I have had a Naim Nova and Spendor A4 since 2018 which I listened to with great pleasure. Since last year I have added a 250DR as a power amplifier to the Nova which gave quite an improvement. Recently I replaced the Nova with a NSC222 which resulted in significant improvement. To go a step further I am considering:
Replace the 250DR with the 250 New Classic which results in the NSC222 with the 250New Classic and the Spendor A4
or
Continue with the NSC222 in combination with the 250DR and replace the Spendor A4 for example Spendor A7 / D7.2 or Acoustic Energy Corinium or Sonus Faber VG2 / Maxima Amator, Gauder 80 / 100 or Audiovector R3 Arrete
I am very curious about your thought’s on this subject
I went from a Star-250DR set up to a 222-250DR and then to a 222-NC250, the NC250 is a significant step up, it is a great power amp and I have kept it now I have upgraded my 222 to 332/333. The most immediate difference was the bass grip of the NC compared to the DR but on further listening it soon became apparent that everything was better.
Welcome! What is wrong with your current setup? Do you have a Fraim or Powerline?
The NC250 is a step up from 250DR as posted in previous threads.
However you considered Nova + 250DR to be a step up - not imho.
We all hear in different ways, The best idea is to audition the combinations you are considering, in reference to your present setup. Your listening preferences and objectives will all be a factor here.
Adding the NPX300 to the 222 is a worthwhile option.
Replacing 250DR with 300DR or NC250 might be even better.
Your Spendors are good and can probably do more than you are hearing now, but they can be beaten. You have mentioned several good ideas, and I would add bigger Spendors, Neat and ATC to the list (and perhaps B&W too).
Which of those is the best use of cash will depend on your room, your ears and your preferences, with the room being ultra-important if considering a speaker change.
I suggest auditions at some dealers. If you do decide to change speakers, I suggest comparing 2 or 3 options against A4s at your home.
Another vote for trying the npx300 with the 222 rather than upgrading the power amp. I found it gave me all I wanted as an upgrade and still run a nap200 off the 222/300.
Thanks for response, your answer made sense, so I decided to look for a used NSC222 to replace the 250dr and I succeeded!!! I’am very happy with my upgrade.
The next step is changing my Spendor’s A4. I’ve made a longlist; Gauder Arcona 80 or 100 - Spendor D7.2 - Acoustic Energy Corinium - ATC SCM40 and the Dali Epicon 6.
Any thought’s about my list. Am I missing the holy grail?? Thank you in advance for your reactions
I would include a Neat option on your short list, and perhaps a bit more different like Shahinian or Harbeth. However, you have already got some great speakers on your list. Just make sure you don’t decide without hearing speakers at home if you possibly can.
Puzzled! IIUC, you already replaced Nova with NSC222 - you needed another?
Nick has suggested NPX300 - great ps - it must though be auditioned in situ - in one room it was a step up here; tried in the actual room where NSC222 usually resides and the gain was at best marginal, in a difficult room for acoustics. The replacement of Nova with NSC222 + NC250 was a great step up; ymmv.
“ The promised improvement from the optional NPX 300 power supply was convincingly delivered. We tried cable upgrades, and the inherent quality was high enough to clearly hear the advantage of Naim’s Super Lumina, though this cable series comes at a high price.”
I blind tested the 222/250 with and without the NPX300 and, unfortunately for my wallet, can confirm MC’s experience. WRT SL cables, I already had SL speaker cables, however, having waited out the confusion, mine, the dealer’s and Naim’s, as to which SL XLR cables were intended for the NC 200 Series, I can again affirm MC’s experience, both in terms of SQ performance and, again unfortunately, price.
Neither are budget upgrades, however, in terms of extracting the absolute maximum performance from the NC 200 Series, both are seriously worthy of consideration.