NAP 500 versus NAP 300

Hi @Douglas

So is it relevant that a 500 is £22k and a 300 “only” £8.3k? You would feel pretty bad if your new 500 wasn’t unbelievably better than an amp at a third of the cost wouldn’t you?

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I do know what you mean. I had a 52 and 135’s for close to twenty five years and never saw myself moving away. My downfall was a pair of mint DBL’s that came my way at a very reasonable price. They were just too big for the 135’s and started to show their limitations - hence the move to the 500 and then to the 500DR. I was, of course, on the slippery upgrade slope. The 52 became a 552 and I had to find a CDP555 to finish things off. I’ve loved every minute of the journey though. Sitting at home late a night with the lights out and a glass of 14 year old Balvinie in my hand with the band in the room is a nice way to finish the evening. :ok_hand::tumbler_glass::notes:

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Is there somewhere that you can get wives like this?

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I thank you all for the valuable comments
Will keep you posted.

At their price points all these products are very relevent. So is a Naim SuperNAIT at £3499, As you go up the scale the law of diminishing returns comes in. Having had both 300 and 500s at home the latter is not “unbelievably” better IMO. It is better (to me) though.
There’s always “more”. i.e. Amps from the USA without naming names.

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The 500 impressed me in all sorts of ways in which I expected it to (weight, authority, soundstage, dynamics -m everything you expect with power) ut also in ways a did not: t can also be extremely delicate, light and agile. That really got me.

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It is amazing how well it performs at very low volumes (as well as very high volumes). You don’t hanker after a Loudness button at all.

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Transparency, grip and believable detail.

But never without an audition. Superb though the 500 is, you are taking a gigantic risk if you drop it in your system without evaluating it.

But in a straight choice between a 500 and 300 wouldn’t everyone go for the 500? Surely its just a better amplifier?

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I took the same upgrade path, I was on a 552 and 300DR and then pulled the plug and upgraded to the 500DR, the difference shocked me, I expected improvement for the price, for sure, but I was not prepared for the way music sounded more rich, dynamic, enjoyable… I also made the decision without even having had the chance to audition the 500DR.

One very key factor here is the 552, I believe that the 552/500 pairing is magical, the 500 will let the 552 demonstrate what it can do better than the 300 can.

My speakers also sounded much more relaxed, less strained, the bass was the biggest difference, it was the biggest change, not in thump but in speed, accuracy and tonality, it just sounded so much better.

The litmus test for me was the evening when after a few months of burn-in, I played Pink Floyd’s The Wall, this was one of those albums which I love listening to but in all my previous Hi-Fi systems I had never felt quite right… With the 552/500 combo, I listened to this album in one go, with a grin on my face, it was a massive leap of musicality and richness, it felt wow… That is when I understood that yes, I paid a lot for the 500, but the way I felt that night made it all ok…

By the way, I utterly adored the 300DR, it was and still is one of the best amps I had listened to, so you are good whichever way you go…

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@Geko, I would love to hear about some of these tweaks, can you share some?

Refreshing honesty. I’ve felt this after most my black box upgrades after CDX2/282 level.

.sjb

I’ve moved from a 300DR to a 500DR in the past 9 months also with a 552 and Focal speakers. My experience has been entirely positive. You can expect more bass weight but more importantly better bass definition and also a more refined top end. The surprise to me was that it is a ‘sweeter’ sound. The voices and individual instruments have more body and tunefulness as well as better definition.

‘Unbelievably better’? Well, no, but a significant improvement in all areas.

Worth the money? Yes if you can afford it! The 300 is still a great amp if you would struggle.

Of course it’s not ideal to buy without a home trial but if the 300 works well for you without room problems then it is unlikely that the 500 will not do well. In my opinion the change from 300 to 500 is Less about power And more about sound quality.

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That’s right.

Even if I believe the 500 DR is clearly much better, it follows indeed the law diminishing returns. The sweet spot being the 300 DR.

But when it comes to HiFi, the appraciations of diminishing returns is something very personal and varies from one to another.

To put is simply:
Does the 500 DR outperform the 300 DR?

Clearly, no discussion, IMO. For me it was obvious.

Is it worth the price difference? Just like the diminishing returns law’s appreciation, it’s very personal.

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Vastly better. It’s not a diminishing returns equation in the case of the 500 or 552. They sound like nothing else. I rate the 300 and 500 as best in their respective peer groups. But I wouldn’t drop a fraction of the asking price of either on an assumption. It has to work in the ears/system/room of the prospective owner. There is only one sure way of knowing if it will. But hey! OP’s choice, money and life. My opinion won’t make the results sound any different.

It’s that 10% improvement rule. Every time you make a major upgrade, price doubles (or 3 times in this case 300 vs 500) and sound quality goes up 10%. Next upgrade will be the speakers, then it’s the 2nd ps for the 555. Then it will be the connectors and the speakers cables. Then probably needs the better power conditioner. Omg, it never ends, but of course the 500 is a much better amp than the 300. I did that upgrade a couple of years ago and would do it again in a minute.

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I’m surprised nobody’s used the phrase ‘It’s a no-brainer ‘ yet. :smirk:
Well, I think the 500DR is a lot more than the 300 in respect of ‘believeability’ just as Harry pointed out also and beyond that more of everything. Enjoy Peter

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Hi Harry

The OP’s system looks ready made for the 500 and I was surprised some posts seem to discourage the move. As @PeterR almost says, it’s a no brainer.

As @Zackwater says, prices jump incrementally and the rule of diminishing returns is generally well understood with high end hi-fi, and other luxury goods.

Of course, you can’t actually quantify to the world but my move from a 250 to 300 seemed more than 10%, it seemed like entering a new world. Possibly the only way you can quantify it to yourself is whether you think the cost was worth it. I also hope to get to a point where I think the next box is over priced as it must be a good place to stop.

I’ll miss the hobby though.

Congratulations on your retirement and present.

Richard

I wouldn’t hesitate to cite the 500 as one of the best power amps currently on sale, but I would not recommend buying one without first listening, at home for preference or at a dealer at minimum. This is a personal thing.

The 300 is one hell of an amp. IMO the best value for money power amp in the Nam range. Running a 300 is hardly the poverty option!

If any are fortunate enough to be so wealthy that they can throw £20K blind at a power amp purchase (less the value of the trade in presumably), they could do a lot worse than springing for a 500. But nothing is guaranteed…

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