I am looking to replace my current TAG McLaren audio set for a complete new NAIM system. The set-up I have configured is: Naim NDX2 Streamer + Naim NAP 300 DR amplifier.
The streamer has essentially the DAC on board, so is there any need to add a pre-amplifier such as the NAC 252 pre for better sonic performance?
The new set will be connected to a set of B&W 802 D3 or 803 D3 loudspeakers.
I welcome any suggestions here.
Yes, there is. The NDX2 does not include a proper preamp, merely a digital volume control as required to achieve Apple certification. If you want to keep the box count down the 272 will do it, but youād really want a 555PS if using a 300 in order to achieve balance.
The traditional view is that the preamp forms the heart of a Naim system, and you should build your system around the best one you can afford. With a 300DR, that would mean at least a 252. Iām sure you will see plenty of posts here from people telling you that is what you should buy.
Personally, Iām all in favour of keeping an open mind on this. A 252 with PSU costs Ā£11,000, and needs two more shelves on your rack (which adds another Ā£1100 if you use Naimās Fraim.) So it would be interesting to compare a 252 with a system in which you spend similar money on a better source, power amp or speakers. For example, if you choose not to use a preamp, the saving goes a long way towards the cost of an ND555 instead of an NDX2. Or you could buy a 500 instead of a 300 for about the same. I canāt tell you which of these options would work best for you, although I can say that a Naim power amp without a Naim preamp still works pretty well in my experience. Remember that you would need to have a DIN (or RCA) to XLR cable made for this, and if you ask a dealer for a demo, they may not have one, as itās a non-standard item.
If the OP chooses the Ndx2 option, a preamp, Naim or non Naim, is necessary. Some have tried without and all reported better musicality with a pre.
The Chord dac option is different. A preamp is not necessary apparentlyā¦
It seems that there is a consensus here about the fact that the NDX2 requires a pre. The question is if the ND555 also required a pre? or that with the PS and the NAP300DR the set is well balanced.
It will be-the same digital volume control in the nd555 as the ndx-2, so i think a preamp is pretty much a prerequisite. But if you can find a dealer willing to try, no harm done. I did try a Chord Dave direct into a NAP 300ā¦it did not work for me.
I would bet that this āconsensusā is based on something other than listening to an NDX2/300 for yourself, with and without a 252, in order to make an informed decision. Iām not saying that getting a Naim preamp is a bad idea, but rather than making assumptions, I would suggest that you try and set up a demo to confirm it with your own ears.
Fully agree with your comments, however it helps to narrow down a configuration that I would like to listen toā¦and fine tune from thereā¦
Naim do not recommend using the Streamers straight into a power amp - i.e. without a pre-amp. They were not designed for this. Otherwise they would have been designed to incorporate a proper high quality pre-amp, like the NAC-N272.
Your recent results in not adding finally a pre are down to the fact that you use a chord streamer. Itās different. I have never heard someone preferring the ndx2 directly into a power amp. There were a lot of topics on it already.
The point I am making is that I think it can be worth questioning ātraditional wisdomā sometimes, especially on a forum like this, where ideas are sometimes repeated like a mantra, I suspect often by people who have limited experience of what they are recommending. The NDX2 hasnāt been around for that long, and I very much doubt that many people have gone to the effort of testing it into a power amp, especially given that you need to have a non-standard cable made up in order to try this. It could well be that the best option for the OP is to buy a 252, but in that position, I think I would want to know that the Ā£11,000 cost was going to be worthwhile.
Prompted by this discussion, I have just spent the evening listening to my NDX2 connected directly to my 250DR, and I can tell you that it sounds pretty bloody good to my ears.
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