I like the idea of a SupercapDR just form the point being in the Fraim the half width HiCapDR looks odd in my opinion in my system.
I like lines to flow and match up. 
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As long as there is no significant technical negative for adding a Supercap, instinct tells me it will be the better choice. I think the reason almost everyone adds a HiCap to a Supernait (myself included on previous systems) is price and the fact the HiCap is a less complex and more limited PSU than the Supercap is and pairs well with the needs of the Supernait.
My reasoning here also extends to the relative ease of maintaining these PSU’s certainly vs something more complex like a Uniti or a digital source like the NDX2.
My current system I’ve taken a hit on up front already in that I’ve built it all using new hardware and took a hit moving to a full Fraim rack now to reduce concerns or constraints later on once the system evolves as discussed on my recent threads this week.
It’s already using Powerlines and a Hi-Line IC so these parts of the system are sufficient for the short to mid term scope. I’d factor in adding in a SL IC probably as a complimentary step after adding a 555PS to the NDX2.
If you look specifically at what the Supercap adds, it can power all of my target preamps covering SN3, 282 or 252 as my budget and scope evolves in the coming years.
I would however say that a combination of SN3 + NDX2 + 555PS, probably with a move to SL DIN IC, may well be all that is needed, the logic here being to get the very best from the source that is possible and see what follows that, if having done that and added a SL DIN IC, the bare SN3 seems to be out of its depth and stuggling to maximise the source the next step could be either a Supercap or a NAP.
The 200 vs 250 is an interesting considerstion as a NAP 200 can be used on a SN3 and can power a NAC 282 without a HiCap or Supercap being required, however my leaning is towards a Supercap DR first followed by a NAP 250.
If these additions make overall sense depend in part on what the 555PS brings to the system overall. If I’m honest, I’m hoping that will be a really solid 3 box system, with some tuning by adding SL IC, and deliver all I need, hence leaning towards the 555PS to drive the NDX2 and to focus on adding that first.
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Yes, the SN3 is well good enough to deliver all those up front improvements. I think that is great position to get to, and then review from there. Great stuff M.
All this not utilising everything in a 555ps is a bit like having a Supernait3 with a built in phono stage that an awful lot of people will never use.
You fell for it…
I’m still yet to use the MM Phono input on mine and potentially never will, much like all the inputs on the back that will never pass a signal across them!
It’s something of a (relatively costly) experiment to see if I can get all I need in a 3 box system with improvements beyond that only viable moving to NAC/NAP configuration but it feels instinctively right to focus on source and to prioritise the best available options to make best use of the NDX2 which to my mind is a 555PS and a SL DIN IC.
Beyond that I’ll probably be broke for a while and still have hardly any time to actually listen to music 
contrary to hollows experience i purchased a very old non serviced 555ps for my ndx2. The uplift was quite a suprise for me as i didnt expect that.
Its now off being serviced by naim and factoring in this cost, its still very good vfm imho. cannot yet say if it will sound different once returned.
you may not use all the rails without modification but the transformer is 40% larger.
Not sure if that makes a difference.
More to it than that.
I wouldn’t worry to much as to what you do and don’t use. The XPS is a good upgrade, the 555 is a big upgrade. Take this approach and it doesn’t really matter.
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Agreed on this that either are solid choices and give tangible improvements to the system as a whole. My reasoning here is to stretch a little and get the very best out of the source and then work onwards from there potentially all the way through to a 252/250 based system in the long term.
I’m not seeing much in the way of negative responses of utilising a 555PS instead of an XPS DR, additional cost to one side, I can’t see it being a bad choice vs an XPS DR and ultimately it will give my NDX2 the very best opportunity to maximise it’s value in my system and maybe one day giving me an opportunity to slot in an ND555. Whilst that’s unlikely ultimately it will give me a very solid source and once a SL DIN IC is added in the mix may well be all the system I need and mean the latter phases become redundant. In which case the additional cost is factored for and I end up with all I need in 3 boxes.
Having owned all the Supernait versions over the years and now having lived with a factory fresh SN3 for a little while I’m finding it a very accomplished and refined iteration of the Supernait and whilst it retains much of the DNA of the SN2 it replaced it does go that little bit further in terms of system refinement and presentation.
I did originally pose the question of whether adding a HiCap to a SN3 made as much sense vs doing so on a SN2 as I had run previously. I’d be inclined to say having now run it in for a few months that I 'm not finding it lacking running bare, adding in a HiCap would give some refinement I’m sure but having traded mine in to acquire a better source, moving from a new ND5 XS2 I ran for a year with a SN2 + HiCap DR to the bare NDX2 and in parallel laying the foundations for a longer term system evolution plan by adding in a full Fraim rack, that this combination of system changes alone has seen a measurable improvement in my enjoyment of the system.
I did enjoy the ND5 XS2 and felt I enjoyed it a lot more than the ND5 XS I had a while ago and ultimately got rid of and moved towards Chord based DAC’s for a period of time. However the NDX2, especially combined with the refinements of the SN3 and the Fraim rack show what was lacking with the system it replaced and now allow me to look at a 3 box setup based on adding in a 555PS that could be all the system I ever need, even without a HiCap or Supercap on the SN3.
The later phases will likely only really make complete sense if the end game at that time is to move to at least a 282/250. Adding in a PSU on the NAIT or a NAP to the NAIT probably don’t make a lot of sense as an endgame configuration, but we’ll see as this evolves what makes sense I guess.
Certainly keen to hear your findings once that gets back in your system. @Svetty mentioned a service + DR retrofit cost of £2500 or there abouts which seems about right and if you can find an example 555PS that is cosmetically sound and not damaged and at least functional then the numbers could add up favourably.
I still think I’d prefer to do that then even getting a new XPS DR, it feels like the right approach and ultimately gets the very best possible from the NDX2 as a source.
Just remember you don’t HAVE to upgrade. It’s just like a career, you don’t have to climb the ladder, it’s often stressful and can end up being less rewarding.
8 Likes
Exactly correct. At new pricing, Naim’s value proposition in the US is, unfortunately, very low.
You might try a Belles Aria, Exposure 3010S2D pre with monoblocks, or a PS Audio SGCD with M700s. All substantially less than 282/250.
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I’m sure I thought the same thing all those years ago when I had my NAIT 3R but somehow I’ve found myself where I am today!
This is mostly an opportunity to think out loud and do some collective reasoning around the choices that present themselves to me at this point within the capabilities of my existing system.
I have to say that the system I have today is measurably more enjoyable and exciting to sit in front of than even the one it replaced which was in itself very good in the grand scheme of things and just one chapter in a long and changing journey with Naim equipment I’ve found myself on over many years.
In some respects I’m hoping I can achieve a level of performance from a 3 box setup that will give me all I need and not leave me wanting to go further.
I could take this up to a 252/250 + NDX2 type system ultimately and feel comfortable committing to that financially over the next 2-3 years, however focusing as I seem to be leaning to towards optimising the source and pushing my SN3 to its limits are my main goal first and once I’m there doing an assessment of if and what comes next.
The best option at that point may be not to move towards a NAC/NAP based system and instead replace the speakers with something that will get more from the SN3 but that’s another topic…
Location/geography do factor here. I’m based in the UK so availability and prices are somewhat more beneficial overall.
The main goal of the threads I started this week are on system optimisation and synergy as opposed to financial cost although even in my case cost is an important factor. Given that I’m planning on keeping the SN3 and NDX2 for a long time I want to make the right choices to get the very best from them that is possible from within the Naim product range hence the focus initially on adding in a 555PS and SL DIN IC, beyond that the thought process is more about gathering insight from others using equivalent products and how they fit overall in to those users systems.
There is a defined bridge between a NAIT system and a NAC/NAP system however by optimising the source as a first step and building the best 3 box system that I can that gives a good point to aim for and to pause at and enjoy for a period of time before making any further adjustments which ultimately would involve replacing the NAIT entirely.
Is that the price for any Naim PS or just the 555DR?
I have an ND555 and SN3 and used to have a 272/XPS/250. The difference was interesting for me, because aspects of sound are definitely better with the 272 system, the system had more drive and weight, but the ND555 system puts ‘everything in its right place’ as Thom Yorke might say!
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Sounds similar to the 3 box combo I was looking towards and close enough to give useful comparisons. It seems you are running your SN3 without a PSU as well.
Do you feel your current system works well together overall? How did you settle on the Chord cabling in the mix vs Naim options for example.
That’s the 555PS, the Supercap is £1,999 and the Hicap £999.