I had an SN3/HiCap. I sold them once I had tried the Nait 50.
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Well I have have and do own both… and indeed there really is gulf of performance difference between the N50 and 202/200 / HiCapDR / NAPSC… but then they are from different eras and designs, so not really surprising. The N50 is superb, most days it still gives me a grin… and I have owned it approx a year now.
But at the end of the day it’s easy to compare… and if you don’t appreciate what is special with the N50 then the 202/200 might just be right for you…
But quite honestly, and it’s no exaggeration, it feels more appropriate to compare the N50 with a 552DR/200… here perhaps things are more even, but I still preferred the N50…and I sold my 552.
Now I should say on my N50 it had one outstanding input, and one simply very good input… it bugged me, I thought it might be burn in related, but no the issue remained… I took it to my dealer… they could hear it too, it was a difference between very good and outstanding, and yes it needed a high end source like a DAVE to expose it … and it went back to Naim… no fault found… returned… but my retailer/dealer forced the issue, went back to Naim for extra checking… yes an issue was found… a DIN socket with a bit of manufacturing swarf in it was identified and a possible out of tolerence relay… both replaced… and both inputs now sound outstanding … so it does suggest you do need to check these products with a known good one… to ensure no residual issues are with it.
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I have a 52/SC/300dr currently waiting near the exit usurped by a Nait 50. In some ways I’m finding it difficult to come to terms with, but as @Simon-in-Suffolk says, I guess things move on. I certainly like the form factor and don’t see it as a disadvantage. I may give the Pre/Power another whirl over the next few weeks, just to check that I’m not misremembering it, I may not… I’m in no hurry to do anything.
Your experience just shows how ‘little things’ can upset the performance of a component and how finely tuned things must be to get optimum performance out of a product.
Would you suggest that the pre-amp (202) was the limiting factor in the 202/200 system? My limited experience of power amplifiers suggests that they can sound quite different based upon what pre-amp feeds them.
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I’m glad it is sorted for you Simon.
As I was reading your story, I thought, ‘well, that’s obvious, the outstanding input is going to be the phono!’
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Alex… exactly… it is the fine tuning that is key in these products… and the need to critically check and validate new products… but it did require a certain senior member of the Naim staff to hear and action the issue when it was returned by the dealer after the initial NFF… and he also confirmed he could hear no variance after the subsequent repair.
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Chuckle… that would have made things tricky ….
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Survival of the Fittest
Compare the Nait 50 , a 2,5 k integrated, with a 552/200?
We are swimming in pure delirium tremens Simon 
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I’d pick Nait 50 anyday of the week, as indicated - mind you IMO, others opinion might differ which is natural.
I never came on with 202/200
Napsc and Hicap helped but somehow a setup with a 202 is too compromised and not for me (same with 102)
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Same here
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Mr Rooster - out of interest have you critically compared against your personal tastes? I have and why I sold my 552 and then bought an N50 - pretty certain I wound not have bought a N50 if it was not up to or exceeding my 552 in my environment and setup to my tastes. Sometimes you need to open your eyes and ears and you can be surprised… you dont have to follow the sales and marketing collateral all the time… Price isn’t everything… for musical enjoyment … it’s the right tool for the job in the right environment… and of course what works for me is probably unlikely to work for you… and I am sure our tastes in music are quite different.
It is always good to have a fresh mind. I was one of the first, the I am aware of, that put out on the web hearing differences in early streamers with different ethernet switches, and it was interesting at the time - as several contacted me including hifi journalists. Many also, who hadn’t compared or even bothered to understand why, scoffed including on a for runner of this forum - saying 1’s are 0’s don’t change and other such nonsense - now look - there is a whole audiophile switch business and audiophile network components and fancy ethernet boutique cables galore…
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There is nothing new really. In the past we also saw ‘downgrades’ to Nait 1/2’s. Naits have always been popular for their musical enjoyment and frankly it’s all we need.
I remember a certain Gary who ran a cds3 into a Nait 5 - the Nait many people thought is was a fail.
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Maybe in your environment, personal room, speakers, and tastes. I agree.
But absolutely not in absolute terms. Why not say that Nait 50 will also outperform an S1/500 dr.
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pointless argument
people just make their own choices
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So if it’s the case, they should just say « I prefer « , but not say it performs on the same level.
In that spirit, I prefer listening to the SN3 than a 20 k Soulution integrated, because the later lets me cold. But won’t say the SN3 is better.
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Do you live in a one room property?
No, easy then - keep both.
NB I owned a 202/200 based system for many years and currently own an N50. Both are marvellous.
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One of the worst things you can ever do is ask for “subjective” advice on a forum……all you will get is fifty different answers as to how other folks can spend your money.
The only real answer is to try it for yourself!
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Worth reminding ourselves of the original mere 2 questions here.
1 - depends on what you prioritise in a system but a Flatcap would not do justice to the rest so it needs a HC DR to hear both at their best in order for at least a fair comparison to be made. 202/200 always sounded wrong to me without NAPSC or HC DR. To some it sounded wrong even then or was an entry rather than a destination. @Simon-in-Suffolk makes an excellent point about priorities and space. I once had some 500 stuff in my “space”. No dressing up that supposedly worse stuff worked better.
2 - had mine serviced a couple of times so I don’t see why not.
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Dear Simon, I always have benefitted from your advice, am a grateful for it. For example many years ago, you advised me when using a Chord Hugo DAC that my Naim preamp needs to have signal grounding, which I then did, and it improved sound quality, and a few weeks ago you guided me towards an earthier ethernet switch and saved me a lot of money (buying an audiophile switch)
So I only say this in the best spirit of respect here, but I recall you first sold your 552 when you got the got etude power amp, which initially you really preferred compared to your 250.2 (fronted by a 552dr) and then after a few years found you didn’t quite listen to music as much on the Chord Dave/Etude power amp (No preamp) system, and came back to Naim via the Nait 50?
I am sure you got to compare the 552/500DR to a Nait 50 in the showroom but then having them at home is something else, and then did you ever get a chance to have a DR amp (whether 250DR or 300DR) at home? These do sound quite different to the old generation power amps?
Anyway I am happy you are back with Naim, as they say anyone on their way out from Naim might soon be back 
and so it proved in your case also.
I am sure the Nait 50 is a lovely sounding amp, but it is the very best amp that Naim make? Not so sure about that… I would have to listen to it, but I am not bothered at all, with both my Naim amps sounding lovely as they are…