I use volume control via the Naim remote, after selecting the appropriate setting in the NDX 2 setup. I use Roon to stream, and Naim doesn’t allow Roon to control the volume.
I’ve also got a preamp in the mail, which I’ll compare to Feeding the NDX 2 directly into the 300 DR and report back.
Thank you @perizoqui, and apologies for not picking up this detail in your other thread. That will be very interesting to hear. I will await the results of your new expenditure.
The first thing I would do is buy some flowers and then send your wife out with your credit card…then when she is away…BUY WHAT YOU WANT …LOL
I am thinking of the NDX2 but only just bought the SN 2 at Xmas, guess this would be ok for now, just a NAIM beginner
Taking my wife to Rome for our anniversary. Last year it was Paris. Helps the new motorcycles, hifi components, and other toys go under the radar…
A small update @perizoqui. I spoke to our local NAIM rep about the direct connection of the NDX 2 into the NAP 300. Helpful chap. He confirmed that the NDX 2 does have digital volume control, and that with the appropriate setting the onboard preamp of sorts is engaged so volume can be controlled via the NDX remote or the NAIM app. He did suggest that any issue with this setup not using a preamp would be at the low volume end becuase of the way the signal is attenuated. So would be interested if you hear any difference at low volume with and without your preamp.
The flaw in this comment (repeated verbatim as best as I can remember) is that even if you have a preamp in the chain, if you use the naim app to control the volume of the NDX then won’t it always be using the digital volume control of the NDX. I am going to go out on a limb here and predict that you won’t hear the difference with the preamp. Happy to be wrong.
I also asked about the successor to the NAC272 and he admitted that it was logical to expect one to be coming along, but he hadnt heard anything from the factory yet.
naim doesn’t recommend using the streamers directly into the amp. There should be a reason, not only commercial i hope.
Hi there,
Once the preamp arrives, on Friday if we haven’t all frozen to death by then, I’ll turn Naim’s internal volume control off, and use the one on the preamp.
I would anticipate a significant difference, whether better or worse we’ll see, if for no other reason than because I’m introducing tubes into the mix. Those 2nd order harmonics should be very audible.
But I will report back!
Best,
You would be using Naim’s ‘system automation’ volume control. You connect a wire from the streamer to the preamp, and this allows the app or streamer remote to control the analogue volume pot on the preamp by activating the little motor that is used to adjust it remotely. No digital volume control required.
Is the preamp you are ordering the PrimaLuna DiaLogue one? I will be super interested in your exhaustive listening 
. Much anticipated.
this one, yes. I am also very curious of Perizoqui impressions.
I have run the experiment of no preamp preamp with my ND555 using the variable output option directly into my Krell KSA-80B and Apogee Scintilla One ohm Ribbons. I can say that when I don’t use the preamp, it sounds very nice and the convenience of a single remote is nice. However, when I insert the Townshend DC47 Autotransformer Preamp in between the amp and the ND555, and use the fixed volume option, I hear much more. Lots more hall ambiance, more air and space around the instruments, wider sound stage.
I have been in the No Preamp camp for a while. But now I have changed my mind based on what my ears tell me. I was certainly a skeptic and never bought into the SQ thing. But with this combination, its really there. BTW: it shows up mostly on Hi Rez material. Its not quite as evident in the same CD’s ripped with my Unit Core. If your system is not high enough resolving to differentiate between CD sound and Hi Rez material, it may not show up.
I am forever changed. I don’t dare audition a 252 or 552 at this point. I am interested to see what Perizoqui finds.
Bailyhill
That’s the one!
Well, it’s been in place for five hours now and there’s no going back.
More details over in the other thread:
Wow. I ask the PrimaLuna on another thread and now I am super excited as I am going to follow your steps. What cable are you using to connect the PrimaLuna to NAP 300 DR? Is it needed to be custom built by dealer or off the shelf.
I too would be interested in the answer to the cable question…
@perizoqui thanks for the quick post, I have been eagerly awaiting your test results. I have to say i am disappointed with your result from a purely financial perspective! I am curious though with all that NAIM gear of yours why you went with a non NAIM pre… I understand your comments on the other thread about warmth, but i would have thought that would have sent you down the valve amplifier route. Damn now have to go any look at pricing of PrimaLuna…
Currently just a cheap RCA interconnect I had lying around. I’ve got a DIN to RCA on its way from Flashback cables. Not sure it’ll make a difference, but seems like the right thing to do.
It did! Valve = tube in the US. The PrimaLuna is astonishing. I can’t speak to the 252, and I’m sure it’s lovely, but the Luna is more than I need, and I’m getting off the upgrade carousel here. Couldn’t be happier. Been listening for twelve straight hours. Incredible!
That Prima Luna is pretty reasonable cost wise compared to a Naim pre-amp in New Zealand, and no seperate power supply required?
I meant instead of the NAP300…
Oh, sorry! Originally my intent was to have an all Naim system, having purchased the 300 after hearing it paired with the 272. But the 272 isn’t roon ready, or airplay compatible. The former is how I listen to music, and the latter is how my family does, and how we stream the audio content for movies. So as much as I loved the sound, it just wasn’t practical. Since the new Uniti series had just been released, I figured I’d buy a used Classé and wait till Naim released the 372. Two years later I got tired of waiting.
So I already have, and love the 300. Without trying a valve power amp, I can’t say if I might not like that better. But I love the 300 so much, I don’t feel the need to find out. I’m not even sure I need to find out if an XPS DR would improve the NDX 2. The system is freaking fabulous as is. I think I’m done…
This morning I woke up, and couldn’t wait to come downstairs, turn on the preamp (the Naim is never off), and fire up the music! Glorious sound! Who knows, the combination of valve pre and solid state power may just be perfect?
