My PMC Twenty5 22i’s are driven by a Nord power amp with an Oppo 205 as a preamplifier.
The PMCS are going NOWHERE, hence I want to treat them to the best power amp I can afford.
For simplicity I thought of a SN3 and with the OPPO out of preamp mode, just as a LL input or, maybe, a Naim power amplifier with the Oppo pre ( it really is an excellent preamp).
My Q is, is the amplifier stage in a SN3 comparable to the likes of a 200/250 power amp, what’s the hierarchy please folks?
Many thanks
Hi, the power amp in a Supernait, good though it may be, is no match for one in a separate box. The 250 has the same nominal 80W rating, but it is a very different design, fully regulated, and will comfortably outperform a Supernait.
You should, however, think carefully before using a non-Naim preamp with a Naim power amp. This often leads to a mismatch that affects performance.
You could look at older Naim amps/preamps.
Eg 72/hicap/140 is a classic combination.
Not always though! My situation is the reverse but I run my Atom into 2 Emotiva power amps and the sound is way better than the Atom on it’s own into my current speakers and the previous ones. If you can borrow it’s always worth trying things and listening for yourself 
I’m not saying it’s impossible to get a match. I put my Chord Étude on the end of my Atom a while back, and the improvement was huge. Once you up the game with Naim separates, though, I would say that it’s a very different matter, and the main point I’m making here is that the use of a Naim power amp with a non-Naim preamp is often a poor match. A Naim pre with non-Naim power is a different matter.
Cool. Point taken 
I tried my SN3 sub out to a Nikko poweramp.
The sub out is not filtered, but I am not sure if it gives the same audio quality as the pre out.
Anyhow, it produced a VERY midrangey sound.
So, it was not a good match.
The sub out RCA connections are happy driving longer cables and have 100 Ohm resistors in series to enable them to do this. It may be why they may sound different to the Bi-Amp out socket.
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.