Supernait 3 - Addition of HiCap DR

With my super cheap ndx and a pair of nSats on the proper wall brackets in my loft/study where I work from home. Replacing unitiqute so looking forward to a bit of improvement :grin:

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Nice start to the weekend, enjoy!

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Like this:

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I’m guessing you don’t play a lot of records…

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No, sometimes (ones in a month or less) Only when the setting there is.

It’s not attractive to play because the place of my P3 is not the best. maybe when i have a rega rack at the wall it will be more.

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This is the whole situation of my setup.

I was thinking of replace my P3 to the right, beside my speaker at the wall. But the cable will be to long they say (is that true??) P3 to my SN3, almost 2.25 meter. Extending the P3 interconnect with 1,5 meter. Will that be OK?

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I like the speakers firstly!
Few options here I guess:

  • HiFi rack between av cabinet and one of the speakers
  • Wall mounted TT shelf between TV and speaker
  • Wall mount the TV and put TT on top of av cabinet
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I have a 2m lead from my Rega 3 to Nova that my dealer made, you should be fine.

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Going back to the former question/post, I have an opinion:

I had the HiCap DR with both the SN1 and the SN3 and I’m selling the HiCap today. The improvements over the bare SN3 are debatable. Let’s say the upgrade is there then I feel they are far from relevant. I can’t justify the purchase of a HiCap for the SN3. With the SN1 it was a complete different story, it turned it into a different and much better integrated.

The debate I had with myself was whether to purchase again a used SN1, keep the HiCap, sell the SN3 and make some cash vs keeping the SN3 and selling the HiCap. I still prefer the bare SN3 in that scenario.

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I think the conclusion I reached was that I wouldn’t miss it (HiCap) ans after some months without it that’s still the case.
Naim know how to make good amps and they knew what the shortcomings of the SN2 were, of which in part a solution was adding a HiCap.
If I added a PSU to it at all it would be a SuperCap DR but I’d expect it not to need it given the rest of the system.
In a sense having started this thread I’ve now had the time and opportunity to answer my own question ultimately.
I’m certainly glad to have made the move from a SN2 to a SN3 when I did and adding the NDX2 allowed it perform in a way it never could with the ND5 XS2.

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I have a SN2 (with NDX2) and have wondered whether it is worthwhile upgrading to the SN3.
I have seen a number of press reviews suggesting those with a SN2 should stick with it - implying its a sideways move ie a different presentation, rather than a better one.
My dealer feels the addition on a HiCap on my SN2 would be better value than upgrading.
I will not be buying a HiCap under any circumstances because I want to limit box count but I am wondering about opting for the SN3.
I may add a turntable at some point in the future but it’s the (debatable improved?) sound quality which would motivate me to upgrade, not the MM phono stage that would convince me.
All opinions agree the SN3 has a wider soundstage.
I know the only response to this is for me to try one myself but do you think I’d be wasting my time to compare the two?

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I personally wouldn’t bother moving to a 3. I would bother with the box increase and add the HiCapDR however! :woozy_face:

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I have a SN2 and since it is only 2 1/2 years old I have decided to stick with it vs moving on to the SN3. A couple of the reasons I did not want to move at this time is: first in the US the SN3 is $700.00 cheaper then the price of the SN2 and felt that trade in value would be to low, second is that I do not have a interest in adding a TT, and third my dealer did not have a demo unit and all the units received to date have been pre-ordered.

The dealer has been closed since March and when this COVID issue passes and they re-open and when they have a demo unit on the floor I will go give a listen.

I am quite happy with the SN2 and I am quite comfortable with four box solution. (XPS DR > NDX2 > HiCap DR > SN2) I originally thought that I would be satisfied with the two box solution, then I did home demo’s of first the XPS DR and then six months later the HiCap DR. Perhaps swap out the SN2 for the 3 some day or perhaps not… Enjoying the music as is for the moment!

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Go for a HiCap DR on a bare SN3. It’s miles better! Don’t listen to the ‘burnt’ fingers cobblers. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I gave up on the ND5 XS2 and got a Planar 8 instead :grin:

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I am trying not to get too upset because of the situation, but it’s six weeks already and my dealer still has no idea from Naim when it will be coming. So I don’t think it’s a lack of the relevant parts which would obviously hold things up.
I do think Naim should be able to give an approximate waiting time, I feel sorry for dealers that have to deal with customers without much information. I try to be nice though!
I certainly won’t be getting a turntable though, I don’t have any vinyl, I hope you enjoy yours :slight_smile: I’ve always liked the Rega stuff I’ve heard, whether it’s speakers, electronics or speakers. The Rega Elas especially.

I remember the debate among SN2 owners: to HCDR or not to HCDR? Seems like it was a even 50/50 split between those that felt the HCDR added or subtracted to the experience. Now with the SN3 it seems like it’s the same debate all over again.

The problem is that the HCDR is too expensive ($2,500 USD) to just try with a 50% success rate. Sorry. If it were $1,000 or max $1,500 it might be worth the experiment.

Maybe NAIM will wise up during this Covid Economy and come down to Earth with some of their insane pricing?

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You could also find and use a used one, even new hardware can often be found at a discount depending on location/dealer.
I’l refer back to the purpose of me starting this thread. I’ve owned all the Supernaits and a NAIT XS and XS 2 and used a HiCap on all of them apart from the current SN3. It did different things to different amps, some good and some bad and my personal conclusion is that whilst it’s a very capable PSU with a lot of flexibility in the context of the NAIT range it’s not a universal or consistent addition.
My feeling was that knowing what it had done to previous NAIT’s I’d owned and used, that the overall benefits of adding one to a SN3 would still be apparent but not as impactful as with previous NAIT based systems I’d owned.
I also made a decision to instead focus on improvements in the source and replaced the ND5 XS2 with an NDX2 and replaced the Isoblue rack with a full Fraim rack. The means to achieving this involved me trading in my HiCap DR and my conclusion here is that it was worth letting it go given the gains I achieved elsewhere especially the improvements associated with adding the NDX2.
As things stand now I’m looking to live with the system as it is today for an extended period of time and then look at adding a 555PS to the NDX2.
If I still had a HiCap I expect I would be using it and appreciating it but I’m not missing it either having said that, not in the same way I would be if I still had a SN2 as the most obvious comparison.

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I’m not sure how you could possibly come to your 50/50 split conclusion with the SN2 (or SN3) debate, particularly when it is likely that many owners here and not here, haven’t aired their views?

Anyone who decided they didn’t like the change are more likely to be vocal about it, but I am sure that that there are many others who are happy with adding a HCDR but have stayed silent!

Sorry, but your 50% success rate is pure guesswork on your part.

I’d agree here, I’d expect that there are far more that have added and used it on a Supernait and carried on using it, it does help the preamp to perform better with a lower noise floor and I found particularly with the SN2 that it gave more enjoyment from the system I was running. I didn’t like it added on other NAIT’s and preferred the sound without, the original NAIT XS for example.
It will more often come down to the consideration of price against value. If you already have one and can keep it, no reason not to add it in and use it. If you don’t have one and are looking for options to evolve your system then it comes down to priorities and budget mostly. In my case I’d prefer to wait longer and add a PSU to the source first then add one to the NAIT if required.
Ultimately there’s no absolute right or wrong conclusion here, it will be based on personal preference and available system budget primarily so do as always treat my comments as just a perspective based on my own system and my experiences with it, in that sense and having owned a number of NAIT systems I’ve got a personal measure of how these components behave in different systems and how they compare against each other overall which I would hope is of some help and benefit to others as they evaluate their own system needs and longer term evolution.

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