Supernait 3 upgrade options

Ideally you want DR hicap as the older ones are not as clean as the DR in your amp already…

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I’d get the best source you can afford before even thinking about power supplies for the SN3. It’s perfectly good by itself. If you do upgrade it, get a DR Hicap or nothing.

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You’ll have discovered by now that naim allows you to upgrade via a well defined route. Usually via a power supply.
Each of the next moves can be easily predicted. And each device, NAC or ND has an end point, before it needs to be replaced. So potentially having a long usefull life.
So 282 for example comes with a napsc. You can “power it” via a nap200 or via any amp that can power a pre (not all can). Then you can add a HC or two. Or a SC. Now if you take the SC route, it leads to a 252. Go via the HC route and the end point is the 282 powered via its napsc and 2 HCs.
So, the point I’m trying to make is work out if you have a next move or not. Adding a SC or HC to a SN3 is possible. Leading to future temptation of separate power and power. Or, just stick with the SN3 and the HC.
Yes, you could feed the SN3 with one of a SCs supplies, if a 252 is where you could end up. Or a single HC if a 282 is likely.
Or, just enjoy the SN3 with a HC.
You will have to demo one though. Lots of possibilities, but it’s your ears and wallet.

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Thegreatrberto - Thank you for the indepth and cogent analysis on the upgrade path within the Naim family. I’m not sure what direction I’m headed in but from the looks of other systems I’m going to upgrade at sometime. Just how much is the key question.
G.1

Don’t forget, it’s perfectly acceptable to do nothing and enjoy where you are already.
If you feel you’re likely to go down an upgrade path, do the planning and give sufficient thought to the cost implications and imcreasing setup complexity, even the cables between boxes can cost many hundreds, and by the time you’re at a NAC 252 + NAP 250 level of system you’ll be looking to factor in a decent equipment rack (Naim Fraim as an example), a change of cabling and possibly even more capable speakers.
System synergy is always worth considering, looking at the system as a whole and factoring for your listening space and room refinements.
It’s likely been mentioned before but do give some serious thought to investing in the best source your budget allows be that from Naim or another manufacturer. Once you have that settled in then you can refine things further adding power supplies and so forth.
A good way of balancing upgrades with continuity of system function is trade ins and keeping an eye on circulation of ex-demo stock from approved dealers to offset the financials to an extent with system revisions and refinements.
There’s no real best and final goal here, everyones needs and budget differ, regardless of what path you set for yourself be certain many regulars here will have done just the same and help guide you as you go.
Enjoy the journey and of course the music on the way!

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How DARE you suggest that it’s even remotely acceptable for anybody to ever briefly feel a modicum of contentment with their current hifi.

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No better words spoken.

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Which ones :joy:

Burn the witch
:mage: :fire:

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I’m lucky to make it through a year without getting in trouble :innocent:

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Mr.M , don’t worry be happy with your system.

I’ve lost count of how many I’ve had over the years now!
It’s doing ok as it is, I’m trying to use it a bit more where possible. I have got some Focal Kanta speakers which I need to collect when I get a chance and I did buy some more PMC speakers the other day for a second 5.1 setup😁
In my case, I think if I did anything I’d add an XPS DR to my NDX2 but no great urgency to do so having said that.

Mr. MN - Still being a novice and having limited Niam knowledge, I’m tempted by a Hicap Dr, however a dealer made the recommendation to shoot for the Supercap. At first it might seem like overkill but I would be ready for any upgrades. It’s expensive but it can add a lot to the overall system. Now, I can’t afford the Supercap currently but there was some logic behind the suggestion. Why buy smaller xps’s only having to jump over them in the future. Besides he said when you hear the Supercap in the system you’ll not want to take it out. I’m till seeking cables still. I’m being pressured to go with Naim speaker cables. Some others are advising the DIN>DIN Cable but I’m picking up on Synergistic Research Foundation series level for analog RCA. With the addition of the Naim Dac with 10 digital inputs I’m going to have my hands full getting a good overall set of cables.
Cheers

Go with the Hi-Cap DR for you SN3, you do not need a SuperCap. Get the NAC A5 speaker cables and use the Naim cables for connectivity. You are trying to build a perfect system without even taken the time to understand the sound and capabilities of what you have in front of you. Get it up and running and listen to it for six months and see how you feel at that point.

JMHO - YMMV

Good luck with your decision…

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You’re in a good place here for advice, recommendations and guidance from owners not salesmen and many have learnt the good and the bad way of doing things across decades of ownership in some cases.
I’d suggest do some research in to the product range from Naim, specification of products and focus on system synergy.
It’s ok to experiment of course and try different combinations of system, do bare in mind a Supercap DR is a lot of money, even used and powering a Supernait is only going to be partially utilised, you’ll only see it reach optimal utilisation when paired with a NAC 252 which is itself a relatively costly preamp when measured against the cost of a Supernait 3 integrated amplifier.
Plan your journey and measure it out across a period of perhaps 5 years, think about budget and system synergy and what you expect from the system through any incremental changes.
A more sensible path perhaps might be a journey towards a NAC 282 + NAP 250 with a HiCap DR.
A lot of what will make sense will come down to budget and local availability of target hardware.

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Hi @Gracie.1

@seakayaker and @Mr.M give better advice than your dealer. Sorry but adding a SuperCap to your SN3 is not a logical naim system owner move at all, and you should be able to enjoy the integrated on it’s own first. You can add a HiCapDR after a demo, if you like what it does, in the future.

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Has to rank among the worst advice ever given. For a similar price one could buy 282 + HiCap + NAP100 or 282 + 200.

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One of the usual places might have a used Din Din hiline. You haven’t truly joined the Naim cult until a hiline you own falls apart in your hands for no apparent reason.

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Thanks david1111
Ciao

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You’re very welcome Gracie. And regarding your SN3, as many have said here, it’s an excellent integrated amp just by itself and will drive almost any speaker nicely. My SN2 has no problems with anything so far, and the SN3 is certainly a notch better. I don’t know if I’ll ever bother moving to separates. Maybe in a few years, I don’t know.
Best of luck, tho …
Ciao