Good luck with the decisions and the journey.
I waited for Qobuz in the US for awhile before it became available. Hopefully the lawyers between the Canadian government and Qobuz can figure out how to make it work in Canada since every country handles licensing laws differently.
I seem to be in the minority who really enjoys the SN1.
In case itās helpful Iām going to share a bit of my journey with it below and ultimately explain why I passed on a good price for a SN3.
The TLDR would be that if you enjoy it as I do:
I go and hear demos of other gear and come back home satisfied with what I own.
I feel like Iām at an extremely good place from a price/performance/enjoyment perspective.
Often I encounter gear/demos and find that it is ādifferentā not necessarily ābetterā.
If they are ābetterā then I reflect on the $ necessary to make, what so far has always seemed like, an incremental improvement.
I purchased my ex-demo unit in 2011.
My system always puts a smile on my face and pulls me into the music.
I find it to be very engaging and fun for the diverse range of music I listen to; basically everything except punk and country.
A few changes I have made over the years have slightly changed the character of it though.
For lack of better words, Iāve traditionally described my SN1 as āwetā or āmeatyā.
Some may interpret that as loose, but it didnāt really seem that way to me at the time.
It has always been FUN.
Iām not sure if those resonate or make sense, but almost all the changes that Iāve made in my system subsequently have made the presentation might drier, and perhaps tighter sounding over time.
The addition of a Stageline N being powered off of the SN1 made the system less dynamic.
Adding a Hi-Cap 2 addressed this and improved the overall sound.
This was a long time ago, but this is my recollection.
Upgrading my Hi-Cap2 to a Hi-Cap DR changed the tonal character of the presentation slightly.
It definitely became drier and tighter sounding.
Still very enjoyable, and I was quite happy with this for a long time.
I had a home demo of the nDAC years ago and fell in love with it, but I couldnāt make it work financially at the time.
Along the way there have been opportunities to trade in/upgrade to SN2 or SN3, but Iāve been mindful that I have a history of neglecting my sources and resolved to address that first.
Early last year I found a great deal on a local used a nDAC recently and it has been a monumental upgrade in my enjoyment of the system.
The SN1 is absolutely resolving enough to benefit from improvements in someoneās source and my enjoyment is through the roof.
Your BlueSound Node2i is a decent digital transport into a better DAC.
While the SNAITās internal DAC is decent, youāll find it is now easily bettered.
I came across a particularly good deal on a SN3 last year, but ultimately decided to re-cap my SN1.
My SN1 is a 2008 model (I believe?) so it was overdue for a re-cap.
I was skeptical that there would be much of a change, but the price of the service was reasonable and I figured it would help with resale should it come to that in the future.
It has once again tightened up the presentation and bass is more fleshed out and deeper than before as well. My enjoyment has increased again and itās pulling me into the music even more than before.
There definitely was a āsettlingā / āburn in periodā as straight out of the box I was likeā¦ oh no what have I done, but it has continued to improve.
I personally wonāt consider something until it is a meaningful improvement in enjoyment over the SN3. It is likely that I would need to go separates, which will be tens of thousands in outlay. That simply isnāt in my near future.
So I guess in conclusion I would say, if you like how the SN1 sounds the re-cap and used Hi-Cap are quite cost effective.
However, as a long term user of the SN1ās internal DAC, I would suggest your next upgrade should be a better DAC. Lots of good options out there, go have a listen 
Nathan
Didnāt see that you did this before I responded lol, good decision.
SNAIT is absolutely resolving enough to benefit from a better source.
Well done!
I do appreciate the time you took to respond.
With so many variables in the equation, it can be overwhelming deciding what to do to maximize utility (the economic term).
I too have been happy with the Supernait 1. First fed with a sonos (deezer), then a node 2i (tidal hifi), and now the node into the Ares 12th anniversary dac. This to my ear has been a massive improvement. Not just a different soundā¦a definitively better sound. At least to my ears, in my environment. I have always ran my supernait into Audio Physic Tempo VI speakers, and this combo has felt a tad clinical. The Ares Dac has brought the musicality. TBH it may have taken away a bit of in your face presentation for a more well rounded sound. One I enjoy more.
With the vast majority suggesting hicap dr, i think this is the logical next step. I would be happy to see another decade with the sānait as long as I could continue to benefit from these gains.
My pleasure!
Yeah I had been waiting to find a good deal on a nDAC for years. Seriously debated the Denafrips DACs as well, but I had at least heard the nDAC in the system before.
From my limited personal experience demoing Audio Physic speakers with NAIM, your description of a clinical sound is something I experienced as well. It wasnāt to my personal taste, but speakers (as with so much in this hobby) is extremely personal.
My only advice would be to live with your upgrade for a while before making a further change.
A re-cap, if your SN1 is old, may be a very good reasonably priced upgrade for you.
Not sure where you are based, but used Hi-Cap DRās in Canada are popping up for reasonable prices too.
Enjoy the music!
Hi Timbo,
I chose the SN1 over the ATC SIA2-150 auditioning with ATC SCM11s back in the day. I understand the ATC SCM11s are easier to drive than the 19s, but thought you might find that interesting.
Tonally and musically, I didnāt feel the ATC amplification was close.
I also run studio monitors, Duntechās rather than ATC, but like the ATCs they require some oomph to sing.
I definitely feel like the re-cap provided much more of an upgrade than I was expecting for my 14 year old SN1.
Focal NAIM Canadaās service was excellent too.
I enjoyed the internal DAC for a long time, but you might be surprised how your ATCās sing with a new/different DAC.
The combination of the new DAC + re-cap over the last year has personally taken my listening experience to a different level.
I know the nDAC isnāt to everyoneās taste, but there are a variety of good reasonably priced DACs out there these days.
Nathan
Something Iām enjoyingā¦ 5italic, Rega DAC, optical feed from an Apple AirPort Express , streaming either lossless CDs or Tidal from an iPad Pro.
Iāll likely add a Gilbert Yeung external cap bank since a Naim cap bank upgrade wonāt flyā¦
Before streaming came along Iāve used an iPhone 4S cabled to the 5i ( or the vintage Cyrus 1 that came prior) via an Apple AV 30-pin cable for line output, & RCA/DIN adapter input.
Convenient, stable, CD-quality ā¦ whatās not to like?
Iād like an SN1, sureā¦ but thin on the ground here.
Speakersā¦ last of the UK-built Monitor Audio SE20, 25th Anniversary minitowers, AQ Rocket 88 cablesā¦
Thanks for the info. I think I agree with you on the difference between Naim power and other amps power, so the service will be priority, I also have a Hicap DR on it and that makes a bit of a difference. I do like the ATC SCM 19ās especially for classical music. I do have an NDac in my other system so might try it out vs the SuperNait DAC.
Tim
Then you might want to give an ear to the active version of the 19s or perhaps the active 20s, driven by Naimās pre-streamer that might or might not ( 
) be coming in the New Year. Or even with an Atom HE edition.
Roger
Would love to read about your reaction/impressions after you try that
Yes I agree, this is a combination that has been peeking my interest for sometime. The original path Iād like to try is ATC SCM 40A with a 252 front end and then perhaps modify that when some new Naim stuff comes out i.e. a streaming pre. But Iāve also been wondering what a Unit Atom HE might sound like fronting some active ATCās the 19A as you mention or even with the SCM 40A. An interesting difference may be with the amplification in the speaker may sound better than trying to drive ATC speakers using ATC outboard amplification.
Perhaps and interesting task for 2023 as the ATC SCM 40ās I nearly purchased but they were just pipped by my scansonic MB5ās which worked better in my previous home than the current one which Iāve mentioned before.
Tim
I must admit, I have been musing in the quiet moments of late, what a 282 or even a 252 might sound like driving a pair of ATC SCM 40Aās.
I nearly bought the passive variants but the Dynaudioās were the choice I made.
I donāt regret the choice I made, just pondering an alternate road not takenā:thinking:
Went with the Hi Cap upgrade and nDac after using internal Dac for some period - all decent upgrades which i lived with many years
. Have just made move to Audionote OTO Sig Phono loving the improved timbre , cohesion and detail
It will depend on your priorities. 12 years is a long time, and I presume you are happy with the Supernait 1 but wish to explore potential improvements with a different amp. You have received some good advice here so I will not add much. There are endless possibilities to your quest and your budget will dictate the choices of the SN1ās replacement. Nevertheless, as you might have known there is no end to this game, and one change may lead to another to maintain balance in the system. In other words, a chain reaction that means more money spent on upgrades.
Good choice on the Hicap DR. A minimal outlay that will further improve on the Supernait 1 that you love. In my view, if it aināt broken, try not to fix it unless you have unlimited funds and wish to try all the options. The exercise can be a costly affair.
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