That’s Oscar Wilde’s definition of a cynic. But we don’t have any cynics on this forum, do we? 
Roger
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This is an interesting question, which I also have thought about. The new NPX300 ps might be a better future and flexible investment. It should be better than an XPS DR, but not quite up to the 555 ps. But also perhaps less ”of an overkill” on the NDX2 ?
On the other hand, if one finds a second hand 555ps it could be both a better performer and be had at lower cost than a new NPX300. Also can be useful depending on future plans beyond the NDX2.
Finally one should factor in what cables are needed for each setup
Myself, I’m tempted by a second hand 555 ps. But still some good money to spend for an upgrade I can’t demo easily.
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Interesting the mention here of “thrill of the chase”. For anyone for whom that is a driver, the urge to change/upgrade is likely to return. It is something that has never thrilled me: from a teenage boy just wanting the girl to decades of hifi, my satisfaction has been through having (listening), not getting. Indeed I dislike the hassle involved with auditioning kit, and perhaps for that reason gave no interested in chasing the tiniest nuances of differences others seem to enjoy with their system tweaks. (I probably wouldn’t hear the difference anyway!)
If my last CD player hadn’t died 10 years ago I could happily have lived for the rest of my life in blissful ignorance of streaming, and very content with the sound from my system. But the. needing a replacement led to my doing some research and discovering streaming, leading to the several changes over the few years that followed. That process also revived my latent desire for the best [that I could afford], with renewed awareness of things out there. Best advice as mentioned on the other thread is don’t read hifi press/media and keep away from hifi forums and shops etc! Your existing system, assuming well chosen, will then continue to satisfy.
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Good advice. I stopped reading hi-fi magazines decades ago. I still look at on-line reviews, but ususally only if I’m in the process of deciding what to buy. I never visit hi-fi shops now.
Being retired I can’t sensibly afford to spend any more on my system. It’s at the stage where it all sounds fabulous anyway so what’s the point? I get the occaisonal pang of interest, eg. recently I was thinking of a LPS for my Qutest DAC, but then I just can’t be bothered.
Apart from the expense, and you can add £650 (or wahtever they cost now) to the cost of a supply as I’d want a Powerline for it, I now detest messing with cables behind the rack - it’s enough to make me just buy a Muso and be done with it all.
All in all I think I’m now what is commonly called a miserable old git!
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But why rule out options so early in the purchase process? In your 300 series setup, you could replace the 350s with a NC 250 and NPX 300 (to be used on either the streamer or preamp). That would be only three transformers, cost slightly less and just might sound better. Many reports puts the NC 250 on a par with or even better than the NAP 300DR, which supposedly, was what Kudos used in developing the 606. Surely worth an audition?
Roger
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That is something I could never do willingly! My system is not downsizing until/unless I have to go into a care home where there us no possibility whatsoever of squeezing it in, or until/unless I lose capability to use and hear music played on it.
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Only really said jokingly - I wouldn’t do it unless as you say, it became necessary for some reason. Apart from anything else, if I changed my mind there’s absolutely no chance whatsoever that I could ever afford to buy it back. No it will stay until either it packs in and I can’t afford repairs or they are not possible, or until I am no longer able to enjoy it.
Two things though. We have two Muso QB2’s and they sound great. I could live with one of those as my only system - if I had to. So a Muso would be even better.
Secondly, if it became necessary/desirable the first ‘line of defence’ would be to keep my speakers and downsize the electonics to a one-box system. Only if further concessions were necessary would I opt for a Muso.
Who knows what the future holds? No use worrying or fretting, but it’s sensible to at least have some sort of plan. To be honest if I ended up in a care home I think what I was listening to music on would be the very least of my concerns…
Sometimes better is not more enjoyable.
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In idle moments I sometimes wonder if headphones might be worth exploring for such an eventuality…
Most on this forum wouldn’t either, but they’ll tell you they can 
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And I bet you’d still/are still enjoying the music which is why we buy the stuff
Good call! Music on a laptop connected to your Dave and a pair of Stax’s! Sorted! I would do the same.
Sometime I’ll have to go and do some headphone auditioning…
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Hi @anon55098131 , yes, I have upgraded a few times during my life from very simple systems to the one I am considering now. There will be nowhere for me to go after this because as I have said, I enjoy the Naim sound and will not consider the 500s or above. I can’t ever rule out the addition of a PSU but that would be it.
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Hi @Innocent_Bystander , the auditioning is a necessary evil and not necessarily enjoyable. The home trial is where the true assessment takes place whereby you can start to enjoy the music - or not!
In my case I see this as a good opportunity to explore the possibilities rather than an urgent need to upgrade.
My current system is very good and I will stick with it as it is rather than adding PSUs to the NDX2 or power amps to the SN3. The system is well sorted as it is.
Should the 300 series prove to be an appreciable step up (my ears, my listening environment etc.) then I will go all in.
I don’t do messing around with small steps and will audition carefully. If satisfied I will go all in and not look back. If not satisfied, I will not not upgrade and not look back!
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Hi @PeakMan , I will certainly audition the NAP250. I meant that I would not consider the 222.
I could walk away with 333/332/250, 333/300/332/250, or 333/332/350. it all depends on the listening. 333/300/332/350 though is a step too far.
Interesting thread. Some observations:
1 - you’ve no guarantee that anything is your last system or upgrade. I don’t mean that in an “oh you won’t be able to resist” sense. More that we simply don’t know what’s around the corner in terms of streaming services; technology etc.
Bearing that in mind I’d be tempted to audition the amps but, as others have suggested, leave the source as it is for now.
2 - we all have our own route but for many the smaller number of boxes also means less complexity; less cable spaghetti and less things to go wrong. What works well at your current level May work brilliantly with more boxes. Many find it ultimately tiresome though.
3 - I recently demoed an amp which many suggested was over-priced unless you used headphones and speakers. I pretty much only use speakers. Had it ticked my boxes re: sound I’d have paid it in a second.
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If you don’t do this, would you look back on this in a few years and wonder ‘what if…?’
If I may lighten the mood by quoting from a musical source….
[“Well, son, a funny thing about regret is that it’s better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven’t done.”]
I’ve not added any more of the quote because it’s all downhill after that!
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