That’s surely a valid observation. 18 years the preamps (NAC 202, 282, 252 and 552) remain untouched only with the amplifiers going through the DR upgrade.
Another point is Naim cannot upgrade or change the character of these gems too much because the difference in sound quality between the gear had to be maintained. Naim cannot alter or improve the 202 too much so that it gets close to the sound quality of the 282. Similarly the 282 cannot be made to sound close to 252 or the 252 close to 552. Otherwise nobody would be buying the high level gear. The hierarchy needs to be maintained.
Looks like my budget might only allow for a ND5 X2 + SN3 at this time. It will be interesting to find out if it’s a modest or big step up from the Nova. Either way, I suspect it will be a pleasant surprise. Not too fussy about the screen as I have it turned off on the Nova and use the iPad and iPhone. Should hopefully make a decision next week.
Sorry, but I disagree. If Naim could improve the NAC202 to the level of the NAC282 (and keep it within its cost bracket) then of course they would certainly do it. Performance is all. And any such improvements would be applied across the board so the NAC282 would also be improved, the NAC252 etc…, etc. thus keeping the hierarchy. Naim make the kit to perform as good as it can within the constraints of the budget allotted to each unit. Nothing is designed “down” to a particular level.
NAP200 amplifier is different (and arguably superior) to the amp in the Supernait and would probably represent an upgrade over the internal amp. However, it may not represent as big a step as a power supply on the SN and therefore may not be the best way to spend money, unless it’s just a step towards eventually going Pre-power. A power supply such as a Hicap DR though would be a great upgrade.
One can prefer whatever suits him ,implementation in the chain rules here but saying that an hicap would t be un upgrade could only lead to think of a bad designed SN
Regarding the nap 200, it cannot be improved as per Richard’s post above
The community’s opinion and wisdom seem to be quite divided in terms of the improvement that the HICAP can introduce in the SN2; not so with the SN first version, in which the improvement seems really tangible.
Integrated amps like SN3 need less setup attention (cable dressing, equipment placement) so maybe performance can be better than separates that have less than perfect setup.
Perhaps when this comparison between the SNs 2 & 3 is over we should measure the new SN 3 against the antiquated Nait 3 to get a perspective of what NAIM had achieved in 20 years of designing integrated amps.
Personally, the deciding factor in choosing Hi Fi gear is (and always was) not how much more I can hear but how much more pleasure the component gives me listening to it. Plain and simple.