NAP 500 second hand (2000) vs NAP300 DR

A Naim power supply, say a hicap, would give you the sockets you need. If you run vinyl with a superline a supercap could be very usefully redeployed once you get the 552 but if the ps is to be temporary a hicap is the one to use.

Definitely yes, it’s not about power, but about the way it brings the music across. Once heard you will be sold…

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I know this is an old thread now but seeing as someone else bumped it I don’t feel too bad asking what you decided to do in the end? Are you running SN into 500? How does it sound? Are you happy?

@PPT How is your 500 sounding? Did you get it for close to the price @Yeti reported he paid in this thread?

Phil

Hi Steve, in the end I bought the 500 and now I’m running it with my SN. The result is very good. More details, more colour and bass deepness.
It is a temporary configuration till I’ll find a good opportunity for a better pre-amp, but I’m really happy of it.

Hi Filipe, yes I bought it for a price very closed to the one reported by Yeti. It is not DR updated.
But considering the cost of DR upgrade, if I’ll do it, total cost will be less then half of current list price for a new 500dr.
So in my opinion it has been a good deal.
I’m happy for its sound.
I’ll have future degrees of improvement by changing the pre and upgrading the 500 to DR, of course.

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Thanks @PPT for getting back to me. Did it have anodised case and was it looking like new? Phil

yes it has

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Hi I did exactly what you are doing … bought a second hand NAP500 ran it for a while with a 272 - which sounded excellent. Then upgraded it to DR … even better. This amp is of course super front end critical - you will ultimately end up with a 552 … again buy pre loved as I did… and never look back… Enjoy!

Richieroo, Did you get the 552DR before DRing the 500. Do you have a view on which of 552 and 500 to DR first?

Many thanks

Phil

Hi @Michaelb, did you DR your 500 and we’re your fears unfounded?

I am enjoying what the plain 500 can do. I certainly agree with @KJC that piano is a revelation because it sounds so real. Can’t yet speak about chamber yet, although violin and cello are superb. Turn the volume up and everything is just loader whereas with the 300DR the sound changes for the worse.

Many thanks

Phil

Posted on: 18 April 2018 by kevin J Carden

> Michael_B. posted:
> Thanks for the reassurance, all. I quite like the slight warmth, I have to say, but by all accounts it is balanced by a sweeter, clearer midrange which should more than compensate.

Hi Michael,

I’d say the real value in a 500DR upgrade is more in the realm of improvements in pure musicality than the sonics. Not that there aren’t sonic changes, there certainly are and I reckon your Diapasons will lap up the superior control on offer, but it’s really about the way it makes the musical event clearer and more real and the much better insight into why the musicians are playing the way they are and how they spark each other to create ensemble. In my view it’s similar in style, if not in magnitude, to the upgrade brought by moving up to a 552 from 252. It just gets you closer still to hearing what’s on the recording you’re listening to.

Hi Phil,

The answer is yes, and yes :slight_smile:

No regrets…

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:+1:t2:

I upgraded the amp 1st as my amp was old. It changed the slightly warm character of the bass and was more explicit with more detail. My view is the 552 compensated for that slight warmth…to give a very balanced sound. When I first used the 552dr with the 500dr it was a bit of a change the sound was fast upfront and dynamic. Which as it happens I like … I hope this answers your question. I would dr the 500 first…and get a sh 552 … then get that dr upgraded. The 500 552 combination is really designed to match … more so when not dr upgraded if you understand my drift…I think you are going about things in the right way.

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Thanks Richieroo.

I have had the unDRed 500/552 for nearly 10 days and am liking it a lot. As you and other say it has warmth with a wonderful soundstage. I’ve heard 552DR with 300DR which as you say is fast.

For the time being I will enjoy it as the boxes warm up further. Just using the opportunity now to join this thread as ask some relevant questions.

Phil

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If you are planning on running a 552 with your 500, it makes sense to grab a decent 500 if one crosses your path.

When my 552 was back at the factory, my dealer loaned me a 152 to go with the 500. It was gigantic fun. I really liked the 152. I don’t know much about the current state of equipment at that price point, but I wouldn’t have been surprised it it was one of the best options available. Obviously, I was very pleased when the 552 came back.

A 552 will also work brilliantly with a 300. But nothing prepares you for what comes out of a 552 when it is paired with the 500. They are both superb amps in their own right. In my view, peerless at their price points. It doesn’t get much better. Yet, when hooked together, they seem to produce a performance even better than the sum of the parts.

Sounds fantastical? Sounds like a fanboy trying to justify something? Well, all I will say is, just wait. You won’t have to take my word for it.

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