SuperCap DR/HiCap DR with a 282

Hi-Fi Corner
1

Advice please guys…Whilst discussing streamers with a dealer today, (NDX 2 with a XPS DR) he threw me a curve ball, and recommended that I upgrade my amplification as the first priority. He suggests replacing the HiCap DR on the 282, with a SuperCapDR, with the possibility of binning the NAPSC as well?

Is it better to upgrade the 282’s power supply, or have the 555 PS DR on the NDX 2, instead of the XPS DR? Please don’t say, “Have both” cos it’ll be way over my budget. :grinning: Thanks :+1:

System:
NAP 300 DR
NAC 282
HiCap DR & NAPSC

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I’m with the dealer. Best possible PS on the preamp. It will be a choke point if you want to upgrade or change the source later.

Bruce

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If you bin the Napsc then the 282 won’t work. An odd thing for a dealer to say…:thinking:

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Absolutely - very strange advice. In terms of the HiCap verses SC, then there are lots of articles on this Forum where 1HC verses 2HC verses SC are discussed, with varied outcome. Cant comment on 555PS as I haven’t gone that route yet, but everyone says its a good jump to the XPS - ideally the dealer will let you try before you buy

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Yep. I suspect the dealer was thinking 252 / SC

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For me a big leap in performance when I chopped the HCDR for a new SCDR a few weeks back, lovely upgrade for the 282.

And as others have pointed out you still require the NAPSC.

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Very odd if you want a streamer. Neither an additional hicap nor a supercap will give you a streamer. The napsc is needed to make the 282 work, so I wouldn’t ditch that. Is this a Naim dealer?

Get the streamer you want to end up with first. It will work with your current set up. You can then improve your current amplification with either an additional hicap dr or a supercap dr, or a 252 and supercap dr.

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If you think you will get a 252 at some point there is merit in a SCDR. If this is a distant prospect only I’d get the 555PS first.

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You’ll get lots of conflicting answers. But that is the fun of this place. And yes, you will need the napsc. At best your dealer was confused.
It looks like your current system has no source? If you need a streamer, you need a streamer. An ndx2 and 555psu is going to set you back £12k new. Is that your budget?
A single HCDR to SCDR will be a big step, and take your 282 as far as it can go. But you will still not be able to hear any improvement without a source.
Negotiate another HCDR in with your ndx2 and whatever power supply you can afford ( 555 or xpsdr). That way you have a decent source and IMO the best bang for your buck power supplies for the 282 also.

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He wants you to buy a 252.
But…would it meet your expectations?
That’s the very question.
You don’t seem to use a Naim source, do you?

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It’s really very simple. The dealers job is to enable you to make informed decisions about how best to improve your system to your own taste. This would be a straightforward demo for him to set up, and if he can’t or won’t do that he is useless.
Having said that, he may well be right. The neutral partner to the NDX2 is the XPSDR, and it’s a source that can certainly hold its own in a system up to 252/300 level. Do the demo.

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He mentioned an additional SNAIC from the SuperCap? I’m a novice, so I have no idea really?

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Famous last words I know, but no intentions of getting a 252.:wink:

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I originally had a dCS Bartók, but had to part with it. My Naim system is all boxed up at the moment, as I’m moving house.
So an NDX 2 is on my shopping list.

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Words are words. He should have demonstrated the effect of a SCDR with a NAC282. Probably just wants to take the dollars.

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You are quite right, but the conversation was done on the phone.

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Correct, I have no source as such. My system is all boxed up as I’m moving house. As a temp measure I was using a Raspberry P4, having had to sadly part with my dCS Bartók. Looking forward to a new NDX 2.

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Yes, that’s right - two SNAIC5 cables run between the 282 and Supercap. You’ll still need the NAPSC with the 282 though.

If you then moved to a 252, a Burndy cable and a SNAIC5 cable (to power the control circuitry) connect the 252 to Supercap. No NAPSC needed.

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Cheers James :+1:

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Just a thought…At the moment the HiCap and the NAPSC sit next to each other on the same (bottom) shelf. If I go for the SuperCap, can the NAPSC sit on top, or does this mean another level? :thinking:

I will be replacing my six level, 30 year old Target rack, with a FF Fraim. My plan is to have 2 x 3 levels.