Naim NAC-N 272 Streaming Preamplifier

The device has a UPnP client and is a UPnP client. It has a preamp and it is a preamp. And it has a DAC but it is not a DAC! That's what I mean by DBD.

You've obviously not been reading the forum today carefully enough, as the pre/streamer combo is a defective design that no one wants and keeps Naim in the dark ages of hi fi.  Do you want to reconsider??

@Bart LOL 

+1

Exactly.. And this new product satisfys Who? Another box option to add a PSU to an existing box but not a solution to the NDX / HDX owners. If it will update on the network and configure over the network , where does it leave every other streamin product in the range.. Upgradeable I doubt ! 

The proverbial rudder has come off I am afraid . 

Mmmmm

Adam, what I meant to say is that the absence of asynchronous USB is quite disappointing. Sorry for the somehow convoluted post. Best, nbpf

In old money, the 72 was below the 102 on the ladder. If that ladder and nomenclature are still observed, the pre-amp section in the 272 is below the 202 in the ladder.

+1

An improved DAC V1, with an analog input (just one will do) to cater for the resurgence of vinyl replay that I'm, and I'm sure others are experiencing. 

I like my hi res files from my Mac mini to my DAC V1, but I also love listening to my vinyl. 

Right, slight variations carefully designed to maximize redundancy and number of PSUs at the user system level. Nothing really new apart from DSD, apparently.

Exactly,

why didn't Naim concentrate on their fine pre and power product, without going oligarg mad , and leave the technical side of the streaming to a company / joint venture partnership that can deliver the goods in a package that is upgrade cutting edge ,  not in the dark ages ....and connects with their existing lines. They have got this one seriously wrong IMHO. Muso is a glorified sound bar that most Bose owners wouldn't think was worth the extra and most Naim owners would not entertain. The parent company is steering this on a catastrophic course.

regards

ing

Makes sense for Naim to have a common architecture across all of their (numerous) streamers and DACs.  Without this the code base would become fragmented, with big issues for testing and support.

There are implications from the use of the XPS as the PSU upgrade over either HC or SC. For example, the XPS is not usable on 202, 282 or 252 but an existing XPS may be re-used on the 272.

Is the star earth reference located in the 272 rather than in the HC/SC as in a PSU-Pre-Power set-up?

You may be right. There are now 11 products with streaming capability. Meanwhile the 282 and 252 are the same design and form-factor as 13 years ago and still unequalled in SQ by the pre-amps in the streaming offerings.

It feels like the parent company is obsessed with streamers as access to the mass market. Yet reading this forum there have been issues with streaming software and limited access to online services.

I would have thought a shoebox DAC V-2 (282 level) and Dac-V3 (252 level), both with an analogue input, would be more in tune with Naim's heritage and the needs of the average hi-fi geek?

I have yet to see a criticism of the existing DAC V1, and so it shares an honour otherwise reserved for the 552 in Naim's output to date.

Of course, one should not expect what is not advertised.

The 552 cannot decode a digital input, and the V1 cannot accept an analogue input, but the parallels are real enough.

With the V1 is there any need for anything doing the same function, but cost more?

In my experience, not.

ATB from George

You cannot plug a turntable into a V1 and there are better pre-amps George. However, I agree the form and function is excellent and find it perplexing it has not been built upon.

Dear Mark,

The V1 has never pretended that you could plug a turntable into it. It is a simple product in its claims, and like the Naits it does what it is claimed to do.

I don't think it can be improved on all that significantly.

The sonic is better then the CDS 2 - NAP 52 combo, and the reality is that for the price it is simply the best value model that Naim have ever made, and there is no criticism of the sonic to date.

As I say it has a parallel with the 552 in that respect.

ATB from George

I absolutely agree. But they could offer that very architecture in more modular devices. A pure dac could at least help reassuring that Naim has not turned into a company which is exclusively focused on mainstream streaming solutions. Naim has at least 4 streamers in its product range. But its streaming solutions still rely on commodity UPnP server software which is hardly customizable and, even for plain classical music, almost unusable. Under these conditions, throwing another streamer at the market seems to me a bit presumptuous.

Wow, the Naim streaming range sprawls further. To me this suggests that Naim are confident the obsolescence that is the risk of this non-modular approach isn't something for them to worry over. I assume this means they judge they'll be able to keep apace with developments in the streaming world with further firmware updates. I own an NDX and a 202. If this can give comparable performance to that pairing, in one box in place of three I could well be interested. I do feel sorry for Naim dealers though with so many options for them to explain to customers.

I would also, but there is not, yet.

In this I agree.

But, start from my first question... IF this is the "answer" for less boxes why there is not a power input for phono?

Someone needs: 272 + (upgrade) PS

And for Vinyl: Stageline + ? (another dedicated PS?)

Thank you Dave.

Sounds bi-polar is more on quality upgrade. But as far as I see all bi-polar PS can't (directly) power the phono.

If this 272 have analog input, what Naim expect people connect nowadays?

I totally see this as a four-box solution with an (upgrade) 555PS DR and a NAP 300 / 300PS, in the same scenarios as Chord's DSX1000 + SPM 1400mkII combo (three boxes) or Linn's Akurate DSM + 2200 (two boxes).

If this 272 have analog input, what are Naim expect people connect nowadays?

Your guess is as good as mine - there is hardly the need anymore for old-school preamp gain, and aside from an analogue FM tuner or phono stage, few sources are relevant in the analogue domain.

For Vinyl what you suggest to use, Dave.

 Looking at your system, a nice Hicap would work quite well!

Thank you Dave.

But in this 272, I have wrong suppose that the analog is dedicated to phono (powered as Naim's philosophy).