Naim Nap300DR with other Pre

Hi-Fi Corner
1

my hifi setup is gorgeous and sounds very good but also having Tannoy Canterbury 95/96 db speakers the Nac252 pre gain comes out too high and I use the Volume half from 0 to 9 o’clock and ask if there is the possibility to try another balanced preamps with naim 300dr or am I saying nonsense? today I will also try some Rothwell attenuators -10db to see what happens and understand if they are good or deteriorate the sound. thanks again for your contribution. Gustavo

2

The Naim sound comes in large part from the Pre so on that score you may loose a bit of that however you may discover something new you like you try a passive something like the Townsend.

3

From which source…???

4

in my case it is like this, I use a LuminT2 stremear it is a sony cd sacd

6

Since the 252 is not a balanced preamp and the 300DR is not a balanced amp, you will need a preamp with single-ended outputs.

7

I would say more that your 300 dr is perhaps not the best match for your Tannoy, with a 95/96 db load.

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8

now I’m listening well I put this rothweel In line attenuator-10dB and I must say that it’s fine but I repeat as soon as installed behind the pre 252 I raise the volume more without being compressed and with a lot of pressure and it also seems without the sound hardening then calmly I will do tests with and without rothwell to understand the differences but already now I can work more with the volume of the preamp even beyond 9 o’clock

9

You will likely sacrifice quality just for the sake of having a volume control that goes beyond 9:00.

I also have a 252/300 and my volume control doesn’t go higher than 9:00. My sources are a NDX2 and a Superline. It’s just the way the volume control works. There is nothing technically wrong with it. You are just annoyed by it. I would also like a volume control that is more fine-grained (uses more of the dial) but I got used to it.

10

I have a non Naim pre with a 250 dr. And before with a 300 dr. I rarely need to go higher than 9 o’clock. Only if the recordings are very low gain.

11

I once used the Tisbury Audio with a Quad power amp as a stop gap and it was excellent so you could use it as a cheap trial although the Nap 300 is way, way to good for it long term.

Also you have to factor in the cost of cables to go between any non Naim pre and a Nap.

12

why can’t i use the minipre by connecting the stremear and the cd player and then entered the pre nac 252? so I adjust the output volumes of the sources and always use the 252

13

I used a Townshend Allegri for a while having had a similar experience to you with a 282/250. I really wanted to like it but it just didn’t perform well direct into the 250. So I’m not convinced about running a passive pre into a Naim power amp although others have reported that it has worked for them.
What did work well for me was using a DAC with a variable output, dialled down so that the useable range of the preamp volume pot was much larger. I used a Chord Hugo, then Dave, which makes for a rather expensive volume attenuator but still worthwhile for the improved sound quality they bought.

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14

and with which preamp you use your 250dr

15

I am very happy with my non Naim ‘DAC pre amp’ feeding my Nap 300 DR.

I have it set up so that I have my max listening volume at 0.0dB so I have full range control.
I settled on the RME ADI-2 DAC pre because it offered me additional DSP benefits in the form of EQ.

16

I have the same problem. My system is Tidal>Roon Utopia>ND555>NAC 552>NAP 300 DR>Harbeth 30.2’s. I found I wasn’t using this system but rather my Mu-So and headphones through an Atom HE.

I bought a NAP 250 DR and use the HE with the 250 into my Harbeth’s. I now use this combination 100% of the time. I got tired of trying to adjust the volume on my 552. There have been more times than I can count where I’ve almost blown out my 30.2’s.

IMO, the problem is because of Naim’s instance on using an unsuitable potentiometer on the 552. In my case usability trumps SQ.

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17

I understand you perfectly, in my opinion they have too high a gain output

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18

I used a Townsend Allegri + into a 300DR for several months and was pleased with the increased musical resolution compared with 282/SupercapDR. I eventually went back to 282 to restore musical “swing”. Then traded up to 552DR. I have not heard the more expensive offerings from Townsend, but some like them.

Charlie

19

however, these Rothwell InLine -10 db attenuators for what they cost really do their job

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20

Which pre use now

21

Ear Yoshino 912

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