Nac 202

John, your Naim DAC would have come with a Naim interconnect as standard in the box (Grey lead with a 180 degree DIN5 at each end).   Unless moving up to a Hiline or Super Lumina i/c then use this grey lead as it's a lot better than its rather prosaic looks might lead to suspect.

The interconnect came in the same sealed plastic bag as the link plug and manual.

Hi nickpeacock: So what do you miss in the sonic presentation if you use the standard power lead instead of a powerline on the Napsc? I mean, napsc+pl is like a 40% increase to the price of a 202 preamp...

I can only speak from my experience of using a 282 but when my dealer popped round one evening and said let's try a Powerline on the Napsc we were both stunned at the immediate and obvious performance improvement.  Yes a PL costs more than a Naspc but the performance improvement was worth the outlay.  I don't know if the effect would be the same on a Napsc powering the control section of a 202, and the economics would look harder to justify, but always worth try if, like me, your dealer is prepared to loan you a Powerline before making any financial commitment.

BTW, that was my first experience of a Powerline and it was so positive that I now have five of them 

Mike 

I suspect it might be something to do with the earthing, and the difference between the two leads changes things.. We do know how sensitive the NACs are to earthing arrangements. If this is so, I suspect the effects will vary from system to system. Certainly when I tried a PL on my NAPSC with my 282 I could hear not notable difference at all.

Simon

Hi Erich

I understand what you mean. I had 102/250.1 and after a careful listen I upgraded directly to 252/300. I know that many people in the Forum seem to love the 282, but for me the gap in tonal accuracy and musicality between the 252 and the 282 was spectacular.

I've still to hear a 272 and I can't comment on it, but IMO you should be very happy with your decision.

Claude

given the fact that NAPSC power only the control circuits, i find this very hard to believe that by adding the powerline (or for that matter ANY other decent power chord) on a NAPSC did anything to the sound, other than pure placebo (not the band, mind you)

at least, for the 202, the circuit board has been deliberately "hi-jacked" by Naim to have a slightly loose power schematics... all that NAPSC does, is to close the power circuit correctly!!! and, of course, in this case, there should be a difference (gounding and voltage has an important impact in sound)

but changing the powerchord to this (merely) a jumper (of about 4-500 eur )... well, if they sell it, some must purchase it...

catalinmetal - I too thought it unlikely, given what the Naspc does. But my ears told me otherwise and in matters of hi-fi and music my ears have the final say.  Having said that, the Napsc controls the relays in the 282 and the stability of those relays must have the potential to affect the signal path so maybe there is a logical explanation.

Mike   

If a Naim product needed a mandatory upgrade it would be, well, weird.

Also sprach. Wouldn't it be safer to first conduct a series of tests - preferably blind ones - to verify such assumptions (that only suggest the possibility that RCA sockets are so faulted in a Naim unit to audibly sound so worse than DIN ones not to be bettered even by a HiCap) instead of perpetrating this audio folklore in saecula saeculorum?

Nothing personal, but have you listened to an RCA-connected Naim pre/power? Were you able to tell, without knowing, it was connected 'the wrong way'? Everybody knows the story about RCA plugs not having the 'correct' impedance for audio, and we all love DIN cords, but I would like to know how many here would be able to distinguish a DIN to DIN HiLine from an RCA to RCA one, in a blind test.

But, as I have learned here and elsewhere, blind tests have been proved fallacious, while biased perception is considered sovereign..

N