I wouldn’t argue that the 250DR is not better than the SN3 but it’s not so far ahead to warrant the cost difference. On the other hand the 300DR to my ears justifies an even greater price difference.
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Hi John
Well we agree to disagree but all good
The OP just needs to get to a dealer and figure it out for himself
Cheers
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I don’t agree with that at all. The 250DR and 300DR are both far superior to the Supernait 3 (as would be expected at their respective prices).
It seems quixotic, at the very least, to say that the 250DR does not justify the extra cost over the Supernait but then maintain that the even more expensive 300DR does justify the additional cost.
I am not seeking to denigrate the Supernait 3 at all. It and its predecessors are and have always been stand-out products in the Naim range. But the bigger NAPs are in a different league.
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To be fair, there are examples of what can look like anomalous pricing, at least to my ear.
The 272 and 250 were better value in relative terms than others in the range imho, and stayed that way for years, while (say) the Core is perhaps less so - see second hand prices for hints on value. In a not-too-dissimilar way, I’d argue that a cheap Hicap between 52/252 and properly-plugged Superline would be a waste of money, but a vastly more expensive SCDR would be a lot easier to justify.
Mind you, in this case, I completely agree with you - and I say that as a happy owner of a 300DR.
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You missed off the 250 is a regulated power amp.
Surely you buy with your ears? You’d also need a PSU for the pre-amp too.
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I’ve been using a SN3 for the past month with SBL speakers and it’s very good.
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happy for everyone who can buy with the ears. I would love to do that as well but unfortunately for me that’s not realistic - and here is why.
Listening room comparisons are not my cup of tea.
next one - I can’t bring every amp to my house for a sound comparison I am interested in - and I am not talking about naim audio only. There are so many interesting companies out there - how can I bring all of them to my house?
I strongly believe by starting a research you build trust with one or two or even more BRANDS for any reason.
I am not so analytic but always if I have passion for something, I like to understand what I am curious about.
and this is why I decided to ask the naim community about insights.
again: what are the significant technical differences between the two power amps? I think it`s a basic question
and you can be sure - once I understand the topic, I am ready to let my ears decide.
Another discussion of “amps for amps sake”, may be dismissing … speakers and room?? … which, in my mind at least, might account for much of the varied experiences, especially when it comes to the power amp part…
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I know the SN3 is a very good integrated - no question
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It’s a good start though for deciding what you like or don’t like. After that you could have a home demo.
I normally use a Ford Granada. 
There is only one power amp, the SN3 is an integrated where everything hangs off the same transformer. It’s a compromise, good but still a compromise. Having the pre-amp section next to the PSU is performance affecting. My power amp is several feet from the pre-amp and the PSU for the pre is in a separate box.
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From a technical perspective, it’s my understanding that the 250/300/500DR have fully regulated power supplies for the entire power amp section. This is very expensive to implement and very rare. It’s a belt and suspenders approach. Constant Current Sources. Whereas SN3 has a traditionally un-regulated (or minimally regulated) output power section and a fully regulated preamp section.
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Many members here loved the SuperNait amp when we had them. I believe all of us also agreed that when we upgraded to separate Preamp and Power Amp that the sound was an improvement.
It is up to the buyer to justify the cost outlay to make the move. I never thought I was going to make the move but then… I added a NAC 282 to my SN 2 and it was one worthwhile upgrade, to my ears anyway. Shortly after that I traded in my SN 2 for a pre-owned (2 year old) 250 DR and once again a worthwhile upgrade).
As always, my room, my system, my ears…
As stated above and on many threads, demo at a dealer and at home before making the commitment. What works for one of us may not be the same experience for another.
Life is sweet and so is the music!
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I am confused. You have listed the most obvious design differences (except the impact of the DR bit perhaps), but then asked what the significant technical differences are. Why not believe the list you quoted?
Yo may opt to believe that they must sound the same - your choice, but not what my tatty old ears tell me. However, there are comments here that room often drives good speaker choice, and speaker choice ca drive amplifier choice, and it’s all true. One advantage of Naim kit is that dealers are often willing to lend you a box in expectation of a sale, but also that mates with a suitable box often exist - and can bring it round for a listen.
I initially guessed from the tag that you were in Bologna, which may make this tricky if true. Perhaps a user of this site who is not too far from you will help out?
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I think one of the differences - and it is rarely mentioned - is slew rate; the rate at which an amplifier can swing between 0 and maximum volts. This affects many things - most obviously transients. I don’t know what the slew rates are for the SN3 and 250DR, but I suspect that the latter is significantly faster than the former. Then there is the matter of how the amplifier deals with back EMF (as the loudspeaker coil moves to its resting position from whatever excursion it has been sent on, it will create a voltage - after all, you are moving a coil in a magnetic field). Again, I suspect (but don’t know for sure) that the 250DR deals with this rather better than the SN3.
There are many more parameters to an amplifier apart from power.
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I am very happy with my SN3, which I got at a reduced price from our local dealer as it was ex-demo.
If you are after a decent integrated with a phono input, you can’t go far wrong in my view.
Having said that, if funds permitted, I’d definitely add a 250DR and later upgrade the pre-amp side of things.
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I totally agree with you concerning the SN3, it’s an excellent amp and one that you would have to spend a lot more to improve on. It’s al according to one’s requirements and available funds
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Sorry, maybe a obvious answer but what does regulated actually mean / do?
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“Regulated” means that the power supply adjusts its operation so as to maintain the amplifier’s rated power output and low distortion operation over a wide range of vehicle voltages
…from a quick internet search I found the above.
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If you put an oscilloscope over across the DC rails of lots of amplifiers, and play some music, you will see the waveform of the music on the oscilloscope screen. This is because the amp is sucking power at different rates depending on what it is trying to feed to the speakers. This, of course, has a detrimental effect on the music . A regulated power supply makes sure the the voltage at the rails stays absolutely steady, within the limits of the power available.
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and that’s a big advantage in my opinion.
thanks for your explanation.
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