I’m getting a brand new boxed NAC 282 for around GBP 4K, Is it advisable to go for the unit as I know it would be an upgrade over my SN3 pre amp or should I save some money and directly go for the NC NAC 332? Your valuable feedback will assist my decision as the offer is limited and only one unit in stock with the dealer.
It looks from your profile that you have a 250-3. As much as i like the 282, I’d be tempted to hang on for the 332 (maybe trade the Hicap with the SN3 against it ?) and go from there.
What’s your long term plan for your system - head the NC route fully in time ?
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I have a 15 month old 282 and HICAP that I use with a NC250.
Really, unless you want the latest volume integration/visual matching kit then you really are not losing anything performance wise - it sounds superb.
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It depends on your finances but considering the 332 is getting more expensive soon personally I’d go for the 282. Unless you will feel the need to upgrade again in the near future.
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Well I’ll be following this thread closely as our systems are very similar. This is the same internal debate I’ve been having with myself. lol.
If it were me I’d always be looking at the 282 knowing that it’s sitting in the slot my 332 should be…
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I would go for a 332, before the price increases.It’s truly spectacular, at least in my system. Maybe you can trade in your SN3 and have a further discount.
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Yes the 282 is superb, loved mine, but there’s a lot more to the 332 than the system automation 
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Interesting thread that shows how much these considerations vary with where you live and the supply and demand that comes with it. I have a NDX2>SN3+HCDR>Spendor A7 system. I don’t need to upgrade at the moment particularly as the HCDR is already a nice upgrade. However in Germany, new sealed NAC 282´s can be found at dealers at the equivalent of GBP 3,200 whereas the NAC 332 is the same price as the UK i.e. equivalent of GBP 8.500 in 2 days. Once the new 282´s are gone at this price then it is pre-loved only but with the 332 already at nearly 3 times the price, this deal on a new 282 looks quite attractive to me. I am sure the 332 is an amazing pre amp and clearly better than the 282, given the years of R+D between them, but at 2.7 times the price I am not sure it passes the SQ/EUR test for me. Interesting to see whether a 200 series pre-amp will be launched and its price but I am sure it will be around double the current 282 price.
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I have owned a 282 for many years but if it were me I would buy a nac 222 instead now
Nothing wrong with a 282 but I once compared it to a NAC 552 keeping everything else the same. I really have been wanting a NAC 552 !!
If you’re going to spend 4K if it were my money I would go for an ex demo 222 due to trickle down statement volume control etc
The 282 was designed before statement so quite older in design
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It is a dilemma indeed. The technology must have improved significantly with the Statement and the Volume/Balance controls seem to be a potential issue with OC. However, I don’t like the idea of mixing OC and NC - I am not sure the SQ benefits are so clear when they were not designed with each other in mind. Also the cables I need to buy (I am not in the UK) and then will be useless once I am fully NC also does not appeal. Also a slippery slope - once I have a 222 then I want a 300 and the 250 and that is a lot more than EUR 3.7k. I don’t want to sell an NDX 2 and SN3 in this market- there is a huge overhang. I have therefore decided to take this chance to buy a new 282. I will use this system for the next 5 or more years and then replace the whole lot once the NC is fully defined and all the more fanciful claims have calmed down. There will also be more pre loved and demo available then. I have a smallish room (4.5m x 4m) so the 282 has enough grunt. The 282 is a massive uplift for me. It is fresh out of the box and the bottom end is just amazing. Oodles more bass with control. At last I have the bass I really want. I have spent hours doing room treatment with acoustic foam to reduce glassy treble and the 282 has given me the bass and lower mids I really missed. I agree too much more OC investment could be good money chasing bad so unless real bargains come along no SuperCap DR or power supply for the NDX 2. A cheap 250 DR is the only question but frankly the power amp of the SN3 is really good. Happy camper !
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I would not worry about that too much, I went from a bare SN2 to 82/SN2 first (SN2 powering the 82 w/o a HC) and later on I purchased an Olive HiCap and quite frankly I was not expecting the difference to be so big, especially with the HiCap. Which once again explains the weak point in the Supernait - its preamp stage - as a power amp it is very close to a NAP250, which was quite a surprise for me actually.
My system transformation was so drastic when I added the 82/HC in front of the SN2, it made me very curious to see how a complete 82/HC/250 kit would sound like, hence I bought the Olive 250 a couple of months ago (all of them recently serviced). There was definitely a difference, but I would rather say it is more up to a different presentation (OC and Olive) and not so much in SQ, which again speaks how good the SN2 as a power amp is. I expect this gap to be even narrower with SN3 and NAP250DR, as those are products from the same generation.
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Many thanks for sharing your experience. I felt the same about adding the HCDR to the SN3 - bigger than expected improvement. With the 282/SN3 it sounds like I should stay where I am. I am really happy as is.
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I compared the 282 to the pre stage of a 222. For me there was no contest. The 282 is a great pre amp. I love mine. Enjoy it…
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As should be expected!
A 282 plus Hicap was priced at ~£7,100 in 2022, although admittedly they are far cheaper used now. The 222 includes a streamer, DAC, MM phono stage, and a preamp with Statement-like volume control for less (now priced in 2024 at £6,200). Whilst you don’t always get what you pay for, if the 222 had a preamp that was ‘better’ than the 282, then I feel sure that Naim would have charged more for it 
.
Edit: The 222 also has a decent headphone amplifier!
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Of course, adding an NPX 300 to the 222 might make for a fairer comparison, given the additional features of the 222.
So comparing an ND5 XS2 into 282/Hicap vs. 222/300 I suspect the sound would be somewhat different and ‘better’ may be more a matter personal taste.
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You have very well described why spending EUR 3.7k on the 282 was the best use of my money. I had the NDX 2, HCDR and SN3 and the SQ improvement per EUR has been significant. Changing to NC would have required EUR 20k of cash minus whatever I get for a SN3, HCDR and NDX 2. It would have been a massive outlay and the SQ improvement per EUR would not have been as significant even if overall SQ improved.
I added a NAC282 to my SN 2 a few years back and found it to be a fantastic upgrade over the preamp side of the SN. If you went that route I believe you would enjoy the improvement in sound.
As a side note a short time latter a lightly used 250 DR came into the dealers showroom and I traded the SN 2 in for it and some cash and once again a lovely uplift in sound.
Do you have a HiCapDR? If not you would have to consider a power supply for the 282.
I am quite happy with my current Naim system and since I am retired I have no further plans to upgrade. (…famous last words)
Good luck with your decision.
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I had a 282/HiCap DR/NDX2/250DR when I fell into a deal I couldn’t refuse on the 222/NC250. I also had an ND5XS2/nDAC I could swap in the place of the NDX2. Over the course of 3-4 months I concluded the 222/NC250 was better in almost every way. When switching speaker cables back to the OC equipment I always missed the 222/NC250. It’s almost a year later and I don’t miss anything with the old classic system.
The 222 doesn’t get enough credit currently. I believe that will change as time moves on.
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That’s really interesting in a few ways.
Some people here rate the ND5XS2+nDAC as being as good as (though slightly different to) the NDX2.
Some seem to rate the 222/ new 250 (no NPX 300PS) as being not vastly better than NDX2/282/HC/250DR.
It looks like you comprehensively disagree with both. Have I got that right? If yes, how would you describe the differences?
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