Have you sold on or traded in the 202? I just wondered if you could try the 202 again and that would at least rule out the 272 pre stage as the cause of the problem or otherwise.
Regards,
Lindsay
If you’re going to audition an XPS, you might also try a 250DR. They’re around the same price and to my ears a 272 and 250DR have great synergy even without a PS on the 272. Unless you’re heading towards the full monty: 272/555PS/300DR, you could find the 272/250 combo a good place to stop.
Roger
Whatever issue you have now won’t be tamed by an XPS. If anything it will merely accentuate it. As already said there’s no reason why a 272 would suddenly produce that outcome. My guess would be a change in the room or a cable change. Indeed I’d start by looking at how your cables are sitting.
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Hold on guys we’re getting ahead of things. @Martialartist42 has in effect changed his source components and now reports a bass boom issue. I can’t see that putting a 250DR in the mix is going to help in fact it has a deeper bass than the 250 so might well accentuate the problem. Similarly an XPS could do the same. @mikehughescq I doubt it’s cable related but can’t hurt doing a check. I really think in the first instance he should think about the pre -amp although It seems unlikely.
@Martialartist42. Sorry for stating the blindingly obvious but have you unplugged the speakers. Are they in phase?
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To my ears 202/Hicap/NAPSC sounds significantly better than a 272 as preamp. That’s not a vague impression, it’s what I’ve heard during properly conducted demos in my dealers listening room, and the difference is quite marked. Add an XPS DR to the 272 and it will close the gap, more or less.
Again, in my experience, the quality of the preamp can have a profound effect on bass performance, so I am not particularly surprised at your findings.
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Yes, very happy with mine and the NAPSC just adds that ‘Je ne sais quoi’ , removing some noise.
I suspect, if I ever mentioned a 282 I’d get the ‘it’s what, how much?’ from CinC(Home)
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I own both. The 282 is so far ahead of a 202…
Strange to know it’s a bit of earthing improvement
But I really like both of them
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So is a 252 a 202 with the ability to use all the rails of a Supercap ?
I have checked the speaker cables, hoping it was something that simple, but they are connected correctly.
l do have an old Uniti 2 which l will now connect up to check if there is any difference in the boom. l tried moving the speakers further into the room-no change. The 272 is still under warranty though. Could have it checked out l suppose.1
When the 82 was introduced (the 282 is basically the same) it was described as a stripped down 52. While it can take two Hicaps I found it made only a tiny improvement over just one. The big improvement comes from adding a Supercap. To me, the 282 is hugely better than the 202, just as the 82 is hugely better than the 102. Others may hear things differently but to me the 282 is in a different class to the 202 and well worth the extra.
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Yes to my ears a 282 powered off a NAP 200 is so much better than a 202 powered off a HICAP DR…
as you said it’s a different class of preamp than everything below it, including the 272
But as Dan Steele says, it is just due to a bit of earthing improvement… ??
Urm a 202 can also be powered by a Supercap.
There may be some similarities in certain parts of the circuit design but save for the logic board (front panel) the 202 is completely different to the 282 which in itself is a cut down version of the 252.
I’ve owned a 202/200/HiCap/NAPSC (for approx 7 years) then a SuperNait Mk1/HiCap ( 9 years) and now a 282/SCDR/250DR and each has been a significant upgrade over every predecessor (which started with a 42.5/HiCap/NAP140 which in itself replaced a Nait Mk1.
Personally I think the 202 is one of the weakest and least relevant items in Naim’s current portfolio as the SuperNait is a much better place to start before adding a HiCap and 200 or 250 and then moving up to a 282 and beyond.
Oddly popular because a lot of people like it?!! I can only speak from my own experience in that the 282 is considerably better than the 202 in every way. Poor value - depends on your viewpoint and circumstances, but its not mine nor many others on here. Its a great piece of kit!
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‘Value’ is not dependant on one’s ability to pay.
Value = Function/Cost
or
Value=Enjoyment per pound spent.
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Couldnt agree more. Having lots of money in the bank is all very well but what enjoyment do you get from it - although there are still financial realities and priorities to consider of course!
It’s about security.
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Absolutely!
I would suggest there is a balance to be struck.
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