I’m considering swapping out my 250DR for a pair of 135’s. Any connection issues to a 282? Can I stack them or will I need an additional shelf? Would this be a worthwhile upgrade? Speakers are Dynaudio focus 260-although I will be upgrading to Confidence 20. Much appreciated.
I replaced a CB 250 with Olive 135s - worthwhile upgrade. Don’t know about 250dr. Have they been recently serviced?
Looking at your system I would supercap the 82 and 555psdr on the ndx2 before changing amps.
David
Oh, and do not stack them!
Connections are straightforward and don’t stack
I went a similar route to you. I’m honestly not sure how the 135s compare to the 250 and specifically the DR bit.
But I would say that adding a Supercap to my 82 was amazing
Pre loved SupercapDR’s don’t come up very often in the US and a 555PS is out of the budget for now. I could swap the 250DR and the 135’s for roughly even money. I knew I was deluding myself about not adding another shelf. In the end not that big a deal if it’s all worth it. Thanks.
If you can listen before committing I’d suggest that. People seem very happy with their DR equipment.
You could sell your hicaps and use the funds to get a supercap dr
Or just trade them in to a dealer for the supercap
Some dealers might make it easy for you
If the 135s have not been recently serviced I’m not sure I would do the swap with the 250dr.
I’m not sure I would do that swap. Lovely though 135s are, on balance the NAP250DR is a superior amp, unless of course, there’s something in the 135’s particular character that you especially like.
Just to be clear, the NAP250DR is a very different animal to the old NAP250 (I have a Naim serviced one from 1985), superior in every way.
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I moved on my 250DR for a serviced none DR 300 a couple of years ago never looked back as the 300 gives so much more.
In my humble opinion and personal taste,
NAIM lost their unique charm, with the cessation of Olive series production in 2002.
You must first hear Olive-based system to know that this is your direction and taste,
If so, I would make the swap to the 135S’ and look for a nac-52 + Olive s.c power supply, after service, on a budget that will be left to you from the sale of the 282 and its 2 power supplies.
Good luck.
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While I do like the 250dr I dont agree trying to put the 135 inside a ‘particular character’ box in comparison. I think those two are the most useful in thhe naim range of amps but I also think of the 135 as more generally useable. you may think of me as a particular character but I also recently sold off my 300dr.
the two amps I prefer in that area are the 135 and Linn Klimax Twin.
I once got a little carried away listening to the Robert Ludwig “hot mix” of Led Zeppelin II. In the middle of the music - sudden silence. I was sure I had blown the tweeters or done some other serious damage but no, it was just the 250 genteelly shutting itself down to protect itself. After a few minutes cooling time all was well again.
It only happened once, but I’ve since felt uneasy whenever I crank it. Space constraints notwithstanding, that issue would be a reason I would contemplate a pair of 135s, although I imagine a 300DR would be the better choice for my all-DR Classic system.
I think that your system may be trying to intimate, in the nicest way possible, that it’s being played too loud!
I’ve had my 135s for more than 30 years and have never had them turn off on me. Maybe I.m just a wuss!
I had the 250CB and it cut out 2 or 3 times being played at too loud volumes. With no fan and being in a cabinet rather than a rack it would shut down. It would cool down fairly quickly.
This was one of the reasons why I went for 2 x 135s. And they have never cut out.
The sound of the 135s is similar to the 250. Has better separation and wider soundstage. I prefer the 135s to the 250.
As for 250DR or 300DR I will change to a 500 or 500DR before parting with my 135s. I’m very happy with the 135s so will leave my system as it is for now.
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It‘s difficult to compare boxes if the oldier ones are not recapped.
That could be the case with 135.
Mine have been recapped and I‘m really super satisfied.
I like over all the rhythmic ability of those boxes and details are far enough.
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My 135s were sent away for service as soon as I got them so never had the chance to compare serviced vs unserviced. The 250CB I had was serviced 4 years before I got it.
As far as I am concerned it’s best to make sure everything has been serviced with olive and CB kit within last 10 years. 15 years for newer boxes I believe.
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Part of the attraction of a pair of 135s or a 300 is that they’re equipped with a fan, so they’ll go louder before the thermal protection circuit cuts in. When my 250 cut out I was playing at a good healthy volume, but the system wasn’t sounding noticeably distressed. I can only imagine what it would take to make a pair of 135s cut out!
I’m running some recently serviced 135’s while my 500DR is back at the factory. Do they embarrass themselves? Most certainly not. After some thirty odd years of owning a pair they are one of the few Naim products I would never sell.
I think a more important question is if a 52 would sound better against a 282? I used a 52 for a while into my 500 before I found a 552 but my dealer urged me to try a 282 as he thought it might be a slightly better match. Im sorry to report that the 52 was still quite a bit better and stayed in situ for over a year and could only be displaced by the 552.
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I kept saying that 52 was better than 252, and was only bettered by 552 (because I owned all 3), but apparently quite a few folks here don’t seem to agree.
The Linn Kan 2 and the Naim NAP 135s are the items that I regret selling.
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I agree with you. I’d go further and say that the 552 is certainly not a ‘night and day’ improvement over the 52, which has been reported by some on here when compared against the 252.
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