Thanks for that, much appreciated! And the rest of your replies above. Hope we’re not taking you away from anything that might delay the release of any other New Classic kit
Don’t agree there. I prefer olive SUPERCAP to SUPERCAP 2. I prefer NAC 52 to 252. I prefer 135 to nap300 to name a few.
New design and new circuit technology doesn’t always produce a better audible result. What I do think this generation will achieve is streamlining the products- As there were some people who didn’t like the box count. For purists the older lineup was perhaps more suitable.
Finally it’s Friday!!
Best regards Potentiometer tester
@110dB could you please clarify where in the Naim power supply heirachy the new power supply fits compared to the XPS DR and the 555 Ps for the NDX2. Thanks.
Defining “better” when it comes to something that should touch our senses is rather challenging For naim sales it is however important that a majority of the customers believe it’s great or better otherwise new products will get a rough ride. Still it’s totally OK thinking it’s not
Hi Kryptos,
As a headphone amplifier NSC 222 is better than Atom HE. (better DAC, filter and volume sections)
Atom HE is more affordable, smaller and has an array of connections for many types of headphones.
The separate left an right ground on the Pentaconn and 4 pin XLR technically improves channel separation. If the sockets are clean this advantage is very small. Channel separation can sometimes be overrated as an influence of sound quality. CD vs Vinyl etc. However connections are not always linear. i.e. is not that there will be a pure flat -90dB ‘left’ on the ‘right’ but non-linearities of left on right and visa versa. Keep connections clean and 1/4 inch is great.
I’ve been using an NSC 222 for a long time now as my main system and I don’t want to give it up.
My Auralic Vega G2 has a relay-operated resistor ladder volume control and I have never encountered any reliability issues. I sometimes visit the Auralic forum where users are quick to raise problems and have never seen any such issues raised there, either.
Roger
Just catching up on this thread and new products which I like the look of.
I am sure I will give them a dem at The Sound Org (York) one day even though I am not in the market for such.
Richard
My guess - is that ‘for now’, the NAP300 will continue.
But the new 300PS has ‘300 series’ written on it. So… we already ‘know’ there is to be (probably…) a 300 Streamer - and so I think we might ‘guess’ there will be a 300 pre and and 300 power.
That 300 power may or may not be related to today’s NAP300, like the New 250 is related to Yesterdays 250.
Just speculation, on my part. But based on what has been revealed by Naim, so far.
@110dB, does the NSC 222 without NPX 300 compare favourably with NAC 202/HCDR/NAPSC or would the PSU be needed to achieve a comparable SQ?
Consider also that this would initially be through a NAP 200DR.
The NPI team (New Product Innovation Team - a multidisciplinary team at Naim) started working in 2017. They formulated the range, features, upgrade paths, feasibility studies and technology routes.
Then there’s engineering, production, approvals.
Complex products tend to take 2 years, complex platforms 3-4 years.
Despite my positive reaction to the looks of the new design, and my expectation that the sound will have improved (but let me say here that I think it will be in a “hifi” sense, not an emotional sense)’ my beloved 52, supercap and 135’s are staying exactly where they are.
Why? Because I absolutely love the way it all presents the music. I have yet to hear anything I would rather listen to my music with. For those who wonder, yes, I have listen to many brands, and everything Naim has made (Olive series onwards) except the statement amps.
I am so happy to be content with my system and not feel the urge to “upgrade”.
Hi @petermjames
REF: Apple Music integrated direct into a device.
Apart from a few special cases, Apple do not offer direct Apple Music integration, the same as Spotify.
The special exceptions are a few in-car infotainment use-cases and a couple of legacy relationships that they have where they agreed to do Apple Music (aka Beats Music back in those days) as a direct integration.
For home consumer devices the only option is Airplay2, and Apple strictly control what audio formats are used and why from their services.
The reason why Apple (and all other providers like Spotify) don’t like built in integrations are:
-
The user interface ends up stuck in a moment in time, so new service features are not shown/supported. This can cause customer frustration unless the 3rd party manufacturer is committed to continually updating firmware and user interface. In consumer electronics most stop updates within 2 years.
-
Due to 1) this can cause pain where legacy API’s have to be kept going as the service is expanded. This can be very painful as there are 1000’s of unsupported devices to check. That’s why Connect services are preferred as there is a common approved certified thin interface layer from service to player and hence they can grow the service with minimal impact on all those 3rd products out there.
On a final note, there is a lot of confusion out there on this subject as often devices quote supporting Apple Music, but that nearly always means either Airplay2, Bluetooth, Chromecast, or via a wired USB connection.
Best wishes
Steve Harris
Software Director
Naim Audio Ltd.
Hear, hear. My beloved 82 and my ‘vintage’ 250 will continue.
Only my CDX2 might be under threat. maybe these new Naim units will ‘free up’ a few pre-loved NDX2’s…?
I was wondering if they are being a bit coy with the announcement of the 300DR replacement (if it indeed will exist), so as not to impact potential sales of the ‘new’ 250?
Thanks Clive; yes. 384kHz
Wasn’t sure on the look of the 222 initially (think it was the oversized volume control) but the rest of the casing looks great.
Unfortunately I blew my budget last year on 555ps dr and new speakers so this new range will have to stay at my dealers for the foreseeable…unless 222 into active SCM 40s ???
I’d assume the current 300dr would be discontinued. But the idea of 300 NC separates must be right, as you say. Especially as the 252282 are now redundant as they cannot be driven by the new NC250. I’m assuming that will be the case for the new NC300 NAP also. In which case, they will have to issue a new stand alone preamp. That could be the real gem in all this, better than the 252 and en route to a 552 (which in turn could then be upgraded). You’d also then imagine a replacement for the streamer at some stage or even as part of the next wave of announcements…
I think your suggestion is spot on. Given the choice of which NAP to upgrade/revise first, the 250 is the logical choice, for Naim. And rightly so.
But the NAP250, 300 and 500 are related to each other, in their basic design. So anything which you can do to a 250… But just speculation, on my part…
I hope this means that if Spotify hifi finally arrives no firmware update will be required? This is a rhetorical question by the way. I don’t expect an answer