I’m considering how best to evolve my current 2 box system which today is based around a Supernait 3 and NDX2.
The current plan involves adding in PSU’s to both the Supernait 3 and NDX2 to enhance their performance. This would eventually lead to a 4 box system all on a full Fraim rack.
I was curious if anyone had added either a NAP 200 DR or even a NAP 250 DR to either a SN2 or SN3 and if they felt it was a worthwhile addition and one they ended up sticking with in the long term.
I’m not ultimately looking to considering adding a NAP to my SN3 with a view to replacing the NAIT with a NAC later on. Ideally I’d be keen to hear from others who have added a NAP to a SN 2 or SN3 and have run that system for an extended period of time (say over a year or more) and felt it was an addition that made sense and gave an overall improvement to their enjoyment of their system.
Personally I feel the upgrade path of adding a separate power amp - and I’d consider the 250 here - is a stepping stone to get to 282/250 with the minimum of loss.
Hence you can follow the path SN, add hicap, add 250, swap SN for 282. The SN can be kept for system 2 or part ex’d against the 282. You need the hicap for the 282 anyway.
But then you are at a 6 box system, and that is a serious endgame system at that; with the current product line up, ndx2/xpsdr/282/hicap/250 is something special and aspirational.
Having said that, I have contemplated the upgrade path from where I am - ndx2/sn2/hicap dr - and I’m going to stick.
There is a thread here somewhere discussing sn2 plus 250, I will try to find and link.
Thank you @robert_h.
It’s always been a bit of a conflict in my mind regards my long and varied journey with NAIT’s in that whilst you can take them further and add more to a system built around a NAIT, it gets to a point where those additional steps only make most sense if there are more steps to follow!
I’ll admit, even now I don’t find it lacking, the current system at its heart has been entirely replaced having previously been based around a SN2 + HiCap DR + ND5 XS2 all sitting on a Isoblue rack. That last system was itself a worthy evolution from one based around a NAIT XS 2 and the addition of a Full Fraim in the mix has brought the current performance level up to a point of enjoyment and refinement that has me adequately satisfied but with some headroom for polish without it becoming an expensive experiment to a much higher spec system that itself will be more complex and with a higher box count even if it does give a level of refinement just not possible building around a Supernait 3 at its heart.
I’m expecting the conclusion here to be that there aren’t many that have added a NAP to a SN2/3 and been happy to stay there, it’s a gateway and stepping stone to improvements in the preamp with a move to a NAC 282 ultimately and the main purpose for being able to do so.
I certainly know already that a NAC282 with a HiCap DR driving either a NAP 200 or NAP 250 will be a better system overall, the curiosity here is what improvements if any adding a NAP to a SN3 brings and if its sufficient enough to be happy staying there for an extended period of time either as a keeper system or one that could be evolved further.
I’ll refer to the link you shared elsewhere on the forum as well, appreciate your efforts.
With the OB1 you’d certainly benefit from the extra drive of a 250DR. I’d forget the 200 in that context. As you doubtless know, the preamp is more important than the power amp and the SN preamp will be a limiting factor if adding a 250. I wouldn’t add a 250 unless the plan is to move to a 282/Hicap. Half of the SN3 you’ve only just bought would be sitting idle. If it were me I’d get the two power supplies and enjoy it, then maybe later try a 282/250.
Wise words indeed sir. I’d certainly say that my current thinking is aligned around adding additional power supplies to what I already have and to add an XPS DR to the NDX2 first then add a HiCap DR to the SN3 to give a cohesive 4 box system.
I think I’d also tend to agree with your comments on adding the NAP and would ultimately focus on the NAP 250 DR with a mind to then complimenting it with a NAC282 and bring the rest of the system along for the ride as the HiCap would drive the NAC282 and the NDX2 + XPS DR would be a more than suitable bedfellow for the 282/250.
In my listening room and with the current 2 box system, the PMC’s are being driven pretty well I’d say. Once you get up beyond 09:30 - 10:00 on the volume pot it’s already getting pretty loud, whilst still in control and engaging, but beyond that its overwhelming and the system is interacting with the room excessively.
If anything I’d say what I’m aiming for is improved separation and timing and more detail in the bottom end especially at more modest volumes. I’d hope that an incremental step with a NAP 250 DR with a mind to adding a NAC282 will get me there.
Mainly my curiosity with this thread topic was if others had added a NAP to a SN2/3 and enjoyed it enough to stay there a while either with a mind to move on to a NAC/NAP setup or to keep it running with the NAP hanging off the SN for an extended period of time.
I’ve certainly seen Naim themselves demo this type of setup and I’ve asked my dealer to set it up for me in the past to temper my curiosity, but the feeling there again was that you would be doing it as a stepping stone rather than as doing it as a NAIT enhancement in its own right.
Thanks for inputs as always.
You say you intend to add a PSU and a power amp to your Supernait. It makes no sense to me to then keep the Supernait when you could trade it for a 282.
As you can read in the thread above, in the end I didn’t thrive with the idea of the SN2-SN3 + NAP 250 DR, and I ended up with a Musical Fidelity NuVista 600; a 200 WpCh (8 Ohms) and 400 WpCh (4 Ohms) dual mono hybrid beast of integrated amplifier, with 42 Volts RMS (119 Volts peak) voltage, 120 Amps peak current, damping factor 200, and 75 pounds weight. Simplicity prevailed, and, although I like the Naim sound, I am delighted, as the NuVista seems to be tailor-made to the K6, and drives them with authority and effortlessly in all conditions and at any volume, without the slight minimun fainting.
It is a pity that the Naim range lacks a really powerful integrated amplifier with current delivery; and you have to climb both in the range and in the quantity of black boxes to get closer to what other manufacturers offer in a single box.
I think my rather more modest speakers are more forgiving as well (PMC OB1i)
I’m mainly interested in those who have actually tried this and if so stuck with it for any length of time.
Ultimately I’ll be adding PSU’s to the source and NAIT first anyway, that could take me a while to get round to that. I’d expect adding a NAP is only something that makes sense if you intend to do it as an intermediary step towards replacing the NAIT with a NAC/NAP based system.
I’m just curious how Naim outline adding a NAP 200 to a Supernait as an upgrade and it’s something hardly anyone actually does. It might help if they were a little clearer about the actual intended purpose of doing this which in most cases is to provide an incremental step to actually replacing the NAIT with a NAC, probably a NAC282 given where it sits on the product ladder and that the HiCap which you probably also have can come along for the ride.
No, not at all; I was just commenting on allusions and offering the information.
Although it is curious how the fate works, because from the bad experience trying to match Naim integrateds with the K6, the need led me to try other possibilities until I found that of the NuVista, an integrated amplifier that is a real wonder and that results in a magnificent synergy, practically unbeatable I would dare say, with the K6. And the most surprising thing is that it is only 2K pounds above the Naim integrateds.
I know that this is the Naim’s official forum, silly I am not, but there are other brands on the market and some combinations that result in absolute wonders; always, of course, that you have a little open mind to assess the room restrictions and recognize the need for the rule, outside Naim, of the speakers first.
All opinions and experiences welcomed regardless of what choices ultimately are made.
I’m in a somewhat different position having speakers I’m ok living with and keeping for the time being and which seem to be happy enough in my home office where the system lives.
My main curiousity with this thread was if adding a NAP to a Supernait made sense as a refinement to a longer term NAIT based system or if it was primarily a means to an end to replace it with a NAC/NAP combo.
Assuming my intention is to keep the NAIT my instincts tell me my time and funds are better placed focusing on the power supplies for the source and NAIT, I’m leaning towards a 555PS for the NDX2 and working onwords from there, that may scale back to an XPS but time will tell.
Well that’s me and there is no fixed chosen path on this currently. I’m primarily interested to guage from others of hands on experience and living with these specific combinations of boxes over an extended period of time.
The real plan this year is do nothing at all and live with and enjoy the current 2 box system, beyond that it’s still undetermined but I’d always planned to add a power supply to the NDX2 first all along and that hasn’t really changed. I had been thinking towards an XPS but my thinking is now widening to include a 555PS as an option.
If/when I add a NAP will be based on if I feel comfortable moving towards a 282/250 based system, that’s not the case today and is some years ahead of me realistically.