Is the 272 a mullet?

In terms of Naim system building, you have a point. In the context of my OP, though, the highest spec 3-box system you can have with an NDX is a 282/200. So that is what I'll be considering when I go back for round 2. My dealer's take on this was that the 200DR goes a long way towards making a Hicap unnecessary. 

Suffolk is Sub-Saharan in my book. I live 1000ft up a North facing hill in N Wales, and some years, we light the fires all through the summer. Up here, my humble Superuniti still sounds very enjoyable. 

I can confirm that a 152SX with a 500 sounds very fine indeed. No, really! Don't know about a 112.

OK, it's relatively coloured, lacking in resolution, clipped at both frequency ends and rather sloppy. But it's huge fun. I would rate it as better VFM, more musically enjoyable and all round fun than a 202 or a 282. But then again, I have heard neither of these with a 500.

I can see that this is degenerating into nothing more than a my mullet is bigger than yours competition. At 9 o'clock tomorrow morning I'm going to call my dealer and book a 172/NAP S1 demo just for the hell of it! 

Good call.

I was loaned the 152 on two occasions when the 552 had to go back to base. We looked upon it as better than silence but actually ended up listening at length and occasionally giggling at the sheer cheek and exuberance of the 152. Of course, the fact that it wasn't staying long probably caused the spotlight of analytical criticism not to be turned up to full glare. But we'd rather enjoy than analyse any day. And yes, getting the 552 back was a trip to a different reality. But in absolute terms, for its price point........

Source first!  nice exploding sausage use!

The 272 is not a mullet.

Unitiqute sounds excellent when paired with compatible speakers, and just last weekend I heard Superuniti with naim Intros. Very nice and plenty of that special Naim "boogie factor".

So when the uniti range are not mullets, then why this thread?

The mullet is usually referred to a lightweight source with an amp that is far superior.

In this case Naim themselves have matched the source, streamer and preamp.

Can't see this as being anything but good.

Most people don't know how to match systems properly (which included myself) so in this way better to leave this to Naim and enjoy the music.

272 with 200 DR or 272 with 250DR could be all the system one ever needs.  

The other thing is that the streamer - DAC inside the 272 has been optimized by Naim themselves, and will sound much more engaging than a poor transport into a good DAC.

The transport is quite crucial to getting digital audio to sound engaging and musical, so source first applies as usual.

Analog music, don't disagree with much of what you say, but follow your point through to its logical conclusion and it could be even more the case the Mu-so is the only hifi you will ever want...

Simon

Start with a 272, 300 in 3 boxes, then I can easily imagine a day when you will find a way to add a fourth box.  i would.

Cheers,

Charlie

...or taking it to another logical conclusion, you end up with a monkfish such as:

NDS / 555 > SN2 > £100 speakers.

I know that's 'reductio ad absurdam', but a balance has to be struck somewhere.  Neither monkfish nor mullets are optimal use of resources.

I disagree, what would really bug me is spending £3k to find that you are limited by the DAC and streaming tech at the time of purchase, unless of course it is acceptable to use the 272 as a transport with a DAC downstream (not in my case, as this would counter the principle benefit of a 272 - low box count).

I've done the comparisons with PSUs and chose the 282. The deciding factor was SQ, not convenience, on this occasion.

Jude

This thread inspired me to turn off talk radio and listen to my main system for a while this morning.  I havent LISTENED to it in a few weeks.  And in that time I've been to the hi fi shop listening to other stuff.

So who knows what I'd hear when I turned it on (well it was ON; I keep it powered all the time).  The SN2/HC/NDS/555DR sounds wonderful with my speakers, in my room.  I'm sure it would be fun to arrange an N272/250DR "shootout" in my room, but it cannot be arranged and in any event I'm totally happy with my system.  If I can find the link plug I'll take out the HiCap, which I've not done in a long long time, to try to get to the bottom of what it's adding, or not, to the SN2.  I can never find the link plug

Regarding the mullet issue: my understanding is that it means a front end that costs significantly less than the components further down the chain. By that definition, a 272/250 is clearly a mullet, as the combined cost of both source and preamp is less than the power amp. I think the important thing is not to get bogged down in semantics - if it sounds good, it doesn't matter two hoots if it's a mullet or not. 

I wonder if you managed to mate a mullet with a monkfish you'd end up with a perfectly balanced fish? Let's call it a mullfish (or monket).

Sorry I have way too much time on my hands this afternoon!

Just so we have the other system covered...

Well. now you say it it's obvious!

Ahh... I fixed this by adding the FM/DAB module, which takes the 272 to more expensive than the 250DR. No mullets here. 

Aaaah, but you're cheating! Only half a 272 is the source, the rest is the preamp. 

Maybe I should have chosen a different title for this thread, the main point of which was weather the NDX still has a place in a 3 box system. My impression is that it does, but the 272 certainly runs it close, and I'm sure I'd be very happy to own either. And if I do end up with a 272, I may well end up being the proud owner of a NAP300. Then I'll get myself a new haircut to match. 

One thing I didn't mention earlier in this thread is that at the end of the dem, my dealer replaced the NAC A5 with SL speaker cable between a 250 and the Kudos X2s. Even in this humble setup, the effect was dramatic, and gave the impression that the musicians had moved right into the room in front of you. I would certainly want to investigate more modest cable upgrades before parting with such a large sum of cash, but I was amazed to find myself thinking that SL speaker cable in such a system is an option that I would seriously consider.