The speaker load is only above about 100 Hz (no lowermost 2.5 octaves.) Extremely highly refined constant directivity satellite with pro-sound mid-bass drivers port-loaded to around 100 Hz (actually ranges from low 80 Hz range to about 140 Hz with all ports air-tight sealed) by an award-winning designer. Superb power handling even down to 20 Hz. State of the art Radian beryllium compression driver loads an OS or SEOS horn depending on the model. All impedances above about 6-ohms, benign phase angles and true 90 or 94 dB.
IOW ignore or almost ignore the load below about 100 Hz. The amp requires only low to moderate current capacity. 50W likely OK, 100W has good headroom @ 8-ohms.
For the above load, not a general question in any way: Which Naim power amps at least equal the power amp stage in Supernait 3?
Full-range speaker lovers, donāt despair: the range below the satellite is reproduced by a state-of-the art distributed array with at least (two) discrete channels and amplifiers > 4 compact subs throughout the room completely lacking proximity effect up to about 125 Hz even standing directly over a subwoofer (3x TAS Golden Ear Award winner.)
The āpreampā is a copper Slagleformer with optional op-amp w/balanced output and high current. I prefer not to use the power input on SN3 because I have an aversion to unused connectors, circuits and an active preamp stage. The only way Iād consider such use if it was reasonable to remove all those useless parts which with modern SMD architecture I presume is unreasonable or worse.
Welcome to the board but I have to agree with steviebee, Iām not quite sure what you are asking. I believe the recently discontinued NAP200 would equal the amp in a SN3.
An amp from Naim that can equal your SN3 is the Nap 200. But itās discontinued. Only available second hand. But Naim can service it if itās necessary (if older than 12/15 years ).
Agreed. Hopefully heāll respond with a more precise question but I think we both answered it with the Nap 200. All the other Naim amps are better but expensive. I do think the Nap 200 is a hidden gem for the price and if your speakers arenāt too demanding.
Some say that 202/200 were dropped because adding a Hicap to the pre-amp section of an SN3 made that 2 box combo better overall.
I am also under the impression (but happy to be corrected if I am just wrong) that several of those here who prefer the 202/200 combo to SN3+HC do not have the easiest speakers to drive.
If I wanted to out-perform the power amp part of an SN3, Iād buy a second-hand 250, serviced in the last decade or so. I canāt think of any aspect of driving a speaker that an SN3 would do as well as a 250.
Given the audio quality target you seem to be looking at, we think you should go a LOT better than the power amp of the SN3, so either the NC250 or probably, and better for your use, a NAP300DR.
Curious about the Infigo audio method 4 dac, seen in the profile, I discovered it costs around 35 k. Itās apparently a pre/ dac. Not sure a Nap 200 is the right amp to go.
Then the Audiokinesis speakers are horn. Why not a tubes amp?
To me, itās the Isle of Wight, but thatās probably not whatās meant here. But as the original post is pretty incomprehensible, it very well may be.
Wasting a lot of time on search engines, I have come up with the following
Speakers that do not reproduce below 100 Hz, they may or may not be ported, they have horn loaded tweeters and were designed by somebody famous.
The bass comes from subwoofers that are well reviewed in The Absolute Sound.
A āpassive preampā with expensive components from David Slager of Intact Audio.
A dislike of superfluous connections (inputs?).
A wish for a Naim amplifier of at least the standard of an SN3.
use AV bypass mode (on present Supernait),ā¦ less superfluous electronics in pathwayā¦ (not suffering 2x preamp circuits inline?)
Iād suggest a 250dr (and āUPā) based on visually looking at the PCBs inside Naims dedicated power amps.
they have (copper) traces akin to NAD 3020 vintage stuff, that sounds amazing and has ālow ohmā drive.
seems like OP is posting on basis of electrical requirements of parts, buy may not acknowledge sound tuning of parts. (sound quality, subjective>measurement qualitys, objective)
I like phat copper traces on my boards, and the curvey nature of their design shiws decades of circuit refinement in action.
the electrical needs of the user are light, but the audio needs of the OP are heavy; nice setup- recommend best you can find, sure, but donāt underestimate the boogie that can be achieved with that Supernaitā¦ (and maybe use DIN input/add a power supply upgrade;both likely change sound aspects as much as an amp sidegrade, and in some ways, even an amp upgradeā¦)
ChatGPT says:
āThe user is asking for recommendations on which Naim power amplifiers are at least equal to the power amp stage in the Supernait 3, given the specific speaker system described. The key considerations for this recommendation are:
Frequency Load: The amplifier needs to handle loads primarily above 100 Hz.
Power and Current Requirements: The system requires low to moderate current capacity, with 50W likely being sufficient and 100W providing good headroom at 8 ohms.
Speaker System Details: The system includes an advanced speaker with focused sound direction, a top-quality high-frequency driver, and a smart subwoofer setup for complete sound coverage.
Additionally, the user prefers not to use the power input on the Supernait 3 due to an aversion to unused components and active preamp stages.ā
If youāre looking for a Naim power amp, then at minimum this would be a nap200.
However there might be more appropriate power amps from other marques eg dynavector (hx75 or hx100); Iām thinking of amps that are recommended for shahinian speakers which can present a more than challenging load.
