282/200 - What a revelation....

Last week I took delivery of a 282/200 to replace my SuperNait. I had not planned for this but as fate would have it a very good offer presented itself for a mint 282, barely a year old. The offer was simply too good to let it pass by. I was lucky enough to source an equally newish 200 shortly afterwards and both finally arrived at the end of last week. I spent the weekend taking down my system, readjusting the individual Fraim levels and setting it all up again. And I have to say, I am absolutely blown away by the difference this joint upgrade has made to the overall performance of my system and more importantly the enjoyment derived from the music being played. The 282 adds a level of resolution and presence that is simply way above that which I had experienced with the SuperNait so far. The 200, or both together, has added a level of control that I had simply not experienced thus far. Both suit the Forest perfectly, the speakers are absolutely loving it. In fact they've been waiting for this ever since I bought them.

It has been a long journey to finally arrive at a point again where things are well balanced. Some of you may recall from my earlier posts that I started out with a CD5X/ Nait XS/ FC2X/ Totem Arro combo. I was very happy with that system, well balanced, simple and all the more fascinating for it. As with many here I had an itch to upgrade to bigger and better speakers though. For me it was the Forest and albeit I loved them from the first day on they were the primary cause for all the upgrades and headaches that have followed since. My system became unbalanced by their introduction, the Nait XS was no longer sufficiently powerful to drive them properly. The SuperNait followed. I liked it a lot but never quite loved it completely, something was still missing. The bass of the Forest remained uncontrolled with certain types of music and at times at high volumes too. To be fair room acoustics also played a part in this. I experimented with mass loading, 5Kg of dry silica sand in each of the lower cabinets did some good but it still was not perfect.

For a long time I categorically dismissed the pre/power route, for rack space and financial reasons. The SuperNait seemed like the ideal solution, when it wasn't, not for the Forest at least, not in my system and the room the speakers are in. It is difficult to quantify but I would go so far as to say that the 282/200 has been the most significant and rewarding upgrade so far in a long chain of upgrades. This combination is so sweet, absolutely sublime. Today I was reading another post here on the forum, where someone spoke of his level of contentment, that for the first time he felt he had reached a point where things were just right. I had that exact feeling when I heard the 282/200 playing for the first time. All that came to mind was WOW! The energy and drive this combination brings to the party is in a different league completely. The Forest just can't get enough of it and I am loving it!!

I should add, the 282/200 was great on its own when I first heard it. In fact I had planned to run this combination without any additional power supply to save me another Fraim level. For better or worse I still had my FCXS lying about and decided to hook it up to the 282, just to see what sort of difference it made. And what a difference it did make! It brought the entire presentation alive to a point that I had not experienced with the Nait XS or SuperNait thus far. TBO I never thought the FCXS or HC2 for that matter made such a big change to the SuperNait to begin with and couldn't quite understand some people's comments here on the forum. I had tested both at home extensively and stayed with the FCXS instead of changing to the HC2. But whatever reservations I may have had regarding the usage of these PSUs with those two amps, with the 282 it was at an entirely different level. I then decided to connect another SNAIC cable to power the second analogue section of the 282 and although the impact it made was not as substantial as the first one, it was still clearly audible. I have said this before when comparing the effect of the FCXS with that of the HC2 on the SuperNait, and this experience has reinforced my view, the FCXS may just be the best VFM upgrade within the Naim hierarchy of PSUs and it quite possibly does not receive the recognition it deserves. It would be interesting to hear how it compares to a HC2 or even a SC on the 282.

Last but not least I would like to share some thoughts and emotions. On occasions I have been quite outspoken against upgrades in general and the all too free recommendation of them here on the forum. My often critical response was driven by a genuine belief that spending your money on yet more and better hifi equipment is not going to make anyone happy. In some ways I thought all this was quite simply an obscene indulgence that bears no justification whatsoever, while all along I slowly but surely tweaked my system here and there to the level it is at today. My reservations still remain but for the first time I can honestly say that this upgrade has made me think about whether I might not have been a bit too harsh on you folks and myself. At the end of the day everyone will have made similar experiences at one time or another, at one level or another. Who am I to know where that level is at? The bug has bitten, I am already dreaming of a 250! 

Thanks

tp