When I moved on from that I bought an ND5XS2 - the same streamer you have.
I wasn’t a bit peeved because I wanted to move to separates to get even better SQ.
But the 272/555DR was a brilliant way to get the best SQ I’d ever had in decades of HiFi, and it introduced me to the joys of having an infinite music library at my fingertips.
(There are so many actual things in life to get peeved at, I usually try to resist getting hypothetically peeved about things that didn’t happen to me.)
I certainly prefer my 282/200 based system. With the right music/recording, it can be both transporting and transformative. The point I was trying to make is that Naim is so musical that even the lower rung systems are immensely enjoyable.
Perhaps we should start a new thread on VW woes. There are a number of forums detailing the problems folks are having with VW software/firmware as fitted to new vehicles.
In the same way as the OP @SteveO is considering changing his system I am going to change my car - a year of unresolved problems with no one doing anything about it is too much. Looking at Tesla and Kia EV6
Anyway back to reading about how @SteveO progresses his problem. Hopefully he arrives at a good outcome where he can once again enjoy his music without worry.
All cars are mini computers now- fine and good when they work!
Recently the radio in my bmw stopped and was very relieved to find all i had to do was push the on/off/volume button in for 30 seconds!
I had horrid visions of complex and expensive work having to be done to the I-drive!
In hifi terms everything seems to have got very complex and the idea of someone being able to fix faults with a soldering iron rather less likely now?
Covid effects and spares shortages now doubt add to the frustration massively and the size of a repair bill the final straw
There are still some British audio manufacturers left and proudly so, Rega , Sugden, Lema, ATC, Spendor, Cyrus, Proac , Harbeth , Merlin cables, there are many more I’m sure
Thinking about new speakers has made look very hard at my Naim box count, I have 11 and it might be a good idea to perhaps reduce this, also the incessant transformer hum from the 300PS can get irritating, my two Supercap DR’s and XPS DR are silent and they have all been for a recent service.
But what to do? Going active as per a couple of suggestions might be viable. Something like ATC SCM 40A with the SCA 2 Pre-amp with the Aurilac ARIES G1 streamer, keep my Linn setup as is with maybe a one box phono amp solution. Would make a hell of a lot more room as would go all on one rack.
I would never have considered moving from Naim if it weren’t for these recent problems.
I too have a single box that hums, but in my system it’s the SCDR on the Superline. The SCDR on the 262, the 300PS and the XPS2 are all silent.
Box count has never bothered me as I have a dedicated room for listening. Reducing the box count to simplify the system is however really enticing
There is also the Rega Osiris , a significant one box amplifier . Had the Aethos and it’s very good, it went for non-audio reasons and have Nova instead
I love my NDX2 but I was thinking of dobbing in my SN2 for an SN3 or separate Naim pre/power amps, however what I have been reading the quality control/product design/manufacturing doesn’t seem as reliable with the SN3. I wonder if it’s the DR parts that are part of the problem.
I have been reading good things about Bryston “cubed” series recently, and looking at their B135 cubed integrated amp with more power but a higher price. Still, at least it’s warranted for 20 years and it keeps the box count down.
The DR parts of the SN3 are exactly the same as those in the SN2; it’s the power amplifier part that’s been significantly improved. I’ve certainly not seen anything suggesting that the 3 is any less reliable than the 2. As for product design and manufacturing being worse on the 3, it’s probably simply people making up rubbish and posting it as fact.
In the US the B135 is $7000 I think, which makes it about £5400 at current rates. New it’s £6500. Their stuff always feels a bit expensive in the UK as a result, but excellent 2nd hand propositions. The DAC card is relatively inexpensive, too, at £500.
In the absence of any real world statistics on failure rates I’d be wary of assuming that there has been any decline in QA for Naim or any other maker - there’s anecdotes and then there’s data…