Current kit Naim 250DR, Naim Nac N272 with 555PS DR & Sonus Faber Cremona Elipsa Speakers
The SF’s are staying but I’m looking at possible source and amp upgrades. Are there any other Naim streamers with a Pre Amp facility? Or would I be better getting a separate Pre-Amp and streamer that will pair with the 555PS? Which kit would provide a worthwhile upgrade? Power amp wise is the 300DR a significant upgrade or would I be better aiming for the 500?
Budget isn’t open ended exactly but I’d be willing to stretch it for the right improvement / deal as I’m looking at the S/H market but at fairly new kit.
@Lightfoot it depends on how far you want to go. The 222 can be a good choice, as mentioned previously. However to found it’s best, you should consider the NPX300 power supply as well. That will increase cost. If you find you can stretch even further, the 322/333/NC250 will be much better but even more costly than the 222/NPX300 combination.
The New Classics are a significant departure from where you are sound wise. The NDX2 with a 555PS will be a massive upgrade, and will work really well with a 300DR. Then 252 or 282 depending on your music diet I’d say.
@gk_audio The sonic signature of the NC may indeed be different, but the OP should find a way to listen and judge. They may or may not find NC more to their liking.
I would have thought NDX2 was the obvious step, using the 555PS and giving you a modern streaming platform. Pair with a 252/ScapDR. This would still very much have the classic Naim sound which the NC series may not. Plus good value in the s/h market
That would give you the backbone of a very good system for a good while. 300DR later?
You will need to decide if you’re going to go naim NC or not.
The NSC222 is the direct replacement for your 272, and the 555 can be used with it (requiring special leads which aren’t cheap). However, the NC boxes have different voicing to your classic boxes, you might like this or you might not. You might also find the 222 underwhelming.
If you stay old classic then you would need to replace your 272 with an NDX2 (using existing 555) and either a 282/HiCapDR or 252/SupercapDR. It’s a buyers market on old classic kit at the moment, some tremendous bargains out there. You could buy NDX2 and run into 272 (as pre only) - that will give you improvement, we ran like this for a short spell. The strongest part of the 272 is the preamp, the NDX2 is an improvement on streaming card/DAC.
As for power amp - we changed from 250DR to 300DR with baby SF. Big upgrade, well worthwhile. SF loudspeakers love power and control. Whatever you decide to do with source a 300DR would be worthwhile.
You should also read all the forum threads about people using Limetree/Primaire etc. streamers to improve on SQ with boxes like 272. A cheaper option.
Thanks all, plenty of food for thought there. Realistically, I think the complete 500 upgrade will be beyond my reach so looks like the NDX2/555 for source. Is the 300DR a big improvement on the 250DR? Or would I perhaps be better waiting for a 500 (one went on eBay for £4700 recently which would be well within my budget). Lastly, 252 SupercapDR or 282 HiCapDR? My musical tastes are broad but favourites are acoustic singer songwriter stuff. Thanks again
I got my 500DR on ebay for £6k. Used it with 52 for a while and it sounded superb. I had 2 x 135s before and the 500DR was a huge improvement. Get the 500DR if you can and get a 52 Supercap or 252 Supercap DR.
DR was introduced 2017 or thereabouts. Lots of original 500s were DR’ed under the upgrade scheme. Mine is 2002 but it looks like they replaced the head unit completely (not the power supply). The upgrade scheme no longer exists but you can find plenty of units that have been upgraded which are in effect the same as a new 500DR.
I was in the same boat. 272/XPS-DR, 250- DR. I ended up with a 252/SC-DR, 250-DR, NDX2/XPS-DR. Night and day difference with my Totem Tribe Tower speakers. I bought the NDX2 first simply because a deal came up. A couple of months later a good deal on a second hand 252/SC-DR came up. Both steps were a significant upgrade so I would just keep an eye open for good deals. One aside, when I got the NDX2 I assumed it would benefit more from the XPS-DR than the 272. would. It was staggering how much better the system sounded with the XPS on the 272 and the NDX2 on its own. It’s a moot point now since the 252 has its SC-DR and the NDX 2 has the XPS-DR. I imagine it would be that much better with your 555.
There will be always better. No end in that game. When you upgrade, you have the Whouah moment. But 1 week later, you are enjoying the music the same way as before.
Generally.
Of course, if you upgrade from Muso or even Nait 5 to 252/250, then it’s different of course.
Thanks again everyone. Think I’ll start searching for an NDX2 and a 252 (or 552 if I can find one at the right price). Think I’ll leave the power amp ‘til last unless I spot an opportunity sooner.
I agree, at current used prices the 252/SCDR/300DR must be sweet spot…. Cheaper than a 332/300/250NC even used. Probably about the same in quality but a slightly different sound signature (I like both)