I’m looking for advice on a hypothetical system upgrade.
I am working on the capital sanction side of things with my better half which is why this is hypothetical, but it would be useful to have views as to which way I should go.
I have a 272 with XPS power supply, feeding into an old but serviced 180. My speakers are fairly newly acquired PMC 25. I also have an old Roksan turntable with power supplies.
When I bought the PMCs I didn’t realise they could go active - so that is something I am interested in.
One constraint that cannot move - no more boxes, They can be different but not more. Budget is of course an issue but I’ll work on that!
Ideally I would like to have a separate streamer and pre amp as the streamer will probably not last forever. Whilst I like my 272 I feel like I’m being left behind. My power amp is over 50 years old and still going strong.
So….I could go for 222 and 300 and sell the 272 and XPS. But this feels like a lot of money for not much different to now? And still a combined streamer / pre amp.
I could sell the 180 and go PMC active - would this be a step up? Is it worth doing with the 272 as the source?
Or I could go mad - get a 333 and a 332 (and maybe a 300) with PMC Active. Would the active PMCs be up to the job?? Would the 180 be up to the job (would also mean no 300)?
I would probably try and get stuff second hand if I could.
All views welcome!
Nigel (@HungryHalibut ) is the person to advise on making the PMCs active. Whether a 222/300 would offer much sonically over the 272/XPS I couldn’t say, and in any event would need a proper demo for you to decide. A simple solution though would be to seek out a used 250DR.
You could buy a Primare NP5 streaming bridge. The 272 would then basically be a combined dac/preamp.
You’d get improved functionality, plus an uplift in SQ. That would cost £700 including spdif cable and upgraded power supply.
I know you said no more boxes, it’s a tiny little thing, that nobody would notice.
Going active reduces box count so potentially paving the way for separate streamer and preamp* in the future (you could always retain the power amp box to reserve space).
*Or streaming source and separate DAC with volume control suitable for driving power amp direct as another variant worth considering, as it is only the streaming front end that might become obsolescent with online streaming.
I am sure some would say that an Atom HE with the active pack on your speakers would be a significant sonic and functional upgrade, be simpler, less boxes, future proof the system and not be too expensive (including selling the existing boxes).
A 222/300 NPX would likely be better still, for more money, and a 332/333 would def be a huge uplift, for a lot more money.
I am not 100% what speakers you have - that might impact the above.
What you need is a good dealer who will let you try at home before you buy.
Quite a few people use it with first gen naim streamers, primarily for improved functionality, but find SQ also improves.
There are a couple of people using it in a system with a 552 preamp. So. It’s a lot better than the price would suggest.
I can’t speak to the performance of PMC’s product, but they seem to be well regarded. The idea of impedance and power matched amp packs designed for the drivers just makes sense to me. Simply going active I’d wager would provide a significant upgrade over the NAP180? This could be a first step to try.
Looking further ahead, you’ve called out the desire to separate streaming source from the preamp, and I agree for same reasons you stated. This eliminates the 222 from consideration.
332 is where I’d spend my budget. There’s few upgrades as rewarding as moving up the range in Naim pre amps. 332 balanced output is perfect for the PMC active. The upgrade benefits both analog and digital front end.
If you wanted to phase the spend, maybe a 332 with ND5XS2 streamer, or something cheap and cheerful like a Wiim as an interim solution? This leaves you plenty of room to grow - with a path to 333 source and potential NPX300(s) in sight for the future..
We don’t know which PMC speakers the OP owns. The twenty5.26i cannot be made active, whereas the others can. I wouldn’t consider the 180 with any of them, and the active pack should be a very considerable upgrade.
Active speakers can easily be connected to the 272 using RCA to RCA cables.
The current NC series has much better functionality than the 272 but it depends whether that is important.
A 555PSDR would be a huge upgrade to the 272.
As for the New Classics, what might be chosen depends on how much the OP wants to spend.
I would be tempted if I stuck with Naim to go 332, 333 with Active speakers. Or just get the 222 with active possibly look at NPX300 with that.
There are good used deals to be had on these boxes, even though they have only been out a couple of years.
Or go outside of Naim and get something different. 3 boxes: DAC, streamer and Preamp. You need the preamp for the turntable.
You could go down the Linn DSM NG route which will combine everything in one box potentially. You can run some turntables digitally from it. But you made another box.
Thanks. Yes, they can be taken active. The 180 isn’t enough for them. I’d get the active boards and connect to the 272 using a pair of RCA leads. They may need to have a 100R resistor added so as not to upset the 272, which is something to check with Naim Support.
Once you have the active setup you may be perfectly happy with your 272.
I use the active 21i with an Atom HE and it’s brilliant. An advantage of the newer Naim stuff is that it has balanced outputs, enable you to come t with XLR.
A comparison between your 272/XPS and an Atom HE would be very interesting indeed.
Many thanks for this. Go active seems to be obvious next step and I can lobby for the capital sanction! A relatively small investment.
If I were to upgrade to say a 332 and 333, would the active PMCs be “good” enough? Not sure how to phrase the question but I guess I’m asking would it be a balanced system. Any thoughts appreciated.
I would say yes, but I’m one who tends to a source first approach. If it were me I’d try an Atom HE and a 333/332 and ask myself whether the difference justified the extra £14,000. That is a judgement that will be different for each of us.
Another option is the Lindemann streaming bridge, tiny but with some firm advocates on this forum. You keep your existing gear , and the Lindemann can sit on top of it, small - a bit bigger that a cigarette packet.
Just connect and suddenly you have access to the latest technology and can keep your old technology .
It’s a marriage between older and new.
Another option is a BluSound Node, about £500 or so and it will do the same job. What I think you would like is a small streamer, that had a digital output.
I am thinking of splitting my system into two , and my old UnitiQute could have either of these added and it will improve the functionality of my system
