Google “Judas Priest Do It”. You’ll get it 
Thought I would try this synth heavy recording to see how it sounded this morning with the NAC 332 for the first time. Interestingly, apart from the added dynamics, space and details the opening tracks appear to have increased ‘pacing’ though the race speed is still the same of course!
Moving on to Vitamin the sound shapes of the synthesisers are just right, with great bounce and the correct amount of a robotic / metallic feel without sounding edgy at all.
Wow, this really is the best I have heard it here.
Kraftwerk Tour De France / 2003 EMI / EU CD / 5917082
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Thanks. Not so surprising, two 300 series components against one 200 series component should be a big difference. I’m more interested in the the three box comparison. 222/555/250 v 333/332/250. I could be compelled to go four boxes with 222/555/350(2) and 333/332/555/250 being considerations. ETA - might as well add 333/332/350(2) in there as well. So many options now.
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Can I ask about your experience with the volume control knob on the 332?
I’m finding that, whilst it works perfectly, for normal listening levels the volume indictor dot is at around 11 o’ clock which is much higher than I’m used to from the old classic gear.
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Surely that’s a good thing? You have been freed from the constraints of the Alps Blue volume pot.
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It has taken me a while to accept my play volume position (in my case for CD) is at no longer at around 9 am/pm as it was with the SN2 + HiCapDR.
Like you, I am finding that between 11 to 12 am/pm gives a similar (usual) volume. To be honest, on my 5th day of ownership it really has become a non issue for me - once it is set, I’m so engaged with the music, trying lots of different discs that sound wonderful that’s all I’m thinking about!
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Is the gain not slightly lower on New Classic v Classic; hence having to ‘turn up’ further?
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Yes, and that can only be an improvement on a 252!
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If the 332 is like the 222 there will be in a slider called Pre amp max volume that is preset to 80 by default, which might explain why you need to play at a higher volume. You can find this slider in Settings =>Audio Settings.
It’s done this way on the 332.
You can always increase the input to make it like the classic series if you’d like.
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Not really, it’s just a well known quirk of the Alps volume pots that Naim always preferred in their preamps. They were designed when LP playback was the norm, and this design was never changed to cope with the much higher output levels used in CD players, and then streamers.
If you have inefficient speakers, a large room, and play at high volumes you might wonder what all the fuss is about but in some systems these controls were a PITA with only a tiny useable range.
Naim units with combined streamers and preamps (Uniti, 272, 222 etc.) have always had input trim. It’s great that they have now found a way to provide the feature to their separate preamp(s).
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Thanks for the info all.
Nice to know that it wasn’t just me 
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Time to report on my listening experience of the 300 series.
Used the first hour to get my ‘ear in’ with my system components (NDX2/SN3/Titan 606) to ensure that I could hear the same shortcomings I heard at home within the much larger dealer listening room.
First change was to swap the NDX2 for the NSS333. The immediate effect was the wider and more complete frequency range. The middle had now been filled and the treble was less rolled off. This manifested itself with less harshness to vocals, better delineation of bass (which was also more tuneful), an increase to rhythm and a renewed ability to place instruments within a soundstage, and the introduction of micro details.
The overall impression was that the 333 had far greater refinement and was easier to listen to across all genres. The listening experience was so much better that from this point on it was no longer worth considering the NDX2. The 333 would be the only streamer featured in the next assessments. A clear win to the 333.
The next step was to change the SN3. There was no point in seeing which was best of the SN3, pre or power so the change would be complete - 332 and 250.
This was not as clearly an improvement as NDX2 to 333. Certainly the sound was way better. There was improved detail, less harshness to vocals, better decay to instruments and more musicality during very busy passages. The presentation was leaner and rhythm was improved with greater stop/start to notes. Music could be played at higher volumes without hitting pain and fatigue.
However, the extra detail and lean presentation led to an almost overwhelming amount of extra detail. So much so, that I actually thought this was an upgrade too far! The detail was not always easily discernible and could even appear as scratch like noises.
Things had got to a very difficult point where all of the improvements were marred by uncertainty. Would the 350 exacerbate the situation?
The next step was to swap the 250 for the 350. Wow!!! Bass suddenly had great musicality particularly with bass guitar/double bass. Notes started and stopped faster but the intrinsic harmonics were more evident giving fantastic insight into the timbre of individual instruments. The presentation was warmer because all harmonics were present. Micro dynamics and micro detail were very evident. All of the overwhelming extra detail heard previously now made sense. All detail now clearly represented an element of the music - no more confusion with detail sounding like scratches.
The more the volume was increased, the better the engagement. More volume allowed greater insight to the low level detail - there was never any harshness. The old signature of bass, low mids and rolled off treble now had a completely balanced frequency range which was incredibly more musical than the NDX2/SN3.
The energy and pace on display was unbelievable. The previously found leanness now had more body. This combination is extremely musical and insightful with zero lean towards being clinical and nasty.
The music that I chose for the listening tests was selected to be more challenging with busy mixes and/or hard vocals. While the combination did not render these recordings as perfection, it certainly presented them in the most musical way that I have ever heard them.
The hi-def recording of the Oslo quintet playing Schubert was incredible. The tracks were ways impressive but I had never heard so many dynamics or fine overtones of each instrument. All instruments sounded incredibly realistic and were placed within the soundstage with laser accuracy.
Turning the volume right down showed that this combination was far more engaging (than the NDX2/SN3) at even whisper quiet levels.
In general, this combination is a revolution in the Naim ‘sound’. It retains all of the characteristics that we all love of old but now has a proper midrange and extended treble.
I won’t pretend to know which black box is contributing what to the overall sound but the 333 is obviously responsible for all of the detail present. The 332 is obviously capable of controlling this detail and providing the first stage of amplification. The 350s seem far more able than the 250 of taking all of this information and ensuring complete control over the speakers to accurately convey the message.
Wow, why an excellent system. Even after more than five hours I just wanted to keep listening. Great recordings sounded fantastic and I really was hearing greater insight and experiencing more enjoyment than ever before.
I need to get this system on order!
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That sort of mirrors my demo recently……where to me i could not get my ears around the streamer and preamp……the 350’s just brought it all together👍
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This is really useful as it suggests to me you really need the 350’s for the 332 to really shine. It interesting to hear how much the streamer improves things.
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Actually, I didn’t mention that I did set the input trim for both of my sources - CD and TV when installing for the first time.
Sounds like the demo was enlightening and appears to have made your way forward pretty clear now. Interesting to hear your comments around the 333/332/250 combo being too detailed/lean. Getting the balance right between system, speakers and room is so important but never that easy, well in my experience should I say. Hope you enjoy your new kit.
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Am I missing something or is it really a great surprise that a £28K system significantly out performs a £10K system regardless of whether it’s an OC or NC system ?
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Can you against these input trims on a 252/552 or the NDX2/ND555?