Exicited but nervous

Hi-Fi Corner
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Got a second hand 252 and SupercapDR.
Still waiting for my new 300DR.

going to move my 272 as a streamer and add the 252/SC as pre amp.
Clearly my system has a 200DR as the weak link - but should i expect a massive boost or will it need the 300D

I know the 200DR is not good enough for my Sopra 2 - so potentially this upgrade could make it worse for now .

I think i am at my endgame - NDX2 next for 272 and dedicated mains supply when i move.

(still interested in the factory tour on the other thread) - but think after NDX2 (cables are my only next new purchase)

i am not going to get to 500 level so the 300DR will be the end .

Anyone else going through my situation - 25years of upgrades and now the end?

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I would hope you will notice a reasonable improvement. It’s a logical step towards your end game. Maybe NDX2 next before 300.
I am hopefully nearing the end of the upgrade road after over 15 years with Naim

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Similar, yes, after 30 years of hifi dabbling I gifted myself the NDX2/555/252/300 nearly in one go 18 months ago, it’s stunning and may well be my endgame. If the speakers and room are OK, there is nothing left to criticize. Enjoy.

Though for various reasons I had the 300 first, fed for several weeks by a NAD pre and then a Nova, so I can’t comment on this part.

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Awesome, the 252 is a wonderful preamp. The NDX2 is a fantastic streamer, though with the 252 you ideally want to run a seperate power supply with it. Indeed, I’d suggest doing that and opting for a 250 DR over the 300 DR if affordability is an issue. I think you would want to compare the NDX2/252/300 versus the NDX2 (XPS DR or 555PS)/252/250, both 4 box set ups.

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I think it’s a bit late for that Mike. If I read the OP correctly he’s already ordered/bought the 300.

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Certainly an improvement then! Sometimes I wonder about one myself, but then the “cost of living” thing kicked in.

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Near the end? I won’t be the only one who thought that, and was wrong.

Over a short-ish period a few decades ago, I got a Lingo 1, Linnto & Ekos for my LPs and a CDS2 for CDs, keeping 82/ Hicap/ 250 and Shahinian Compasses. I heard some better systems, but nothing that made me spend. I was finished.

Then streaming happened, something that we hadn’t expected all those years ago - a quick listen got me an NDX2.

A year or so later, idly scrolling, I saw a second-hand 52 / Supercap & a Superline going for a song. I knew both were a audibly better than what I had, and at that price…

Everything was once again as good as I could get it without (to me) excessive cost & bother. I was finished.

Some time later, changing round my living room meant I could try bigger & better speakers - B&W 804 D3s won (with Tellurium Black 2).

The extra clarity didn’t spoil anything, but it did highlight that the NDX2 really wasn’t perfect - apart from anything else, the CDS2 should never be more involving and open than an HD stream.

Fixing that meant adding the XPS - now all 3 sources sounded about as good as I could get them, and I saw no likelihood that I could be bothered to change anything.

Then I hear the Karousel. I never expected to want a bearing upgrade - I wasn’t about to swap to (say) Brinkman or SME to get a better bearing. However, once I had heard the difference, I bought it (and a Lingo 4 instead of the Lingo 1).

Once again, I can’t envisage wanting to change any of that lot.

However, imagine if a new Super Nova offered a significant upgrade on the above streaming and the above amplification, all for about what I could sell my existing boxes for and in one box. Would I upgrade to that single box? Of course I would.

Imagine in in 2025 someone offered a wireless gadget to replace speaker cables on any speaker, with SQ like Super Lumina & for a vaguely affordable price. Wouldn’t we all buy it?

Throughout, if the SQ is about as good as I can get it with excessive cost/ bother, I have been quite happy to change nothing for years. But every time I have heard a difference that made a difference to how much music I could hear and how enjoyable it was, I have spent.

I think that that means the process for me will end with penury, deafness or death.

So, if you are getting to an end, well done - but we’ll see…

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Not 25 years! We went from SuperUniti with new speakers to 272/XPSDR/250DR in 2 years, tweaked cables/powerlines and are now moving to streamer, nDAC, 252/SCDR for an “end game” 6 box system. Until we upgrade to a 300DR pmsl

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Yes my system is finished now and having just upgraded my LP12 the upgrade piggy bank is most certainly closed running 252/300DR into Kudos Titans 505

I ran 200 (non DR) with 282/HCDR before upgrading to 282/HCDr/300 which all worked very musically with each other then DR the 300 brought in even more

yes 300DR will bring a lot more and your 252 will love you for it - as alternative I would demo NDX2 before pressing the 300DR go button just to try the mix in the system

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Yep I am done as far as amplification & speakers.

Nac52/Supercap/Nap300/Neat MF7.

May update the LP12 with Karousel when I need a cartridge replacement.

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Got my CDS2 up and running - it’s a joy! getting all my old CD’s out - better quality then streaming from a NAS.
When the 300DR arrives - the 272 as a streamer will certainly be the weak link - so NDX2 eventually.

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40 years in my case.

G

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I’m 46 years on the hifi treadmill (but only the past 5 with Naim) and have reached my zenith at 252/300DR. A great place to end up.

You’ll be happy there.

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That’s great - NDX2 for 272 is the last Naim box - dedicated mains then Aura for Aria , Rega Aphelion 2 MC for apheta 3.

I think that is it - then just realised my 272 has an FM/DAB module - so if that goes a NAT03/05.

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Thursday 5th May 2022 will be the culmination of my Hi Fi journey Willmac. It started in the summer of '95 with Nac 72, Hi Cap, Nap 180, CDI, Rega Planer 3, SBLs, and NACA5.

Swapping out two 300s for 500s in my now active system will be the final piece of the jigsaw. Been a long time coming with the 500s being on order for nearly a year now!

Cheers Pete

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