Totally agree. I heard a 250.2 once in my own system vs an olive 250 and was disappointed. It was heavy and ponderous by comparison.
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Just like the Naim supplies, it won’t entirely transform the box it’s powering, but will be the icing on the cake. I would go for this first, honestly. I’ve gone with my microRendu (about the same as the SMS-200 though mine has the 1.4 board/clock upgrade) from the wall wart, to an iFi, to an HDPLEX 100, to an LPS-1, finally to the Sonore Power Supply and they’ve all made a difference, the sound getting better and better. The V1 can actually take a lot - the better the source, the better it gets. That said, now that I’ve currently upgraded my amp to a BD 160, I can see how the pre might be a weak point. But I love the form/function of the V1 so much it’s going to tough to move on.
The SMS-200 should really be quite good. I have a slightly more expensive but similar Sonore equivalent (the same one as charlesphoto ) on one of my systems and it performs very well indeed. Like charlesphoto, I found that a decent linear power supply improved the sound (I have a 7v Teddy Pardo power supply for my microRendu), but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you would notice a similar benefit.
If I were you, I’d be tempted to try a Chord Qutest with your SMS-200 if you can arrange a home demo and compare it with your DAC-V1. It should be very good indeed, and much cheaper than a Hugo.
One difference of which to be aware is that whilst Qutest can’t, Hugo can feed a power amp direct, obviating a need for a separate preamp if you don’t have analogue sources (subject to whether you prefer the direct sound or through familiar electronics).
@Innocent_Bystander, re the Hugo, thats a very interesting idea, i wonder how a nap250 would pair with one!
There are a number of people who feed a Naim power amp direct with a Chord DAC (one I recall is @ChrisSU), though I’m not sure how many with Hugo. I used Hugo direct into a power amp, but not Naim, and felt it was better than through the pre (also not Naim). I have since upgraded to Dave, used likewise.
If you are interested this thread may be worth a read: https://community.naimaudio.com/t/is-a-preamplifier-really-necessary-with-a-streamer/7674
Indeed, I sold my 282 after getting a Chord Dave, as I felt that the 282 didn’t improve the sound compared to using the Dave as a preamp. To my ears it sounded neither better nor worse, just a little different, so I was happy to lose my 3-box Naim preamp. I’m still using Dave direct into a 250DR.
On the pre.
I wouldn’t go for the 202. Others have suggested the 82 (or 282).
You could also look at the older shoebox amps- the 72 (or even 62).
So, I think I’m settling on what I’m going to swap out etc, feedback VERY much appreciated
current setup:
RoonRock/dedicated netgear smart switch/sms200/Dac-v1/nap180/es14s
same up to sms200/X-SPDIF2/nDAC/82/180/es14s (add a hicap in 6 months or so as have gone over budget)
works out at about £1700 with trade ins etc(have allowed 100 for a spdif cable, suggestions?)
Any comments very much appreciated!!
Cheers
John
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That looks like a great system to me. Go for it and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. I agree that a Hicap would be a very worthwhile addition.
If you want to take things further, there are plenty of options, such as a PSU for the NDAC, or a 250, or possibly an improved digital transport, but that’s where things all start to get quite a lot more expensive.
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I would still argue that you are missing a big part of the equation by not getting a good power supply for the SMS-200. Not as sexy as Naim black box upgrades, I know, but could be a choke point for whatever you put after it.
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Good to see another es14 user changing the boxes rather than the Epos’s. I know there are better out there, but am really happy with mine and frequently amazed how great that can sound. Good luck with your upgrade journey. 
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Hi @charlesphoto, definitely will address that too, was thinking of the iFi iPower x or something in the sub£200 area. Any recommendations from anyone?
Revisit your original option 1 - upgrade the NAP180 to NAP200 or NAP250. 
Dave
PS a better PSU for the SoTM sMS200 may also be beneficial.
Hi Dave,
Have abandoned the 272 idea and decided on nDAC and olive 82, will get the 250 slightly further along.
Also upgrading the supply for the sms200, just dont know what yet, any thoughts?
Cheers
John
ifi iPower, MCRU, SBooster, Uptone Ultracap - you pay your money and you make your choice.
Some people claim each incremental change in power supply quality (more expensive!) makes an appreciable audible difference but that’s not my experience. As in all things audio it’s the law of diminishing returns.
Dave
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You really don’t want to go there do you? Not much available except for Chinese builds and the iFi for that much. I can’t speak for the SMS because I’ve never owned one, but do a microRendu and and a pair of opticalModule fiber media convertors, and you’d be amazed how much of a difference good power makes on these. Just think of it as taking the boards out of a Naim streamer and putting them in small box. Would you then want to power the Naim boards via a wall wart, or a big toroidal transformer and good regulators etc? You’d be surprised how much more you can eke out of a V1 with a good streaming network behind it (I’d switch out that Netgear while you’re at it).
I’m in the US, but for you I’d look at the Paul Hynes Sr4, see what MCRU have on offer, Teddy Pardo, Farad, the new kid on the block, lots of options.
@charlesphoto, thanks for the info, have ordered a MCRU for the sms200. Any suggestions on a better switch? I see cisco 2960 comes up a lot but there are so many models? @Simon-in-Suffolk, I see you have a lot of knowledge in this area, any guidance for a small 5 port switch?
Regards
John
have ordered the MCRU, cheers
john
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A little Netgear unmanaged switch should be fine - unless you want to tweak SQ, then there is a huge range of options. Many have found Catalyst 2960 switches from Cisco beneficial which you can buy used quite cheaply and can actually condition the LAN segment to the streamer. There are also the ‘Audiophile’ switches which some also enjoy and although these are standard unmanaged capability switches they incorporate upgraded digital clocks etc such as from the likes of English Electric and Russ Andrews.
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