For sure Mike
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Hi,
May I put it this way? If I give SN3+SCDR 100%, I would say SN3 bare and SN3+HCDR are 70% and 80% of it respectively. It’s very subjective though. Hope this helps.
Kind regards,
Bandit
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Goodness me Bandit not sure about the 100%
I’ve discussed this precise issue with my long suffering Naim dealer
His view is that although the SCDR might add a little uptick in SQ , the SN3 preamp can’t utilise the full benefit of the SCDR
So essentially not worth spending the extra significant money on the SCDR
Makes sense to me as I’ve often thought about changing for the SCDR but haven’t gone there
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Hi Bevo, I wouldn’t upgrade a SCDR to a SN3 bare or SN3+HCDR if I didn’t have one on hands. I’ve tried it out of my curiosity and found that it had quite an improvement over HCDR.
I agree that SN3 can’t utilize the full benefit of a SCDR, even less so than a 282 does. The best configuration is with a 252 which I’ve owned now.
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Oh good to hear Bandit , well done re 252 , it’s a wonderful preamp
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Thank you, I enjoy it very much.
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I have a SN2 which I’m pretty happy with. Contemplated upgrading to an SN3 but seem to be a number on this forum that still rave about the SN2. Other elements of my system are Kudos 606 and an ND5 XS2. Probably a total miss-match but sounds pretty decent to me but then again, my ears aren’t what they used to be!
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I am amazed about how good the SN3 is. When I first considered it, my dealer encouraged me to add the HicapDr, which was offered at a good price. I upgraded from the ND5XS2 to the NDX2 and XPSDr. I changed cables to the EpicX (interconnect and speaker) and added Focal Utopia headphones. Every addition was significant and clearly audible through my SN3 and Spendor A4 speakers. I’ve ended up spending more than I thought but have no regrets. My dealer says the system can support better speakers but we are very satisfied with the A4 speakers. They work very well in what has been an impossible room with other speakers. I think I will stop at this point unless the SN3 gets eventually upgraded. What will I do if I am not buying gear?
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I’d certainly watch the beautiful view you have.
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The view is special. We can see the bridges, skyline and river from our LR window. The has limited better speakers b/c most are taller and would block our view. My husband feels stronger about the view than I do. I need to respect that, since he is forgiving about my spending on gear.
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I still need to visit Brooklyn. though I don’t live there, I visit Breukelen - the name giver of your place - in the Netherlands at least twice a week.
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Oh I say, that is very tasteful indeed.
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In 2022, when my Naim XS was in Salisbury having a new volume pot and service, I nabbed an “open box” SN3 for a bargain price of £2700. 
I was quite shocked at the difference in the presentation of the SN3. It had vastly more weight, detail and soundstage but I did initially feel that it sounded a bit thick and lacked some of the light-footed “bounce” of the XS.
Eventually the SN3 and my ears both burned in and I came to appreciate what an amazing amp the SN3 really is. Led Zep turned up to 2 o’clock is really quite something…
Ironically, the SN3 is currently in Salisbury for some TLC and the XS is back in the rack (lucky I was too lazy to getting around to selling it!)
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Damn I rarely pass 9 o’clock.
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Yep 9 o’clock is pretty normal but when you’re “home alone” and upstairs neighbours are 3000 miles away, it’s wonderful to take the opportunity to go balls to the wall.
My “proac tablette 8 reference signature” (stupid long name) speakers are small and punchy but did eventually start to complain at being asked to play quite so (very) loud,
(obv, this is all dependant on speaker sensitivity)
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When I was looking to buy an SN3 I read many reviews some said better some said the same but with Phono Stage I even started a thread on SN2 V 3 which again was very mixed so because I didn’t need a Phono Stage I went for one of the very late SN2’s brand new in the box for £1,750 that was about 3 years ago. I have a Rega P8 and no HC and it’s a brilliant amp to listen to.
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Ditto here. Sometimes i can hit 10 maybe 11, depending on the traffic. 
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Wow, reckon my drivers would be flying past my ears, as you say speaker dependent but I’ve had at least three very different pairs of speakers and end of 10 has been the absolute punishing max.
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quick question to users who have gone from Supernait 2 to Supernait3, did you notice that you had to turn the 3 up more than the 2 to desired listening level? Not sure if 3 volume control is different to 2?
Maybe @110dB would know?
Yes… I think the input sensitivity is higher on the 2 than 3 so less gain on the input on a 3.,
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