Nova is a one box - connect speakers, the Linn IIUC, requires another box / amp.
Significantly, try getting Linn kit serviced - IME anything once discontinued is no longer serviceable.
Top flight CD player cannot be repaired according to my Linn dealer.
Music listening here is all Naim + full Linn system for AV in tv room - Linn all ex-dem / s-h.
When my Linn sub failed with fault on am board - not serviceable, box had to go direct to recycling.
I struggle with that position â no appeal.
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The principle of boards which can be interchanged is one avenue.
I guess if a dealer swap then possibly. If the cost of boards + likely obligatory service, exceeds a certain threshold, then trade in and new model may potentially be more economic.
Interesting to reflect that DR upgrades have been discontinued - which IIRC apart from early Uniti gen 1, is the only aspect of upgrade rather than swap (phono) that Naim has undertaken.
Itâs one box, it has amp modules in it and a surround processing board as well as modular/swappable DACâs.
I got it originally as a 5.1 surround amp with internal amp modules, I currently use it in my office as a 2 channel integrated.
I guess my point here was in reference to modularity and how that can be appealing in some respects, however I do acknowledge it is by no means a cheap solution to do what it does, another NAIT + an AV amp may
have been a better mix, ironically thatâs what
the Selekt replaced!
Iâve also got a Denon and Arcam AV amp, an Atom and a Sonos amp so not short of options 
I donât agree that the streaming board will certainly be obsolete in 5 years time. Thereâs no reason why streamers shouldnât be like laptops and other consumer electronics that go through a rapid development phase and then plateau. It most likely depends on whether and how much planned obsolescence Naim have engineered in (a la Apple). Hopefully, the 222 is not a re-run of the 272 in that respect and the hardware will support a decade or more of firmware updates.
On value/use case I agree the 222 looks a v good value as a one-box solution with active speakers, should be able to get well ahead of Nova plus passive speakers for reasonable extra cost. I might have just talked myself into doing that, trouble is Mrs O loves the Iota Alphas I have on the Nova.
222 with a 300/250 not so sure, we donât know whatâs still to come and although they might be mitigated this time around there are still compromises needed for the 222 at this price point.
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Maybe you are right. But even 10 years itâs not so long to me. Apart for someone who doesnât bother changing the entire box of preamp / streamer / dac every 10 years.
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Welcome 
The NP800 streaming board that most/all new Naim streamers use has been around for a few years now but IIRC Naim themselves stated on here that one of its design goals was to have sufficient headroom/capacity to receive updates for a long time, partly in response to the relative inability of their first generation streamers to do so. I donât wish to offer egg sucking lessons, but take a look at a search result for âNP800 @ steveskyâ (removing the space between @ and stevesky - heâs the software director at Naim) if you get the chance, lots to read through. Hereâs a good example on the topic
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Which could possibly hit the performance of the internal DAC. I guess the typical 272/222 purchaser is not that kind of user. More suitable for upscale products,
Every option you add to a product add customer support. Even if you are not using the option you must understand it to know that.
Traditionally, Naimâs Pre-amps have never included an internal power supply but needed a Hi-cap or AUX 2 power supply as a minimum. Its probably the start point of how you look at this that makes a difference.
If you are looking at jumping straight to a 222/NDX300 set up you might hope you could get a less expensive 222i and avoid buying a redundant transformer and power components.
Production shouldnât be too difficult as you are just leaving out components and this also reduces the work involved, existing Burndy sockets are already connected for NDX300 power.
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As one of the people who repeatedly posted about wanting the 272 replacement ASAP, I am very happy with it. I have ordered my 222 with a 300 so I can have a 3-box Naim solution to my hi-fi wants with my existing 250DR (if you exclude TT etc). I could stretch to a 300 series 5-box system but I donât want to. For me and many like me I am sure things like a digital out are not wanted. The 222/250 with or without the 300 will be an excellent system that will be better than most comparably priced systems I believe. If I wanted to go down the multi-box, separate DAC etc route, I would not be buying this, Naim I believe has worked out what most people want from a 222 and produced it.
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Im with you I had ordered the 3 box then decided the nap was not needed or offered me little over my existing 250Dr I had tried the ndx2 with all the boxes and found it hassle with all the remotes .
Im sure itâs going to be a big step up from my Nova and are eagerly awaiting delivery.
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No, the transformer itself isnât that expensive. $100-200 at most. Itâs cost is really in the R&D that went into the implementation, not the parts.
Branching the production line to manage assembly with and without the transformer would add more cost to the unit than you could save by omitting the transformer.
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And of course keeping stock through the reseller chain of two products instead of one.
Plus the consumer having to understand what he/she buys, especially s/h. Not ending up with something without a PSU ⌠the preamps are only available without a PSU.
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Do I need to download any drivers for my Windows 10/Roon NUC for it to work with the 222? There appears no information or drivers download page on the main Naim website, or am I looking in the wrong place? Since the 222 supports DSD, would it be a USB driver or will DSD to work over standard ethernet? I wasnât aware that it was possible?
No usb connection so no driver required. You would connect via optical or ethernet
Am I the only one disappointed that the component that the 222 relies on would be so cheap.
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Job sheet just needs to specify whether the power supply is added, everything else is the same. Itâs not just a transformer but many other parts. plus the extra labour cost for full assembly will be significant.
Naim could make the same cash margin and still knock a bit off a 222i. Extra benefit would be increased capacity of units built by saving some production time.
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With every variant of a product Naim have to jump though certification hoops, safety regulations, Google Chromecast, Apple etc. These are time consuming and expensive and delay product launches.
The reason the CD555PS is still named as such even though itâs no longer specific to the CD555 CD player is due to having to jump though these hoops again, just to put a different badge on the rear so they didnât bother.
There will likely be some subtle software differences too in some products, due to the different power option (only 1) and model number. All this adds overheads to regression testing which will stay with it for the life (and beyond) of the product.
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@Ryder35 The only way to play DSD over optical or ethernet is by using the DSD over PCM format, which isnât true DSD. I considering a 222 as an upgrade, but I think I will need to have it do what I want, I am also interested in the phonostage, is it an unshielded stageline? There appears to be little shielding in the 222. Although I am sure Naim have dealt with this in the board design.
In the UK it all seems to be made to order.
I suppose Naim could put a sticker on the back signifying which model is which.
Weight of the transformer might also be a clue.
Wait till you see the price of the dac chips 
.
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