@Richard.Dane I run my 300DR with a Manley Labs 300B preamp and it honestly sounds pretty darned fabulous, albeit with a some slight rounding and lacking that last scintilla of slam.
Would you say it’s a bad match, electrically speaking? I am planning on relegating the Manley to a dedicated headphone amp (it’s 15 years old now albeit with upgraded valves) and upgrading to either a more upmarket pre or ditching the 300 DR entirely for something like the Gryphon Diablo 333.
I honestly couldn’t say Taake. I’m sure there are some combinations that work well, just no guarantees. As ever, let your ears decide if it works or not.
that does clear things up. I just hadn’t encountered any equipment before that had some of the uniqueness of Naim.
I find the Naim sound very suitable to my liking, but its the looks that I just can’t get around (and the awful thud that comes through the speakers when I turn it off). I like to know my exact volume, with a number. I also find, at least on the 5SI, the volume on the remote has a delay which also is off putting (any the noise the volume knob makes). I also like tone controls (yes I know),.
could i use a nac 202? i then assume i would use din to din?
Are there different din sockets?
You could use a NAC202, if you had a Hicap powering the NAC202, but it’s not the best match. You need to be aware of the hierarchy in the system, and most precisely the amp chain - the pre-amp is the more critical half of the amp pairing and so you would want a pre-amp of a similar or superior level to the power amp.
Many years back at the factory I would demonstrate this by two extreme system examples of similar cost, with the same source (CDS3) and speakers (SL2); the first was a NAC112x + Flatcap pre-amp pairing fronting a NAP500. The second was a NAC552 + PS pre-amp fronting a NAP150x. The second system was so much better than the first, it left nobody in any doubt of the importance of the pre-amp in the pre/power pairing. As the old Pirelli ads used to say, “power is nothing without control”…
How would you use din to din? The 300 has XLRs. To match the 300 you’d want a 282 at the very least. I wonder if you are overreaching here. Have you considered a Supernait 3 if you want more of the Naim experience?
Hi @Lucifer
@Richard.Dane is spot on. No added inductance; just careful tuning.
And yes, the power amps have a higher bandwidth than the pre-amps.
Thanks for the clarification Steve.
Backs up the itch to replace my pre-amp with a NAC 332, and the reviewer’s test results:
Compared to
But the Linn still sounds (and looks) great to me so I’ll be saving my pennies until it conks out!