I agree with @JosquinDesPrez and others: the 300DR is a great piece of equipment, and a serious front end is required to benefit from its full potential.
This said, I purchased my then non-DR 300 because I was offered a good deal on an ex-dem, and I ran it with a humble 102/Hi/NAPSC preamp for nearly a year. Yet I really liked the 300 and found it significantly better than the 250.1 I had before. Since then, the 102 was upgraded to a 252 and then a 552, and the 300 stayed.
So if you find a good deal on a 300, my recommendation is to go for it, have fun and when the time comes enjoy the upgrades that are sure to follow.
Why not try a 250DR with the Nova? I dont know the B&W 804 D3’s but the 250DR has given a superb amount of “oomph” to the Shahinians I own. My view of the 300 is that it is more of a refinement animal and requires at least a 252 in front to eek out VFM and the best in that regard and would be overkill for the Nova…
If I would buy a NAP 300 DR as Power Amp for my Uniti Nova as Streamer Pre Amp, it definitely would be part of an upgrade path in future, e.g. with a NAC-N 272 successor + PSU as front end. There was another topic I’ve started some time ago about what’s the best Naim 4 Box System and although a „372“/PSU + 300 DR did not win, it did get a lot of honours here.
The main goal should definitely be to get rid of the subwoofer one day, and because I do like a lot of the benefits a subwoofer does bring to the table, it will not be that easy.
@opus the speakers are positioned in front of a wall, so they do have a wall behind them. But they do not have side walls next to them, because the wall behind them does stand free in the room - you can pass by on the left an right side…
@sktn77a actually the B&W DB3D is pretty nice for a subwoofer. It‘s semigloss white as my speakers are and visually and technically part of the same series (800 series diamond). It integrates very well. But my wife would prefer some decoration or a plant instead.
As subs go it’s not unattractive and with the speakers on the sides is quite discreet. I don’t know how much it vibrates on the top when playing - very little I’d imagine - but you could always put a plant on top of it with a rubber mat underneath. Or get a nice little side table that fits over the top and put a plant on that. I understand your wife’s view - the sitting room should be an attractive space and not a shrine to the hifi.
Not knowing much about B&W I was assuming you had the stand mounts but I see the 804 is the smallest floorstander. They really are too much for the poor Nova. If you could afford the 300 could you not swap the Nova for an NDX2, 282 Hicap and 250? The quality would be so much better and the 250DR is far more capable at driving large speakers. The bass would be better controlled too. Selling the Nova and sub would make this little more expensive than the 300 you were contemplating and you’d end up with a much better balanced system. That’s what I’d do anyway.
Before trading the sub for a multitude of additional separate boxes - best clarify, those are seen as a good trade off.
(Like: power amp, pre-amp, streamer, power supplies, …)
Maybe there should be no reason, but I‘m not a big fan of Naim‘s current Pres, which in my opinion have become some kind of old compared to the way things are nowadays.
I‘m really hoping for a very good NAC-N 272 successor or maybe two of it‘s kind, one with internal PSU and an even better one with a separate/external PSU necessary.
I like the way integrateds are: the possibility to rename and disable inputs, to control everything via one app and remote, HDMI ARC with CEC, etc… Most of the time it‘s more simple and easy in operation. That‘s why a „372“/PSU + 300 DR did get my vote for the best Naim 4 Box System.
I too ran a Rel sub with my 804 and 282/250/NDX2/XPS. The sub us great and I also use it in my Cinema surround as the Naim runs the L and R front channels and the Rel sub. Although I have now upgraded to the focal 2 and a NAP 300 - which is breaking in nicel
