Upgrade feedback?

do a search, plenty of posts on this topic.

A. Really big step up.there are a good number of pre-loved non dr super caps around.Dr version even better if funds permit.

Some on here will tell you all you will ever need on a 282 is a Hicap. I disagree. I have the same system as you but had a naked NDX when I went from a Hicap (non DR) to a Supercap DR and the improvement was well worth the money IMHO. Now I cannot comment on what a Hicap DR would do as I have never tried it although I hear good things. The improvement in your system will also depend on how old your Hicap is and if it is need of a service or recapping.

Try and find a dealer who can loan you DR versions of both the Hicap and Supercap and you can evaluate which offer the best value for money in terms of SQ enhancement per pound in your system using your ears. Its the only way to be sure you are spending your money wisely. Remember if you are planning future upgrades particularly to the preamp, a Supercap DR would be ready and waiting for a 252 if you decide to go this route.

The other thing you might consider first is improving the DAC/Streamer side of things first. As well as borrowing DR power supplies maybe you could borrow an NDX for example and see.

Thanks for the feedback, my dilemma was whether or not the Supercap was an over-kill for the 282... My HiCap is a non-DR version, the Supercap I am considering is the DR version..

its been debated a lot, but Simon-in-suffolk says that the HCDR maxes out the 282.

Others say they still hear improvement from SC DR.

If you can afford it, go for it.

Just before the DR upgrades came out I auditioned the 282 and initially tried it with the HiCap and was impressed. But then tried an ex-demo SuperCap.  It took all of 30 secs to conclude that I had to have the SuperCap. The jump in performance was huge - more detail and a whopping great expansion in the soundstage.  So I'd thoroughly recommend a SC for the 282, whether or not the SuperCap is DR'ed.

Mike

In my view a Supercap DR is not overkill for the 282, but for you to be sure...... well I don't need to say it again.

If you are like most Naimees, the dreaded upgraditis is likely to strike again in the future. As well as hearing a worthwhile (in VFM terms) uplift in SQ with a Supercap DR powering the 282, another reason I skipped Hicap DR and went straight to Supercap DR was to accommodate a likely move to a 252 which you may know can only be used with a Supercap. Indeed if I am not mistaken Simon in Suffolk has fairly recently moved from a 282 to a 252 although this may have been unplanned. Correct me if I am wrong Simon.

You can often save money in the long run if you plan ahead and hence skip the odd upgrade.

Just a thought

Analog music, indeed I felt I got the best out of my 282 with my HiCapDR. I was not really convinced my SuperCaprDR really gave much more enjoyment to the 282, although it did sound different.. Put a 252 on the SCDR and whoosh .. You then have a significantly enhanced and I feel more enjoyable pre... if you have the sources to demonstrate it..

i think reading the forum posts going back, the non DR SuperCap must have been very worthwhile with the 282, although I never tried this... perhaps it just goes to show the benefit that DR technology can bring to the powersupplies.

Nigel, yes just about everything I do with my hifi is unplanned    i did move from 282 to 252 earlier this year.

Simon

I agree, there is no way the upgrades will stop and it will be less expensive to lay the base right, the SC2 it is then

From the many posts I have read from Simon in Suffolk it is clear he is very experienced and knowledgeable and is not prone to hyperbole or exaggeration so it is good to get a balanced view on this. Simon went from Hicap DR to Supercap DR on his 282 and I went from Hicap (non DR) to Supercap DR on my 282 so our comparisons are different. It is possible that the Hicap DR IS all you might need on a 282 but others have observed (or should that be 'heard') a significant benefit from using a Supercap (DR and non DR) on a 282. There is also future upgrades to think about as well. I have yet to enjoy the benefits of a Supercap DR powering a 252.

All my upgrades to date have been with the benefit and knowledge gained form home demos and I cannot recommend this enough.

I don't use the V1 as a headphone amp... I run all my music via a mini-PC music server running Jriver/Roon in lossless format (residing on a NAS). the DAC-V1 is connected to the PC via USB.

The reason I am considering the upgrade is my new speakers, I recently upgraded to a pair of Sonus Faber Amati Futura speakers and I believe that with these speakers I may end up getting more for the buck if I upgrade the HC (mine is an old non-DR version).

It seems many point to the V1 as the weak link, I am not sure how would the NDX provide an improvement over the V1 in my setup.

In theory ( I have to say that as I do not know the V1) surely you would be running a reference level DAC with those speakers.  If nto now it must be on the agenda. I run the relatively modest Vivid B1, only modest in this company, and my Naim DAC has an XPS DR power supply plus all the rest I have done to optimise it.  

You may have run similar speakers before, but I think at the lofty levels of the SFs, or even my B1s, everything makes a significant difference.

Hi Tareq,

Based on my own experience with an olive Supercap connected to the Nac282 for 7 years after upgrading fron one and to two Hicaps- non DR, I can say that it was a worthy upgrade  ( 2 years ago I changed it for a Nac552 but that is another story. If you can find a s/h olive Supercap try it.

Fabian

I took the plunge and went for the Supercap DR to replace my non-DR HiCap..... This thread opened up my eyes that I should audition the Naim DAC versus the DAC-V1, I want to see if my V1 (a device I really like) has become the weakest link with my upgraded speakers, pre and now power....

What Gary said. 282/SC2 - it's a no brainer. 

A DR version of the hi-cap is a big step up. The super cap DR might be better positioned with a 252, while it will of course also be a certain step up from a hi-cap.

But listen to it yourself and get an idea about the level of change.

True. A HCDR is much better than a HC. And also true, best to have a listen.

But I still think the SCDR justifies itself on a 282. I know not everyone agrees with this. There are some respected forum members who did the test also and did not feel they got the results in-line with the expense.

I went from HCDR to a SCDR on a 282 and it worked magic from the lower half of the spectrum. The lower frequencies became so much clearer (difference between hitting notes and playing notes) and the overall soundstage between a HCDR and SCDR are different animals entirely. I did not specifically notice much clarity improvement in the higher frequencies - but the overall improvement was still amazing.

The benefit of a SC is not measured by how many of the regulated outputs are used. There are people out there using a SCDR into a Headline with no regrets.