I’ve just moved from a sn2 to a 3. The three is more open, more control and gives better insight and detail. The bass is a tad tighter and faster too.
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I had a bit of a swap around at the end of last year, in order to get something smaller and simpler, yet still good. Out went the 272 and 300, as well as the large speakers, and in came an NDX2, the Supernait 3 and some ProAc Tablette 10 Signatures. It’s very much source first, in an 80s stylee, and works very well.
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Here’s the technical differences and additions for the Supernait 3 over the SN2; the latter ones are around the phono stage, but there’s a significant range of upgrades that improve all-round performance:
• Full 24V DR module built-in: enjoy the purer power and performance improvement of Naim’s Discrete Regulation technology for the entire pre-amp stage
• Larger toroidal transformer in the power supply: provides greater power and speed of recovery
• Additional leaded through-hole components in the signal path: further minimises negative effects of vibration and transient thermal conditions
• Chassis-mounted input sockets hand-wired to the circuit boards: offers enhanced vibration isolation
• The Naim R&D team has found a way to more than double the speed of the
voltage gain stage, which in turn doubles the rate at which the speaker
output stage can react.
• The second gain stage transistors have been optimised, so they no longer need
to be shielded by a cascode stage transistor. Removing the cascode means less amplifier stabilisation is required: that doubles the slew rate and delivers an uplift in sound quality.
• The phono circuit topology comprises 3 stages: the gain stage, passive equalisation and final gain and active equalisation. This enables excellent noise performance, extended RIAA equalisation beyond the audio band and great overload headroom.
• All RIAA equalisation capacitors are ‘through-hole’ mounted film designs, with low microphonic pickup and excellent transient performance. As phono stages are 1000x more sensitive than other inputs, this greatly benefits the sound quality.
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Hi Clare. Didn’t the first and perhaps most significant item on your list, the DR supply, applied equally to the SN2. Or is there significance to ‘full’?
along with the blue velvet balance pot?
Yes, SN2 had DR, but I am reliably informed that SN3 takes it further - in combination with the other upgrades included in this model. (Rarely to any of these things sit in isolation - well, except the ACTUAL isolated elements, obviously!) If we can make things better, we will.
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Fair point - i’ll edit that!
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Thanks Clare. That’s interesting and perhaps something not really promoted by Naim. It’s the phono stage and the better bass control that’s usually majored on. Of course, you entirely missed the most important changes on the SN3 - the ‘stream’ and ‘phono’ buttons! Joking aside, it’s a bloody brilliant amplifier, and I say that having swapped a 272/555 and 300 for one. Naim have done a good job.
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The key thing is we don’t launch a full new edition of something unless is offers a significant performance upgrade. If we’d just wanted to add a phono stage, it could have been Supernait 2 Phono or somesuch. A full generational release has to mean more. This Andrew Everard for HiFi Critic interview with Steve Sells has even more tech insight, for those interested!
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thank you very much, Clare, for you detailed exposition.
anyway, returning to point one, DR module, since I’m currently running HiCap DR on my SN2, and since the HCDR is supposed to power the pre-amp stage of SN2, I’m wondering if, considering such an improvement on the built-in DR module of SN3, the HCDR is still “necessary”!
hope I was clear …
regards,
Stefano
this is good news! 
The performance benefits of a separate power supply go above and beyond the DR elements, but it would be an interesting head-to-head to do!
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The hicap dr does improve the sn3 but not to the same extent as sn2 so assume the dr in the three is more comprehensive
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If you will forgive me butting in, I was tempted to upgrade from xs3 to SN3 as a touch of retail therapy and the only thing that put me off was the inclusion of the balance control and now notice a number of people are having issues with this control. Any thoughts?
wich kind of issues?
There is a thread currently running on this. Volume imbalance on SN3. Hi fi corner.
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Not to denigrate any individual’s experience - in an ideal world, everything would be perfect! - but as ever with Forums/the internet, a few cases can appear to be an ‘issue’, when it isn’t. I recommended one of my best friends buy a Supernait 3 in full confidence - i would say the same to anyone.
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There is a mute button in the app too, even with system automation. It seems frequently overlooked because it is on the Play Queue screen and is the tiny speaker icon. (Does not & cannot show current state with sys automation, but works)
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Well, from what Claire has listed, it sounds like there is a substantial and appreciable difference between the two integrated amps. So if you’re not planning on moving to separates in the future, I would think an upgrade to the SN3 would be a good idea.
If I was eventually planning a separates system, then I personally am not a fan of single step upgrades due to the extra costs, and would sit tight and save my funds until I could move to a 282/250dr system.
This is basically what I’m doing at this point in time. However, my NDS/SN2 set up sounds so darn good, it will be a good while before I make an upgrade.
Anyway, this is just specifically the way I think regarding these things, and I’m a little weird (just ask my wife). LOL
Best of luck with whatever you decide to do, and as long as it says Naim on the front you really can’t go wrong at all.
Cheers.
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you are absolutely right: separates would be my own target, but who knows when? that’s why, on the contrary, I was thinking of an “intermediate” upgrade in the next future.
regards.
Stefano
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