282 is a high bar though?
Try getting a 282 and squeezing it into a box that contains a NAPSC, a Hicap and an NDX2. Do you think itās going to sound:
a) better
b) the same
c) worse
than it would in its own box?
In my experience the 272 was no where near the 282 either, as a pre amp.
272 was definitely below 282 as a pre when we did demo. We compared 272/XPSDR to 282/HCDR and dedicated pre was clearly better.
We then thought āwhat are we missingā. Expensive thought, meant we ended up with 252/SCDR which is on another level.
If the new NSC222 meets pre performance of a 282 then thatās great engineering by naim in a single box with all the other gubbins.
Of course you canāt expect to reach the level of the Ndx 2. Itās a pre with a headphone amp and a phono and more. If you want to reach level Ndx 2 you will have to wait for further expansion of the Naim range
But thereās no real way to test that so itās just speculation. Iāve owed Naim all in ones, integrateds, separates, to the top of the classic series. They all have their compromises when it comes to sound quality.
That depends on what itās attached to. Iāll take my set up all day every day over a NDX2/SN as Iāve found the bigger compromise on SQ is the integrated amp.
I did test it, back to back demo at home (owned the 272 and compared it to the 282) the difference was obvious
Yeah, but itās not a test of the preamps. youāre testing a stand alone preamp to a preamp with dac and streaming components.
No I compared it using the LP 12 I owned at the time
Like I said. Itās not an accurate test.
Whatever. What I am saying is that the pre on the 272 is not as good as the 282 pre. Not sure why comparing them both with the same source is not a direct comparison
So Naim releases a pre and headphone amp and with a phono card and a streamer that is cheaper than the Ndx 2 and is on the same level. Doesnāt seem very logical to me.
Clearly. Youāre comparing a stand alone preamp to a preamp with streaming board and dac and powersupply. What did you expect? The 272 is for streaming, anything else is a compromise so these comparisons are silly at best.
I didnāt make that claim so not sure what youāre on about.
My last contribution to this but I said
You replied
I provided information on exactly how I tested them as pre amps. Not sure what is so hard to understand.
Yeah, I donāt understand why you canāt understand itās not a legitimate test of the preamps. Put a streamer, dac, and ps in your 282 then itās a fair test.
That depends on what itās attached to you said.
For me always source comes first.
That source doesnāt exist in a vacuum. The 272 is a compromise, the SN is a compromise, I know which I prefer and I value the source first premise but itās not an absolute law.
With my 272/XPS DR/250 DR system, I am off next week to listen to the NC at Acoustica comparing with my current config. Peteās hypothesis is that swapping for the 222 & NC 250 will be better than my config for relatively low outlay with the trade in of 3 boxes. Option to up the ante with NP 300.
I have an open mind and stapled shut wallet. Letās see the numbersā¦.