Dummies Questions…
I have never used an external power supply for anything other than a turntable, and can’t work out why Naim offer both the XPS and the SuperCap DR; in what way are they different?
And AIUI I can’t use a HighCap DR on an NDX2; why not?
TIA
Please have a look at the Naim Audio website product pages or speak to your dealer. Or Both!
XPS / 555PS supplies are for digital source products - Streamers, Naim DAC and (legacy) CD players.
Flatcaps, Hicaps and Supercaps are for powering pre amplifiers, phono stages and active crossovers.
Essentially, an XPS powers a CD player, a Supercap powers a preamp.
Not hard and fast - I’m sure that there are all sorts of variations.
I suggest downloading the generic Naim Power Supplies manual and looking at all the connection diagrams for an understanding.
Short answer is they provide different voltages and number of voltage rails so any one power supply works with a subset of Naim products. One size cannot fit all but often one supply can work with two or three different products.
Many thanks all - I think the above summarises it best for me.
I could stretch to a HighCap DR, but the other ones are beyond my comfort zone.
The HiCap (in its various iterations) must be Naim’s longest-running component in continuous production now.
And I’m sure that it will be happy powering the brand new about-to-be announced components that we’re waiting to hear about now.
Yes it will be interesting to see if that is still the case with the new products.
I would think the NAP250 would be the longest running component in the Naim range, with the Hicap not too far behind ?
Not quite … these also power CD 3.5, CD5, CD & Nait X models and Supernaits.
I think thats correct - although… Is todays ‘250’ really a 250 at all - as its been significantly uprated…?
Indeed there are variations (It is Naim after all 
) In those cases it’s powering the analogue stages in the CD players rather than taking over the whole supply. For the Naits, it’s powering the pre-amp stages.
Thanks for acknowledging. 
Indeed. XPS can power a 272, including the preamp section. So can a 555. Confusing, indeed!
Roger
I sense the death knell for the older PSUs may be imminent.
New product releases today.
Compatibility with older external PSUs is unclear to me.
I wouldn’t rush, especially as used prices might drop.
The writing has been on the wall for the existing power supplies for some time now, as Naim could not realistically release updated models without giving them a low power consumption standby mode. The 555PS is still officially called the CD555PS despite being sold exclusively for streamers since the CD player was discontinued.
The new NPX300 of course conforms by using a similar standby mode to the current streamer and Uniti range.
So thwarted by bureaucracy it seems.
Not sure I’d use the term ‘thwarted’. New products have to comply with EU regulations on electricity consumption in standby mode. The old models were developed when energy prices were low, and decimatimg the environment was not on anybody’s agenda. Times change.
That was my inference.
If they have different supplies now for standby and ‘in use’ has to be a win for all especially in light of energy prices.
Why would Naim need to observe/comply with EU regulations?
Last I heard, UK left the EU some years ago.
Of course, Naim may choose to follow EU regulations to make selling into the EU easier, but that’s a different matter altogether.