I was thinking off starting a thread about this. Mrs Mike supports my hobby, but is concerned as to what will happen to it all in the “golden years” and she doesn’t want to be stuck with it. It seems as though some sort of plan needs to be thought through and it would be nice to exchange ideas.
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SWMBO was all for returning the 252 when she realised it didn’t have digital display of volume, unlike the 272.
Fortunately the NDX2 remote, system automation, and the ungodly high gain of the 252 combined to save the day. She soon realised she never needs more than 3 or 4 button presses either way!
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It’s finding that sweet spot of the right volume of the 252 and NDX2 that’s tricky.
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Is that a hint you’re itching to upgrade to the 300 series streamer and pre amp ? 
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Just imagine how better the knob will be to play with.
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Naughty Boy 
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Some of us have had more practice than others. 
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I’ve “fantasized” about a much smaller system too, but in our current home it fits (we have a big room) and I certainly enjoy the music. When we do “downsize” homes, downsizing the hi fi will become much more important.
Yes, any of us in our 6th decade or beyond (being a little arbitrary here) might be thinking about what our loved ones will do with all of our “stuff.” It’s a reasonable thought to have! One approach is to leave instructions as to where to bring it; a decent hi fi dealer will help sell it off surely. If none of the relatives want it, etc.
I enjoy the Naim sound so when I’m finally ready to “downsize” I’d start with this brand for consideration. But as we all know, it’s a crowded field.
Sorry…yah this is off-topic to the thread. Except that the NC 200’s could fit the bill!
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Would be an interesting thread. I’m curious as to what sort of age/circumstance people start to downsize, but even more curious as to how old people have been when they’ve made their last big system purchase or upgrading change. I just saw the comment on the Roon thread where @Echolane mentioned they bought lifetime subscription aged 80. Made me smile.
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Start the thread Mike, 
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Personally, I think a 222/300/250 is the basis of the perfect retirement system, especially when paired with an LP12 for vinyl duties. If I moved to a smaller place I might swap the current ATC SCM40s for SCM20s but beyond that, without a big premium bond win I can’t forsee me changing my system.
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I have a single rack system. A smaller system would take up almost the exact same space unless I was to get an all-in-one. I can’t see the point in ‘downsizing’ tbh…
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The volume controls of the Statement, 272 and SU all have a common fundamental design, that is that they are switched resistor ladder networks; this is known
However the circuits used aren’t identical as there are several ways of implementing these circuits, and all are based on well established principles. Our understanding is that the SU is a fairly conventional design (probably using CMOS transmission gates) whereas, we believe the Statement volume control is fully implemented using only discrete components after considerable research into optimising the SQ of the design. Our understanding is that the 272 uses an architecture derived from the lessons learnt in designing the Statement volume control.
Perhaps someone from Naim staff could throw some light on this conjecture of ours.
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I downsized years ago and have been quite happy with my 3 box systems, 272/555DR/250DR and now 222/555DR/250. And while I have extra shelf space it’s nice to not have so many cables and boxes to plug in. I have some books on those empty shelves now. If I were older and spent more time at home I could probably justify a big stack of expensive boxes but I spend a lot of time with outdoor hobbies including my other expensive interest, motos, which get more of my $$ since I live where I can ride all year round. And thanks to the NC I can upgrade to 333/332 for improved SQ and still only have three boxes. The shift in direction from Naim is just what I was looking for.
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If you want more details I dare say Steve might be prepared to elaborate.
All these resistor ladders are discrete, but that doesn’t mean that the switching is implemented using discrete components, only that the attenuator is implemented using discrete components.
Re NSC 222 & NAP 250… Interesting comments from AV Forums reviewer Ed Selley on their latest podcast, essentially as an introduction to the as yet unpublished review. I think the review will be enthusiastic!
For anyone who doesn’t want to listen to the whole thing (understandable), the Naim bit is roughly 1h 18min in…
I have been thinking about this too. I think that, if my daughter doesn’t want it (she probably doesn’t) then she should, as you suggest, take it to a dealer. Shouldn’t get ripped off, anyway.
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@110dB Any chance there might be a ‘POTS’ update to the NAC 552 to get the newer switched resistor option (sans mega knob of course)?
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