ndac & sn2 vs nac272 & nap200

Posted by: Zachris on 28 December 2015

Hello there,

I did an interesting home demo with gear mentioned in the topic.

Ndac plus sn2 > crisp, airy (especially after ndac firmware), punchy and detailed sound with a lot of rhythmic drive.

Nac272 & nap200 > different sound signature, I heard similar power and control, but didn't like so much the dac section of nac272. I found it a bit stretched, the sound was in my speakers, not spreading all over my room.

So, after ndac firmware, I'm very happy with my current setup ndac>sn2>linn majik 140's.

Posted on: 28 December 2015 by hungryhalibut

Out of interest, how do you know it's the DAC section that you didn't like, rather than the preamp section, or the 200 power amp? Surely there are too many variables to draw a conclusion?

That said, it's good that you are happy with what you have and not feeling the need to swap to something else.

Posted on: 28 December 2015 by Zachris

That's true, it could be also the preamp section or them both.

How do you see it generally, does sound quality of the classic dac still compete with newer gear, for instance ndx, nds, nac272?

best wishes