Thank you , it confused me that some label them as 250 and some 250-2
Have you listened to a 250.2? I had one after a CB250 and didn’t like it at all. It’s a much slower and fatter sound. On the other hand, the DR 250 is excellent. I’d get that if possible.
As is so often the case, one person’s preference can be portrayed here as a rule that applies to everybody. In practice, good system matching, room acoustics and personal taste are key considerations that will affect choices. For example, there are those who claim here to prefer older (chrome bumper or olive) 250s, but there’s no getting away from the fact that there are some speakers that really benefit from the ability of the 250.2 to drive them better.
I vaguely recall @Simon-in-Suffolk saying that his preferred 250 was a 250.2. Others may not like it, but that doesn’t mean that their opinion applies to everyone and every system.
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When I had my Classic 250.2 DR’d it was a major improvement across the board - bass tighter and better defined, mids clearer and more coherent, treble crisp.
Obviously overall system balance is important but I’d struggle to recommend the 250.2 given that the DR is so much better…
I use a 250.2 and much prefer it to the DRversion.I did have the DR at home for a while,but found it rather bright sounding for my old ears.
I know the 250.2 is not liked much here,but I find its tonal balance easier to live with than the later version.
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If you want to understand some of the differences, between 250’s, have a read of this -
Indeed Chris, for my tastes the 250.2 sounded more enjoyable and organic than the perhaps the more capable 250 DR… so I kept my 250.2 and I kept it right upto my 552DR. To me the 250.2 is the more natural sounding, especially with a DR NAC… but perhaps technically less hifi. I will say however the NAC 202 with NAP 250.2 does not go well at all to my ears. It’s dull and lacking.
But to your point there are no (or very few) absolutes in hifi, tastes in hifi are like tastes in people… we are all different 
.
How many times have we heard an uber super system costing more than a years wages for many… and we don’t know where to put our eyes in embarrassment and ridicule when we hear it…
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I have 3 Nap 250-2s with Nac 52 and 362. I had olive Nap 250s and CB 250s before and preferred the 250-2s. Bass is improved considerably in my system. Never got around to DR but I am sure they are better still. All Naim Nap 250s have the Naim PRAT imo.
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Indeed they are.
Bolt Down 250
CB 250 (hand drawn circuit)
Olive 250
Olive 250 (mid 90’ies - change of trafo and minor circuit layout changes)
250.2 Black Classic
250 DR Black Classic
250 NC New Classic
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My ex-CB 250 is from 1985 and has the bigger 135-size transformer (500VA). I think this changed happened when the 135’s were introduced in 1984…? @Richard.Dane will know.
I do not know if a further 250 transformer (size) change occurred in the 90’s… 
Yes the transformer went from 400 to 500VA when the 135s were introduced.
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So was the transformer downrated back to 400VA for the 250.2?
No, it grew and was rated at 1000VA
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Ah, OK, I was confused by the “transient peak power” of 400VA in the specs.
Pleased the 250.2 has had a few more positive comments.
I use mine with a 72 pre and love it.
Much nicer tonal balance than the DR version to my ears at least!
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Yes the reason for my initial question is I’ve had it from good authority that the 250-2 is the one to buy for my needs .
There are no ‘bad’ 250’s… IMO… 
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I agree with Simon’s comment above, the only bad 250 is one that’s fed by a 202.
Having said that, I never really fell in love with my 250DR. I’ve moved on now, but with hindsight, using the Kudos X2s I had at the time I should have stuck with 282/200.
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So is the 200 a capable power amp ? Don’t know why I’ve skipped that and focused on a 250 , tbh my room isn’t huge and don’t play loud ….perhaps a 200 will suffice
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The 250 has more muscle, especially the 250.2 and later versions, and can certainly control more demanding speakers better. The 200 had a different presentation, and a lighter touch that some people prefer. I certainly wouldn’t rule it out.