SN2 vs SN3

SN3 up and running. Wow! I’ll let it warm up and settle a bit but initial comment is totally worth the extra money from the SN2! Not as big step as SN1 SN2 but still an improvement for sure.

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Enjoy it, and see how it is with the Harbeths; we look forward to your opinion and feedback as it goes settling in.

Cheers.

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Decided to experiment a little and switched the NDX2 volume control from fixed to variable, set at 85 and can now turn up the volume a little more on the SN3 to better results. Perhaps its just more of the settling in thing that is happening but it just seems less harsh, more relaxed and caught myself toe tapping along to the music. Baby steps…

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Interesting use if the variable volume option! Not what Naim had intended, I’m sure. I found that using a Hugo between (NDX and 282) with its volume dialled down a bit was a good way to get the volume pot a bit more usable.

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Day 2. Haven’t done any quick AB testing so just out of memory so far and I know from the past this can be tricky. I’m running Harbeth SHL5 Plus and ND5XS.

SN3 compared to SN2.

SN3 feels more nimble, more balanced/neutral, less fat compared to SN2. More relaxed and honest. I can dig into the recordings a bit further and voices feels closer to you than on SN2. It feels more dynamic and faster. Haven’t heard the NAP200DR but from what I read it feels like SN3 is more towards that amp now. The SN2 has a rather powerful bottom end and overall warmth to it which can sound a little woolly on some recording and SN3 will tighten this up and sound more rapid, detailed and tight. In terms of power I cannot detect more of it with SN3. It can even sound a bit weaker actually which I can assume is due to the more neutral performance since our ears and mind often detect more bass as more power.

I will let the SN3 play for a week or so and switch back to SN2 next weekend and see what happens because it takes a while to adapt to new sound signatures and right now I can miss the slightly bigger more powerful bottom end on the SN2 but prefer the mids and highs on the SN3. Let’s see where a week takes my listening :slight_smile:

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Do you find that SN3 restores some of the boogie that was missing when comparing SN2 with SN1?

Will get back on that matter when I’ve had more hours on them but from memory the SN1 boogie was due to the mid bass hump that in return made it feel less balanced. The SN3 is not like that but the speed I’d say is much more evident on SN3 and maybe more like SN1. I’d like to add some words on the SN3 too. The crispiness and vibrant and direct sound it creates on instruments and voices is really something addictive. It really pulls you in and I tend to more often think that there is actually an acoustic guitar in my room. Or play some Leonard Cohen You want i darker and it almost scares me how close it feels. This is of course also one of Harbeths strenghts but the SN3 take this to a new level. I’m pretty sure this combo will grow on me for each hour passing. Normally the speakers and amps that give me a wow after 10 minutes are then one that I don’t like and the slow starters are the winners :slight_smile:

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Hi.

Probably more burn in and settlement process related; I’m experiencing the same thing more and more, with the NDX2 in fixed mode.

Greetings.

When you say fixed/variable mode - what are you changing? I run mine with automation and control via the app.

That will be fixed volume mode. In variable mode, the NDX2 uses a built in digital volume control.

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Thanks but how do you switch? Turn automation off?

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It’s in the Naim app settings menu, I don’t remember exactly where, but have a look and you’ll see volume settings somewhere.

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Ok found it, only visible when you switch off automation however in variable mode now I have no sound at all!

Try now adjusting the volume via the keys on the remote control…

Yes ok it’s working now but very low, I need to be way up on the vol control on the SN3 and around 50 on the NDX2 before I get any reasonable output,

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I think the trick is to adjust the digital volume of the NDX2 to almost the maximum (85-90-95) and, from there, to play with the integrated pot.

Surely that would destroy the point of using the variable control. The whole point of which is to make the volume control accessible in the eyes of Apple etc. who will have no understanding of system automation.

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Surely, but perhaps it introduces greater variability and usability of the SN3 potentiometer; although I don’t know because I haven’t tried it, for me it’s fine as it is in fixed mode + automation.

Just had a switch back to SN2 from the SN3. Actually it’s quite a big change in muscles and output with my Harbeths. Explaining them both with one word I’d say SN2 = Muscles and SN3 = Neutral/nimble. Running my SN2 on 9 o clock make my SHL5 jump and scream meaning really load. SN3 not so at the same level. Need to put it up to at least 10 to get same energy and dynamics. Didn’t someone else have same feedback related to this?

My heart right now says I’ll stay with SN2 but that might change during the week. I’ll give them both some time to settle in (my ears that means) but was I to chose today I’d stay with the SN2 due to mainly the more powerful bass, muscles and warmth even though the details and presence is slightly better on SN3. When reading back on the reviews it is more clear to me now what they explain.

HIFI Choice
Where the Supernait 3 stands out as significantly different from both of its predecessors – and indeed almost any Naim device I’ve experienced before – is the amount of delicacy that’s now on offer.

Or as another reviewer of SN2 claimed related to its bass which to me is true. And the SN3 I’d say is towards the opposite of that.
“There is less crunch, but more thrust.”

Or this SN2 review. You will not read that about the SN3. Not saying SN3 is by any means worse but if one love the SN2 bass responce then I’d say it might be challenging with SN3 if you don’t want away from that thinking it is a bit bloated, woolly and undefined. They are to my ears very different integrated amps specifically in the lower bass.

Playing bass-heavy dance music, the SN2 is capable of pounding out the rhythm with metronomic sledgehammer blows and, provided your speakers can hack it, is more than able to drive the room hard without ever suggesting things are just going to tumble into a background blur of boom. Instead, with music like this and driving piano trio jazz alike, the Naim lets the bass provide the engine-room for the music, then layers the rest of the recording on top in entirely natural fashion.

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Hey @Bjm

We seem to share the view of the SN3 in that the SN2 bass is bigger and has more muscles than SN3 which in return is more firm, laidback and rapid in comparison and could be thought of as a bit lean. But bass is a tricky one since most of us short term prefer more bass but long term prefer balance so I’m not sure where this will end up but I have the luxury to have them both and no hurry in evaluating them so we’ll see :slight_smile: The bass tend to dig as deep meaning extension is roughly similar to my ears but the amplitude of the bass to me is upped roughly 4-6dB in the lower bass on SN2 compared to the SN3 meaning not a little difference by any means. This in my room with my Harbeths.

I tried a Hicap one time with my SN2 and the bass became from what I remember more close to what the SN3 now have.

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