I am sure they are. Whats the date of the first big trade show in UK/EU, that would be my tip for the announcement.
Munich High End in May. That’s when I think it will appear.
I am banking that will be replacement for the NAC272 Since purchasing the 272, I have added a 555PS DR, upgraded my speakers, etc. Now just waiting for the 272 follow on.
If it doesn’t appear by the end of 2020, I will need to consider what the next step I will take… not sure that I want a stack of boxes (NDX2 + 555PS + pre + power supply + power amp) in addition to my LP12 + motor ps + phone stage… 2 more than I have now…
The alternative is non-Naim solutions… which I really want to do, but I may not have a choice for a upgrade in sound…
Just out of interest, what is it about the 272/555PS combo that you feel needs upgrading? Mine continues to sound exquisite with all the music I throw at it, and I honestly struggle with the idea of laying out what would be a considerable chunk of change for… well, I’m not quite sure what.
Having had a 552 I know there is better than what I have now. I also know that the £20,000 cost is a lot of money, so I’m happy where I am. But for sheer musical engagement something like an ND555 or NDS and a 552 would be more rewarding.
Just my ha’pennyworth but it seems unlikely that Naim would introduce a product that would undermine their existing streamer range - and it’s hard to see how a ‘better’ 272 wouldn’t do this.
The 272 is great for local streaming but it’s on the edge for Tidal in some geographies and it won’t support Qobuz which the new platform is due to get soon, also it doesn’t have Chromecast or Airplay 2. Only you can decide whether these things matter to you.
Best
David
It would be useful to know how many of those hankering after a ‘372’ are primarily concerned with improving the streaming platform along these lines to gain the newer feature set; or are mainly wanting a better overall sound. The former is a reasonable expectation, the latter much less so I’d have thought.
I don’t think a better 272 would undermine the current streamers.
The 272 didn’t undermine any Naim streamers - it added an integrated option that offered streamer, dac and preamp in one case, that can be powered by one external psu.
This brought more happy customers into Naim, and it still does.
A 372 would do the same thing.
If you read the thread, it’s clear that most of the people are interested in better SQ.
(Oh, but they must have a volume knob on the front to twiddle with too…).
It doesn’t bother me as I only stream local. I don’t have Tidal or any other streaming service. So you are probably right. I wouldn’t upgrade if the only change was easier access to those streaming services, it would need to be a major improvement to the SQ.
Naim, make Richieroo Poorieroo by releasing the 272 successor!
Absolutely. I don’t use, nor wish to use, Tidal, Qobuz, Chromecast or Airplay. I have no desire to prejudge, but I believe that to come up with an integrated streamer, DAC and preamp that sounds significantly better than my existing combo, Naim are really going to have to go some, and I’m not sure if I’d want to pay the price. We’ll see!
The whole Naim philosophy is based on the premise that separating power supplies and delicate circuitry is the way to improve performance. Expecting significantly better sound from an integrated unit than from a separate streamer and pre-amp at or around the 272 price point is stretching things.
Who would buy a 202 or ND5 XS2 if a ‘373’ soundly beat the combination - and who would pay the extra if a NDX2/282/HC was only marginally better.
The only selling point is the space-saving consideration and whilst this is a worthy goal I suspect Naim wouldn’t want to make a ‘372’ so good that people didn’t in time migrate up the upgrade scale to separates.
The 272 is already better than the ND5xs/202 and very little different to the NDX/282/HC so I’m not sure that’s an issue really. I’ve stopped at the 272 because I don’t want to add two more boxes and there are quite a few who take the same view. While a new improved one may well divert some sales, it would also generate others. Anyway, I suspect it will appear in May and we can decide then whether it’s worth swapping to.
272 is a great Pre and DAC combo and even if a new version appears next year it will have to out perform the 272 by a big margin for me to change. Recently though I have added a Node 2i and connected to the DAC section of the 272 with great results and this has allowed me to stream Amazon HD and just goes to show how versatile the 272 is especially when the Pre and DAC section are powered by the 555DR.
I’m not entirely sure Naim’s future focus is going to be on the very small minority who aspire,or can afford, to move up the ladder into 500 territory.
More abd more people I suspect (I have no evidence!) want great sounding hifi without the stacks of black boxes and leads sitting on dedicated hifi stands, and without the enormous financial outlay involved in this upgrade merry go round.
The three box system so beloved by many could be sbout to get a shot in the arm - dedicated preamps may be sliding into obscurity!
The number one reason I’m reluctant to split my 272 into a preamp & streamer is the volume pot. Can’t stretch it for an S1 either. So 555DR until maybe a 372 would be released.
Therefore take the NDX2, remove the internal PS and put the preamp section instead. Add the 272 volume pot and ditch the archaic buttons and features. Keep the same price as the NDX2 as well.
Yes but that isn’t new. Hifi has always had that dominant demographic. Heck, most users just want an iPod/Smartfone. Expensive one or two box music centres have been around since the 1950s.
If they were in business to provide what most people want, they’d not make anything in the current lineup. But they’re in it largely for the passion of building something as good as they can with the unspoken contract between them and a niche customer base.
As for the 272, I’m sure we’ll see a replacement at the same level as the current model (evolutionary better in every way but not further up the range than the 272). That is, assuming they don’t consider the Nova to be the replacement. After all, the last decade has seen ruthless reduction in product offerings.
In my case the reasons I am looking for an 272 replacement are:
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An improvement in the performance… Naim introduced an performance improvement in the NDX2 over the NDX at roughly the same price point - I would like to see similar improvement in for the 272… I am happy if this has to be with an external PS - as we saw with the 272. I dont believe a performance improvement is unobtainable, as Naim has clearly show that the new platform can provide this as in the case of the Nova vs the Superuniti.
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Added function… the streaming environment has changed and is still changing - the 272 needs to be updated (in the same way as the original NDX) to take account of these changes. I look forward to the availability of Qobuz but also of Amazon HD (across the whole Naim streamers)
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I cannot support having 4 boxes just for the pre-amp and streamer (when power supplies are included)
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One very good benefit of the 272 is the volume control - as other ave pointed out, its really nice to a have volume control that is more linear in its operation - I looked at a 282 some time ago and was really surprised in the way the control of volume was limited over such a short range. One would think that Naim would have addressed this by now
I think Naim will be missing out on a segment of the market by no upgrading the 272 - an opportunity that others are already addressing or will address with products
I still enjoy my 272 - but I am looking for an improvements. I heard the difference between an NDX and NDX2 at a demo. I would like to have a similar level of sound improvement with the 272. I can accept that a follow-on wont be as good as a NDX2+555PS DR + 282 + Supercap - but I dont see any reason why there cant be further improvement in the 272 product area.