Upgrade

Hello. I’ve bought a used Supernait 1.
Is the Hicap dr a big improvement in sound?
My source is cd5xs / ndac

IME, yes.A HC made a significant, positive difference so I suspect the DR will take it a step further.

Speaking to my dealer when I was buying my SN2, he said SN1 benefited greatly from PS. He owned one and loved the improvement in sound. He was not selling me a SN1 or HiCap so I would trust this info. If you are in country where at home demo is possible, that’s the way to do it. If you go for HiCap it would be great to hear what you found.

Thanks timbre. I will let you know

Thanks varyat

The benefit for a SN1 is massive. It will become much more transparent which your sources deserve.

I think I’m going to pull the trigger for HiCAP DR for my SN2.

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Sounds great Ardbeg10y

I once had exactly that setup, except that I bought a HiCap at the same time as the SN1. Eventually I added an XPS for the DAC and when the DR upgrades came out I had both power supplies upgraded to DR spec. Somewhat to my surprise I found the jump in SQ higher for the HiCap than the XPS even though the latter upgrade was more expensive. So yes, go for it. I’d be surprised if you were disappointed with the result.

Roger

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Sounds great Roger.
Another possibility is that I will but the nait xs3 and connect my flatcap xs
Perhaps the xs3 is better sounding than my supernait

Since the XS3 is so new, it’s hard to make comparisons and if you wish to add a modest turntable the inclusion of a phono stage might be a deal maker. However, don’t underestimate the SN1/HiCap combo. After extensive comparison with 202/200/HiCap/NAPSC at home, I actually preferred the Nait. I think my dealer thought I was bonkers, but I was not the only listener with this preference. (There was a rather angry thread about it on the old forum). There also seems to have been controversy over the relative merits of the Nait XS and Supernait. I put it all down to personal preferences, but I do think this means a personal audition is advisable rather than simply relying on what others say.

Roger

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Yes you are absolutely right and I really like the supernait sound, I bought it used, I have a little concern regarding the age of the amp thought. It’s 12 years old.

Mine is 12 yrs old too and still going strong. I also have other - serviced - Naim setups therefore I’m not that worried about unnoticed degradation of SQ.

If you pair it with a Hicap DR, ensure that you get the DR version which won’t need service anyhow since they are not on the market that long yet.

The SN1 has a beefy - Max called it Teutonic - sound which I understand and like. Its not the last word in refinement but for certain music this works well.

Thanks for the reply. Yes I want the dr version

That is one of the most efficient upgrades in the Naim world.

May I ask what loudspeakers you have?

Of course, it’s audiovector sr1 avantgarde arreté

And I think that the beefy sound of the supernait suit the audiovector well

I don’t know these loudspeakers, but I found that the SN1 worked well with my inefficient old trusty pair of B&W CM1’s. These are hard to drive well and the SN1 seems to like that. Workhorse.

Yes it is a workhorse.
Audiovector uses naim equipment in development of their speakers

Or at least they used to, to be honest I’m not sure they still do.