue I can live with.
In my younger days I aspired to source plus DAC or power supply or both plus pre and power plus floor standing speakers.
If the last few years have taught me anything it’s that I will go back to an integrated with no hesitation at all.
Exactly and I’m with you on the integrated apart from temporary fill ins the Hegel is my first integrated for a good 10 years and I’m really loving the simplicity of it and feel I’m losing nothing.
You don’t need an integrated with your TT 2. With the right power amp it will sound sublime as a source/pre, as long as you don’t have any analogue sources of course.
Only 2 sources. Zenith and TV. My only analogue source is TV and as the cables there are dug into the wall I’ll be leaving that be until such time as the Kuro goes to Kuro heaven. I could run optical from the Sky Q but I’ve always found sync easier to manage when I take audio straight from the TV. Counter intuitive but there you go.
Mine synchs better through the MScaler with the TV button on than it does through my sound bar
Mrs. H. wants me to report that my tether has been well and truly reined in. Between us we have listened to more music in the last 3 months than we have in the past 3 years and it’s not stopping.
1,960 albums and singles were ripped. 23 purchases since January of either stuff that refused to rip or new releases. Lots of meta data editing to be done; a better quality wireless bridge or about 40 feet of flat Cat cable needs to be sorted as do metal flight cases to move the CDs to storage. Oh yeah and a final move from the Naim ecosystem when I have saved up for a new integrated to replace the Naim pre, power and power supplies etc. with something more compatible for my very efficient speakers.
I have been tweaking and learning as I go along. So the advice to move from the fixed and slightly hot voltage of DAC mode on the Chord to the variable voltage of AMP mode was fantastic. Have been experimenting and there is a noticeable uplift at -9L dB or 1.5V. Detail and PRaT. Absolutely compelling. Might yet see what happens if I push it back to 2V as opposed to the 2.5V of DAC mode. All this and a decent app to come. Not been this happy listening to music funnily enough since the only Naim o had was a source. Happy days.
I think your journey has been one of tremendous perseverance. You and your family obviously love music and now seem well on the way to having a system that can deliver.
I had a Naim streaming system between 2011 and 2016 which used to bring joy and frustration in equal measure. In the end I changed to a Rega based CD and integrated system before getting back into streaming more recently with the same front ends as you have ended up with.
I still have fond memories of the 282/200 though and would not rule out returning there one day with the Zenith/TT2.
ATB
Ray
It has been fascinating to read back (some of) this thread and realise how some of the most thoughtful answers came from people with at least one non Naim component. Many of them ended up with … an Innuos source and a Chord DAC
To be fair to Naim, their latest line of streamers and the Core have improved a lot in terms of functionality since my days with the Userve/NDX but as they say oranges are not the only fruit and the TT2 is a fiddlers dream - I have used as a DAC, preamp, driving my speakers directly and of course it’s a good headphone amp.
Ray