NAC-N 272 or NAC-N 172 and NAP 200

In my mind the credo of Source first rings true.  Get the 272 now.  Save up for a new amp.  Presumably the NAP 160 is adequate to drive you speakers.  I hate losing money on trading gear.  Also, home demo the combo and see how it sounds.

This is being said, but please understand that I have never heard any of the equipment you have.

hello. it would be useful if you would tell us about the speakers... no setup is complete without them, am i correct?

while i endorse a setup comprising 172 and 200DR with Ovator s400 speakers, i cannot help myself in thinking that 172/155 combo is a very good one indeed, and, depending on speakers, maybe all that one might need...

other good things to try around those would be the 172/200DR combo, the superuniti, or the ND5xs + nait XS (1 or 2). from all of these, i rated 172/200DR superior in every aspect on S400, bettering SU, ND5+XS, and obviously 172/155 and also 172/200(nonDR).

while i love some of the older Naim gear (i used and "abused" a fabled NAP180) i cannot help in thinking that if not properly serviced, the sound would be vague at best, cause aging has it's damaging effect on most electronic components, and mostly on caps.

I would never snigger at anyone using a Nap160, one of Naim's best IMO. A 172 or 272, if that is where you want to head, would likely work well with the 160, and you can always try a 200 later on. I used a DacV1 with a 160 very successfully for a while.

No, nothing at all wrong with a NAP160.  My own 160 was sounding rather "off" so went to Naim for a full service.  It is now sounding rather wonderful and for a giggle I have put it in the main system, paired up with the 552 and driving the SL2s.  In fact, so good is it that I'm wondering whether it's time to get the NAP250 serviced...

This may sound a bit weird coming from someone who currently has a 172/250 (and thinks it's great), but since you know where you want to end up, best to get there in as few steps as possible. Less faff, less total expenditure on the journey from here to there, and greatest wow factor for each step along the way (assuming auditions prove favourable etc).

So if your 160 works OK with your speakers, I second Brubacca's advice to go for the 272 now & straight to 250 when funds permit.

I'm a poor person too, and my less direct route to the same intended destination is only a result of grabbing what looked like good s/h deals that cropped up.

Hi Catalinmetal.  The speakers I am currently using are KEF LS50's - which I like a lot.  They have (at least temporarily) replaced my nearly 40 year old pair of Spendor BC1's.  (A 'friend' was kind enough to blow the drivers in the Spendors for me.  Fixing them is another long term project.)  I'm also planning to get a NAS and start ripping all my CD's onto it - but that's a whole other subject!

btw - I've tried, but failed, to work out what your name means.  I shall be very embarrassed if you reveal that it's your real name!

The 160 is great. Get the 272, use it with the 160 and get a 250DR at some point. I certainly wouldn't bother with a 172/200 and then lose money when you sell at a later date. A 272/160 will sound a lot better than a 172/200 anyway, so it's win/win. 

Hi Richard.   As a matter of interest how much would it cost me to get my 160 serviced?

Email Naim or contact class A in Sheffield who are authorised Naim service agents.  My 160 cost about £240 2 years ago at Class A.  It sounds wonderful. 

Carefully audition a new Power amplifier when you get round to it. It may  have a very different sonic signature to the 160.

Sister xx

Thank you all for your contributions.  I obviously need to have a listen to both combinations.  But if you're right (HungryHalibut) that the 282/160 will sound better than the 172/200 then that definitely seems the way to go.  I had it in mind that the latter might be a more 'balanced' combination - but if the 282/160 sounds better then I guess it's a no brainer.

You mean 272, don't you? A 272/100 would be better than a 172/200, so you have nothing to worry about with the 160. If you want the combination to be less visually jarring you can reverse the case on the 160, assuming it's the sleeved rather than early bolt down version. 

Oooh!  Yes I did mean the 272.  And I'm not at all worried the cases being visually jarring.  In fact I probably suffer from a bit of reverse snobbery and actually prefer the things in my rack to all look different rather than all matching perfectly!

forBarry posted:

Hi Catalinmetal.  The speakers I am currently using are KEF LS50's - which I like a lot.  They have (at least temporarily) replaced my nearly 40 year old pair of Spendor BC1's.  (A 'friend' was kind enough to blow the drivers in the Spendors for me.  Fixing them is another long term project.)  I'm also planning to get a NAS and start ripping all my CD's onto it - but that's a whole other subject!

btw - I've tried, but failed, to work out what your name means.  I shall be very embarrassed if you reveal that it's your real name!

my name is Catalin, "metal" was only added 'cause i'm into heavy metal (just a fan, and not a musician, though)...

regarding old speakers and hifi... better left them to die... many components, and caps mostly, degrade unrecoverably with time. better get new ones, even entrylevels, because a degraded amp or speaker does not at all as intended when new...

and if you said that budget is a concert to you, why setting a target that is not at all inexpensive? i would try and see if lesser priced items like 172/155 suit my needs if i were you...

272/160 all the way if the streaming route is what you want. Just make sure you have the 160 serviced, either at Naim or Class A, in the UK. It will be the best few hundred pounds you spend on hifi. For me, a cooking 160 betters most Naim amps this side of a serviced set of chrome bumper 135's.