Ah, Vienna. You should never buy hi-fi blind especially because of a forum.
Get yourself a train ticket to a city that has Naim dealers and at least ascertain that you do like the Naim presentation.
In reality the majority advice you will get here is to add power supples and spend more. Every upgrade is a game changer - irony alert-
Just factor in that Naim separates need good stands to sound optimal. Also with a 282 you will have to add a phono stage. If you go for a Naim one, I’m not sure whether this can be powered from the HiCap powering the 282 - others can confirm.
Too true, I found my now 250DR to be a better fit than my previous 300 in a new extension vs. the old listening room where the 300 had performed admirably for 18 years (different furniture, room shape, glass area, acoustic surfaces seemed to make a difference). Always best to try the favoured option insitu if you can…
It can, a stageline or superline will run off the powered AUX2 socket on the 282.
I’d suggest starting out with an NDX2/282/hi/250 on full Fraim and keep the possibility of a ps for the NDX in reserve. I don’t expect the OP to take this advice as the Fraim will be expensive and it’s only a rack after all but it’s what I would do having been a similar route (with a CDX2 rather than a streamer) and come to full Fraim somewhat later.
Ideally he’d be able to spend a day at a dealership and compare various setups but the current Covid situation is against that and Naim dealers outside the UK tend to be less well stocked.
Congratulations on your Kanta 2 purchase - they are fabulous speakers. I have a pair powered by a Naim Uniti Nova- you really can start off that simple, but as others have said, the speakers will sound even better with more power: NDX 2 and Supernait 3 is an ideal partnership, with the phono stage advantage. From there, the sky is the limit!
Welcome to Naim world - an exciting place. There used to be a dealer in Vienna, a quick search on the Naim website revealed one dealer but others in Graz etc. Attached is a map showing them. Good luck in your search.
Hi Miki, how many dealers do you need? There is Longtone (Burggasse), one of the most prolific Naim dealers in the world, Simply HiFi, and Imperio Audiotechnik that I can think of.
I’ve not done the comparison of “with” and “without” an XPS on a NDX2, so you’d be better asking someone who actually has the NDX2/XPS combination. I used to have a 272 and before that a Naim DAC powered by my XPSDR. In both cases the PS improved the SQ more than enough to justify the cost, at least for me. For the DAC I would call the improvement ‘transformative’. However, it’s your ears that matter, so if there’s any chance of doing so please try to audition.
@miki Hi Miki. I think you really need to listen to Naim with speakers like yours. There are several brands the sound good with Focals. Luxman sounds great, Naim of course. Top of the range Yamaha as you’ve already heard, and Ayon Audio, tubes but very very good on Focal. Good luck, try and listen to as much as you can.
Yes, 3 dealers , one of them has old models, and with other two I need to arrange a meeting somehow in this corona craziness. I don’t know how is it in UK, but there are no many dealers here, who are willing to take more time for the customer … Also possibility to take the gear and try it at home is also very hard to find. I wanted to try McIntosh, and the Vienna dealer offered me possibility to pay the whole amount for the amplifier, and if I don’t like it , I get the refund. I thought , yeah ok, but…After hearing it in my room, I said to my self, no it is not what I want. In dealership they tried everything to convince me to take the amplifier and they tried to sell me acoustic treatment. two hours took me with them, and this is the way with most dealers here. So I hope I am gonna find someone who is ready to present the combo which I want, and not what THEY think I need… Anyway I will keep you updated on my Naim journey…
Hi Miki. Vienna is a wonderful city, very beautiful and with really friendly people. We were there this time last year, and took the tram up to Grinzing for lunch at Brandl’s heuriger. I’m sure you’ve been many times.
As to the Naim, I’d keep things simple. Just get an NDX2 and Supernait 3. Don’t worry too much if you can’t hear it. I know that is sacrilege! I’ve had more Naim stuff than most, from the very cheapest up to expensive stuff. I bought an NDX2/SN3 recently and it’s absolutely superb. Add a power supply for the NDX2 later if you want. It will go really, really well with the Kantas and you’ll probably never want better. Of course you can spend more but it all gets so complicated. If you do want better later then you can do that, but the NDX2/SN3 is a brilliant place to start. And possibly end.
I have ndx2 / 282 / 300 but with 2 x hicap dr. I find it beautiful balanced. I think the question of ‘balance’ between these pieces is a little bit tired and done. The 300 is basic a 250 separated. The then idea if putting a £7000 power supply to make it more ‘balance’ is really strange! There is no available blueprint that means ‘balance’. Go with ears.
Until you’ve tried it you won’t understand what I’m on about. Source first rarely fails. It doesn’t bother me what you use but from experience you’d get far more musical satisfaction with a better front end and less amplification.
I can attest to this, having bought the combo without listening (though I had heard the NDX2 with Naim separates at a demo evening). It’s a very nice 2 box solution, that can be refined with additional power supplies, cabling etc if the urge strikes.
So guys, finally…
I found the dealer who is going to let me to hear the two combination:
NDX2/ S3 and
NDX2/ 282/ 250 DR
It was not easy , corona and lock down made it just more complicated. I don’t know what speakers the dealer has, hope it is going to be something like my Kanta´s…
BR
Miki
