Thanks Jonathan really clear, to me as well 332/250 is where I want to go. Regarding the 333 right now I don’t plan any change, I m so satisfied by ndac that I don’t want to change moreover i m living in egypt now and hi res streaming is not available my only option is Apple Music
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Maybe I’m wrong, maybe I’m right. However the NSC 222 is a preamp streamer while the NDX 2 is just a streamer for the same price, therefore I would assume that the streaming section makes for roughly half of the price (impossible not to compare it to the ND5 XS 2). That’s why I said that in my previous post.
We surely have a different sonic taste, indeed I would say that both the NSC 222 and the NDX 2 sound decent (well… a lot more than decent). I wonder why you assume that most people have to like the new stuff, I’ve seen many people here saying that they prefer the nDAC or the NDS.
By the way I’m glad you are happy with your 222/555, I’m sure they sound great nevertheless.
In the end, as you rightly said, it’s down to yourself as taste is very subjective.
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Personally, I find the NSC222/NPX300 a much more enjoyable listen than the NDX2/282 I had. Is it better or just different or just more musical? Who knows. I stream more now than I ever have.
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I would definitely do a demo. I did not really get on with 332/NC250 Combo at all. It really needed the NPX300 to sound right. With the 300 it was fantastic and well above the 252/SCDR.
I think others have found similar results. My guess is the 332 really needs the 350’s
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Right or wrong for you only matters to you. That’s my point. I think you’re doing some projecting here, I didn’t say most people will like the new stuff. I identified all the potential scenarios b/c it’s not important. You’re right, we probably do have different sonic tastes. I consider the NDX2 to be on par with the CDX, CDX2, NDX, etc, good players but more on the analytical side of things for me. The NDS is more to my liking but I didn’t want to fuss with all the work arounds of the old platform. The NC platform is an improvement over the OC platform for me in terms of sonics. The NC is so good it makes comparisons based on the old hierarchy difficult. You’re free to disagree and you can enjoy the abundance of discounted OC boxes that are available now.
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The OC/NC are totally different in characters and performance, all are good kits. It all boils down to personal music /sound preference . 
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Maybe I misunderstood what you wrote, there’s no real need to disagree, we just have a different sonic taste and that’s totally fine (I do like that analytical side of the NDX 2, I guess it’s too much for you). So it’s great and important that there are products that sound different so anybody can choose accordingly. I’ve never tested the NDS so I can’t comment whether I could prefer it or not. Unluckily I won’t be able to benefit from that abundance of discounted OC boxes as you said, I didn’t see any around my area. When I’ll decide to upgrade my system, I’ll have to go with the new boxes (which I like, they are just different).
I m sure npx is raising the level a lot. External psu is the philosophical stone of the naim project since the beginning
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The NPX on the 332 is a massive difference and the biggest upgrade I have ever experienced with a power supply.
Much bigger than adding the XPSDR to the NDX2 and 272, the SCDR to the 282, or the Hicap to the 72
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I first demo’d the NDS with an XP5XS and then swapped to a 555DR. That was the day I fully bought into the Naim external power supply philosophy.
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My small tiny dilemma is:
333 + Nait 50
or
222 + 250
? : )
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same for me, speaker&room dependent probably
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My gut feeling is 333/Nait, but that might depend heavily on what speakers you will be using. (Also which version of the 250, presumably New Classic?)
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Very interesting alternative. I have the Nait 50 (with ND5XS2+NDac) and it’s a great combination. I’m convinced that the Nait 50 will deliver the benefits of better sources in smaller rooms. I have also heard the NSC222+Nap250. It’s a very balanced combination and with the NPX 300 it’s much better than the combinations I’ve heard with the Nait50 (e.g. with NDX2). I doubt whether the NSS333 is really so much better that together with the Nait50 it can equalise or even overtake the 222+250 combination. But it would be great if you could compare the two directly. I would be interested in your experiences. There would be no better "dilemma“…….
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Couldn’t agree more, it’s a pretty fun and nice 2-box dilemma indeed!
If a bit disruptive!
I only thought about this when I realised how cheerfully well the Nait 50 drives my Marten Oscar Duo speakers. This surprised me also because the Nait 2 before could not really do that so I wasn’t expecting much. But since the 222 + Nait 50 sounded so good with the Martens …
@ChrisSU Yes I have the NC250 (with the 222). Somehow my gut feeling is probably the 333/N50 too? Obviously, a better DAC to be expected but probably also biased by the Nait’s rather likeable character.
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Source first is, to me, always the safest way to go unless you have highly demanding speakers
I’m still a bit shocked how good the LP12/Aura into the 222/300/NC250 is.
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The 333 is half of the 222. The streaming section and DAC are the same. The only thing that makes the 333 better is the analog output stage. Do you really think that difference is going to reign supreme over the better preamp in the 222 and the much better amplifier in the 250? I doubt it. The Nait 50 (as good as it is) is the weak link here.
Now if you were asking 333/332 vs 222/300, I’d no doubt say the 333/332.
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„The 333 is half of the 222. The streaming section and DAC are the same.“
Is that true? The 333 might be overpriced then….
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why so expensive then? 222 vs 333 in terms of sq is not clear for me frankly
I’m sure that’s not quite true. The DAC chip, DSP chip and streaming board I believe maybe the same. But the circuit implementation, both digital and analogue, differs. I seem to recall a post from Naim citing some of these differences.
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