My NAP300 is over 10 years old and needs a service, not least because the power supply has started blowing fuses on switch on.
This raises the obvious question of whether I should seize the opprtunity to have the DR upgrade done at the same time. I have had two Supercaps DR upgraded to good effect in the past.
So, I have been reading reviews and have seen that some say the DR upgrade on a NAP300 gives more resolution and detail, but at the expense of a brighter, bass light sound.
More brightness and less bass is exactly what I would wish to avoid.
Does anyone here wish the had not had the DR upgrade done on a NAP300?
Vastly superior sound once DRād, but, as ever, you need to do the comparison yourself.
I found my upgraded 300DR to be better in every respect than the 300, that, frustratingly, had only been serviced 16 months earlier. The service was worthwhile, the DR upgrade was transformational.
I purchased a used 300 from my dealer, so I had the chance to have the 300 in my system for 4 months before I had the DR fitted
i loved the 300 non DR it was everthing I excepted from the 300, detail focus seperation
when I went for DR in February 2018 once burn in there is more of everything to be honest and the DR takes the 300 on to another level, the only thing I had to change was a slight move of my speakers as the DR took effect
Iām coming up to week 5 of my nap 300 DR upgrade and I was also apprehensive after reading experiences of brightness post the DR upgrade. What made matters worse was that my dealer generously lent me a nap 250DR to listen to while my 300 went off for the upgrade, which to me was bright and unlistenable. I consequently panicked and thought oh no Iām hearing the reported dreaded DR effect!
Long story short my 300 returned post DR and after the first week the 300DR better the 300 in every way. What I was actually hearing with the 250DR was in fact how much more refined even a bog standard 300 is over a 250DR.
haven t noticed it having less bass, does sound cleaner,though.For a while i had one dr-ed and one without it.I d swap them(active system),and didnāt t notice any loss in bass department.Actually,main difference was on the bmr,not bass drivers(s600),with dr 300 sounding cleaner and having a little more pronounced soundstage.
NAP300 back from the factory, canāt be sure whether it is the service or the DR upgrade, but it sounds absolutely lovely. Using Harbeth Compact7s. No hint of excess brightness or bass lightness.
Quite expensive though, ācos I had to pay for the repair, in addition to the service plus the DR upgrade.
I sold a standard 300 after putting in a joke bid for relatively new 300DR on eBay and bloody won the auction! I was happy with 300 but thought Iād best try the DR since Iād won it. Itās a good step up from the 300, it has more focus, detail and a sharper sound with more defined soundstage.
The buyer of 300 was surprised at how much better it was over his 250DR - I did warn him itās different beast. Thereās a reason why it comes in 2 boxes. The standard 300 is bargain on the used market at the moment.
The DR change, while better, fundamentally changes the balance of the system. You presumably chose speakers that work in your room and with the 300 by auditioning them.
Upgrading to DR is very much like buying a completely different amp on a punt unheard. I DRed my 250.2 and it broke the spell. It was superior but didnāt match with my speakers anymore. I had to change the speakers as well to something that worked with the new amp.
So while I am sure the 300dr is superb, just beware it will not be āa 300 only betterā. Maybe it plays nice in your system/room context. Maybe it doesnāt.
An interesting comment on the 250DR. I had a speakers audition at a local dealer and took along my 250.2 to use as a comparison with his selection of current amplifiers. Let us say that we had different ways to describe the differences. He liked to say that the DR was clean and accurate, and I called it a bit thin. To me, there was a massive change in the sonic signature and it was enough to completely confuse/change the audition. What it said to me was that if I ever did change to a 250DR then I would have to factor in different speakers. It also convinced me that the 250.2 had the sound that I preferred, even if the dealer called it muddy bass.
You are correct that it is a very different presentation but, after decades of this disease, I have five sets of completely different speakers, so a match can usually be found.
Previously, I had found my Harbeth Compact 7s a bit wooly with the plain NAP300, and tended to prefer Raidho Emilies, or Habeth P3. The 300DR is perfect with the Harbeth Compact 7.
