New NAP250dr Amp powering an old Nac102 preamp

Hi Folks need some advice .
My friend is selling his old (20 years) nac102, napsc/ NAP180 and relatively recent NDX

I have a NAC 272 (with xpsdr) + NAP 250 since 2017.
I wanted to sell the 272 and get my friends old ndx plus 102 and connect to my NAP250 dr.
we tried to set it up yesterday but the 102 just didnt work with the nap250dr despite the napsc. We took it into the local dealer and the issue seems to be that the NAP250DR amp 3pin to preamp 4 pin cable doesnt power the 102. . The old NAP180 has the 5 pin connecter to 4 pin on the 102 input and this powers the 102 and it all works fine.

So the question is , is there a way to power the 102 from the 250dr ( or any other suggestion short of buying another PS for the 102)

The 250 can’t power a preamp, you’ll need a hicap.

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As @robert_h says above… The 250 has no pre-amp power supply… This is 250-normal…

All NAP’s below the 250 do have the required power - 250’s and above do not. Naim World.

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A flatcap will do a decent job if funds are tight

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Whether it’s as good as your 272 is another question

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I can’t imagine that sounding better. The 102 is going to be a bottleneck.

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Thanks

The 272 with XPSDR is a better pre-amp than the 102 AND is a better source than the NDX. I can’t imagine why a ‘friend’ would sell you something that’s worse than what you currently have…

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the ndx through 102 and nap 180 powering proac response 2.5 sounds great.
the 272 through nap250 dr powring my Proacd40R’s sound a tad short of the ndx on punch and tight bass. I thought it was the 250 struggling with the d40r so got my friends response 2.5 into my setup. the d40r sounded better. So we zeroed in on the source (272 vs ndx ) being the potential issue.
Hence the attempt to set this up .
Thanks for the answers though …

It was my idea to try this not his …i wanted to check this option out …see my response

thats what we were trying to establish and i was keen on the ndx vs 272 comparison . The ndx sounds awesome compared to the 272…it wasnt the speakers- his proac response 2.5 vs my proac d40r. the d40 do sound better

The room will be major factor also…

Unless there’s something wrong with your kit, it’s the most likely explanation - assuming a common source of the music files.

Why not do the comparison using the 180? Knowing that the 250 will later improve either by about the same amount.

Yes that sounds like a good idea i just hope the nap 180 is able to drive the big d40r’s

The 272/XPSDR will be significantly better than an NDX and 102. Unless it’s about saving money, don’t do it. The 102 will need a Hicap and is really not ideal with a 250DR. You should be looking at an 82 if going down this route.

we have very similar rooms identical in design and layout ( different furniture of course) - the 272 does sound very good , dont get me wrong …but the ndx just that much better. same source and playlist - normal resolution as well as high res audiophile stuff
so since he was upgrading his entire system , was tempted.

Else was going to eventuall go the ndx2 , 282 route for a lot more $$

Thanks HH , i dont want to go the Hicap route, was just tempted to try it since he upgraded his entire system the old system is a real bargain given it sounds wonderful.
Havent looked at the 82 option will investigate else just wait out the ndx2/282 route…

This is certainly not expected. Yes the NDX might compare favourably with a bare 272, but not one with an XPSDR. Something is amiss here…

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I would strongly disagree that the NDX/102 is bettered by a 272/XPS. I would say that they are on roughly the same level, based on actually listening to them side by side in the same system. Put the XPS on the NDX and it will put it well ahead.
Where I think your plan falls down is that the 250 is not a great match for lesser preamps such as the 102 or 202. For some reason they lack synergy, quite apart from the fact that the 250 requires a Hicap.

If you want to get the best out of the NDX while avoiding the extra box an 82 or 282 would be great. The best way to power any of these without a Hicap is with a 200DR. This has a better preamp PSU than a regular 200 or a 180.

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Hi chris absolutely, i was hoping that the xpsdr plus ndx combination would give me what i need and since my friend wants to sell his sysyem whole i cant just buy the ndx that would not work for him . Might still look at the 282 option and buy the 102 and sell it separately