Thanks for your write up, Nigel. I was booked in for the Audiobarn 300 demos and then they brought the date forward which clashed with holiday plans 
A shame, as theyâre in a lovely location (and even easier to get to with the new junction off the M11) and Jack is a very decent chap to do business with.
I spent an hour or so in Audio-T in Brighton this afternoon and had the opportunity to have a quick listen to the 332/333/350, initially into ProAc 30Rs and then into SCM40s and with the ATCs the system really sang to me. The ribbon tweeters in the ProAc are totally not to my taste and whilst the 300 series was sounding good it was not an enjoyable listen to me.
Once the speakers were changed I thought for a week-old system, it sounded remarkably good and was much better than a 222/300/250DR I have at home. It had greater clarity, more openness, better depth and generally better spatiality. With the SCM40s the mids and treble were so much better with vocals sounding much clearer, this really reinforced my view that Naim and ATC are a great match. Adding in 300 for the 333, lifted the SQ and I was beginning to regret popping in and wondering if the cats would accept cheaper cat food. My instant thought about the power supply going on the 333 was like the change you get when a bit of Naim kit goes through an uplift as it burns in. I innocently asked what the difference between the 250 and the 350 was, they hadnât got around to comparing them yet so we duly did. The 250 sounded fine with the 333/300/332 and if you hadnât just been listening to the 350 I suspect I would have been very happy with the sound. The bass control of the 350 over 250 was very marked and was just more enjoyable.
Overall the 333/332/350 extracts more detail whilst making the sound stage seem more expansive, as a a combination it sounded very relaxed and able to present the music effortlessly. Having heard the shopâs 500 system many times, I donât think the 300 series is at that level but I suspect it is closer than the top-level classic system was. The 350s are fabulous and briefly comparing them to the 250 has given me food for thought.
Overall I think Naim has done it again and has released another amazing product series and there will be a number of unhappy bank managers watching peopleâs savings leave the bank and head towards Naim via someoneâs hi-fi dealer of choice.
As I type this I am listening to R6 on my home system and finding it very enjoyable, I know, I wonât be changing the 222/300 because whilst the 333/332 is better it takes me to a level of expenditure I donât want to go to, if it was affordable for me, I definitely would though. Of course, I do remember we never did get around to properly discussing cartridge and MC phono stage options, which was the reason why I went to the store. Annoying really, as it means I will have to go in again mid-week to discuss this with them and possibly with great reluctance compare a 222/300 with a 250 or a 350 driving SCM40s. Could I be heading towards ending up with the 2020s version of the classic 272/power supply of choice /300DR?
Great write up. I wish you had a 250NC in your home system to hear your comparison of the 333/332/250.
Please can you clarify whether there was an NPX300 in the system you listened to? You say
but then refer to an NPX300 in the system:
âThe 250 sounded fine with the 333/300/332â.
I ask because Iâm really interested to know how the NSC222+NPX300 compares to the NSS333+NAC332 (note: the latter without NPX300).
Interesting if they discuss the NVC-TT with you, I donât think anyone has reported how that sounds powered by the NSC222 with or without the NPX300 on the NSC222. Is that an option youâre thinking about?
(Great write up too, thank you)
I too will be very interested in this comparison. I have never owned a separate PSU so will be keen to see if it helps a âlesserâ streamer/pre-amp come anywhere near a âbetterâ streamer/preamp. Effectively we are saying âhow close does an ÂŁ11,400 system compare to a ÂŁ15,800 systemâ.
Interesting 
âŚ.and both into an NC NAP 250.
I think thatâs the reason they offer outboard power supplies. If they didnât improve the bare streamer I donât think theyâd sell many. I havenât had a power supply that didnât improve the bare product yet.
Yeah, this would be a great comparison. Unfortunately the 250DR in his home setup is influencing the contrast.
Sorry if I wasnât very clear. The NPX300 from the 200 system was plugged into the 333 midway through and made an immediately noticeable difference. The shop is due to get another NPX300 next week so they can have both the 332 and 333 powered by an NPX, I will not be resisting the temptation to go have a listen. From today I would say that the 332/333 without the NPX is better than the 222 with. Having lived with the 222/300 for around 6 months now I still get surprised by how good it is but I think the 332/333 is the next step up in SQ add two NPX300 you go up another step or two but still below a 500 system.
They havenât listened to it as yet, focusing on the streaming side at the moment I guess. The NVC-TT is one of them, it depends on how much I want to spend and I would think about how they match with the cartridge I decide on for my close to Selekt level LP12. The Rega Aria is excellent for the money and the Cyrus Signature Phono Stage is another I am considering.
My point was actually whether the 222/300 could get anywhere near the 333/332 bare - which I notice @paulbysea has reported on.
I agree it does complicate things a bit. But then the different rooms do too.
Yeah, home is always better. I wanted to do some A/B with the 222/272 and 250DR/250 but didnât want to buy the legacy cable to do the experiments so all I could do was compare them together. Huge difference nonetheless.
The NC250 is better I would say but it might not suit everyone and some might prefer the voicing of the 250DR. My plan was to upgrade to the NC250 early next year, now after hearing the 350 against the 250 I might delay that and go beyond my self-imposed 3-box limit and get a 350 for a 4-box system.
Do you know how long the boxes you demoed had been running in? Yeah, I donât see many preferring the DR amp to the NC but Iâm sure they exist. Iâd make sure you do a demo at home unless youâre just wanting to spend the $. Iâm sure the 350s are pretty great.
All you have to do is ask if your cat will accept cheaper food. Not a big deal. But we never know. Let us know the cat response Paul.
Interesting, you are the first to report that you understand that the different voicing of the 250 dr can be preferred to the new 250.
Can you give more details ?
They are a week into being run in, so very much at the beginning. In the shop, they hadnât done any serious listening before I turned up at an opportune moment though it did distract me from cartridges. I am sure the 332/333/350 will get much better in a similar way to my 222/300, BTW they are sounding excellent with the DR at the moment. I wonât be buying anything power amp-wise until the new year as much as the temptation is there to do so sooner.
@frenchrooster the Petite Panthers are unhappy about your suggestion 
It was a while ago that I did the direct comparison between the 250DR and NC, but I felt that a complete 222/300/250 sounded slightly better than with the DR. That being said at home I am really happy with my system and it is an extremely enjoyable listen, I donât really think about the hi-fi and focus on the music. If memory serves me well I think my impression at the time was that the NC was more natural and effortless whilst being slightly cleaner and articulated. Both clearly had the Naim presentation and I would say that part of the difference between them could be down to preference, speakers and room interactions, so my observations might not tally with others. Personally, I prefer the NC over the DR but in normal listening, I donât feel I am missing out on much from sticking with the DR for a bit longer before the upgrade but do know the system could be better to my ear.