Very interesting. I was hoping the 332 would be good enough on its own.
And that is the ultimate proof.
It very well could be. Iād have to spend longer with it. This was after listening it with the NPX300 since Monday so it was the first time the power supply in the 332 was even used
I heard the 332/333/350 combo today through a pair of B&W 804D4 (with no 300 power supplies). I hadnāt arranged a demo, but called in on my dealer by chance and he had them set up having just finished another demo, so I managed to listen for 20 mins or so.
I didnāt have an opportunity to compare x vs y or whatever, so my impressions are purely based on this system.
To my ears, the set up was simply incredible. The sound was simply huge (wide, deep, high and justā¦ big!). I listened to a few tracks that I am familiar with at home (on a much more modest system, of course!). The improvement in separation, detail and clarity was amazing, but musicality remained in abundance.
Among a few other things, we listened to a Gregory Porter track and a track by Billie Eilish. Both very intimate performances and excellent recordings. The ārealnessā and the presence of the presentation was remarkable. The best I can describe it was like the first time I saw UHD tv. It was just so amazingly life like. To be honest, I found the sound, at times, a littleā¦ intimidating? Like I had to look away. It was that real.
I should caveat my comments with the fact that I have never heard a 500 system or other similar level gear before, so maybe my comments could be less about the 300 system and more about top quality hifi in general. Maybe this is what you 500 series crowd have all been experiencing all along?!!
Anyway, for what it was, I found it utterly remarkable. And I fear I might be hooked.
Intimidating? Nasty in any way or just unbelievably real?
Your audition (with Jason) matches everything our local dealer has been telling us.
Good to hear views without hyperbole.
On both 200 and 300 series it seems amps are the star.
252/SCDR losing to 332/300 is what everyone expected, and welcome as the world moves on.
333 is somewhat underwhelming.
p.s. we also use Signals (intermittently), excellent.
Saving for 350s
As our dealer advised a few weeks back!
Especially not at the discounted prices
I think a very teasing question here is, given P/L values, is how does a 552DR/500DR combo compare to say NAC332/NPX300/NAP350s?
Based on what Iām seeing, it might be possible to procure 552DR/500DR for the new price of the NAC and NAPs alone?
552 is on our radar, but racking heights would force us down 350s.
Not nasty, no, not at all. Just so real, so strong, so confident. Like it was holding my eye contact so intently that eventually I had to look away.
I currently have a 333, 332/300 and 250 on loan. Technically, in my admittedly limited experience compared to most people here, it is the best sound I have ever heard (timing, separation, control, etc). For musical enjoyment it isnāt cutting it. On the whole the music sounds a bit flat and uninspiring - the life isnāt there as it should be.
This is the life I am used to hearing in my normal system 282/250.2, and that was evident in the 222 (without 300)/250 I tested at home recently and 333/332/300/350 in the demo room. The 250 seems to be the weak link in this combination.
The 350 is coming to replace the 250 next week and the acid test is whether the magic will come with it.
Itās my experience too that the 300 adds quite a bit to the bare 332.
Very eloquent. Thank you.
Not what I want to hear!
You and me both!
Thanks for the great reviews @Gazza. Interesting regarding the 350 v 500. My takeaway from your comment is that itās a question of value - the 500 is the better amp, but at new pricing itās not that much better over the much lower cost of new 350ās - so youād want to get the ex-demo or newish 500 for the cost of the new 350ās. Did you get the change to discuss the merits, or not, of mixing the 350ās of a classic pre-map (252/552) given the different connection and earthing arrangements - and also the lack of option to use a SL cable on the new power amps?
Itās interesting that you find the 250NC the weak link and others find it to be the highlight. Iām especially intrigued that you like the 250.2 as I found that amp to be the worst 250 Iāve owned for excitement and musicality. But it was with a 252, maybe the 282 gives it some life. It just goes to show how personal preferences play a role. PS - I wonder how much speaker choice is influencing impressions here.
Clearly the 350ās are very good, but are you sure you want to run them off the bare 332, itās not how the Naim hierarchy is intended to work. Normally the PS on the pre would come before the 350ās, and you seem reluctant to add the PSās.
Could be that itās breaking in? or maybe try de-stressing the burndies?
Mine has opened up a lot in the last two days.
As you say, these are my subjective comments based on my personal preferences.
What my ears are telling me seems to be that in my home system the 250NC canāt cope with the 333/332/300 as well as with the 222. Whether there is any sense in that conclusion I will leave to others to decide. Itās driven the same speakers in both cases :)!
My 250.2 is the only Classic power amp I have ever listened to. Iām told the 250DR would beat it hands down, but until now doing comparative listenings or upgrading hasnāt been something Iāve wanted to do.
Iām losing track of all these boxes. The 250 and 300 are months old, so should be fully run in. The 333 & 332 must be in their third week since first unboxed. The burndies will have had a fair amount of handling in that time, including being coiled, packed and unpacked, etc when they came to me. Is that enough to de-stress them?