DR - 200 DR

Posted by: Adi Stefan on 04 May 2016

Helloo,

Maybe its a nooby question but...i've read a lot about dr, what is "dr" doying to 200? I will have nac 202+nap 200dr, do i need anymore napsc or hicapdr ? If its must hicapdr why do we need dr to 200? I must admit i will do audition tests in few days so be patience and help with your experience.

Thank you.

Adi S

Posted on: 04 May 2016 by Richard Dane

The NAP200DR adds some "DR" discrete regulation to it's pre-amp supply section. As for a NAC202 partnered with the NAP200DR, the NAPSC is still the first upgrade step, and the Hicap/Hicap DR still represents an upgrade over the pre-amp supply within the NAP200DR.

Posted on: 04 May 2016 by ChrisSU

The 200DR supplies power to the preamp using DR technology like that in the HicapDR. Unlike the 250 and above, the power amp itself is not DR, and has only minor changes to circuitry compared to the old 200. If you want to keep the box count low, that makes it a good option, as you might decide, subject to audition, of course, that you are happy without a Hicap. Don't get rid of your Napsc, though.

Edit: Richard beat me to it, but I think we're essentially saying the same thing.

Posted on: 04 May 2016 by Richard Dane

Just to be clear (because the above post from Chris could be read ambiguously by some), the DR pre-amp supply within the NAP200DR is not the same as the HICAP DR. It is a fair bit smaller and it is a single rail supply as opposed to dual-rail in the HICAP.

Posted on: 04 May 2016 by analogmusic

The Hicap DR makes 202/200 another amplifier altogether.

Even though 200 DR has the regulator, it is sharing its power with the 202.

Once you add HicapDR, the 200 keeps all the current for itself (which improves the performance) and the 202 gets a massive, massive power supply almost as big as the one inside the 200, and the soundstage expands in all directions, the noise floor goes way down, and the performance takes on a "live" in the room quality.

Just more music extracted

Posted on: 04 May 2016 by ChrisSU

Richard Dane posted:
Just to be clear (because the above post from Chris could be read ambiguously by some), the DR pre-amp supply within the NAP200DR is not the same as the HICAP DR. It is a fair bit smaller and it is a single rail supply as opposed to dual-rail in the HICAP.

Thanks for the info, Richard. When the 200DR came along, it seemed like a good solution for me as I didn't want to exceed my self-imposed 3 box limit, so will not be buying a Hicap. I'll leave it to others to figure out weather it's worth it for them. For the OP, I would imagine the cost saving of a used non-DR 200 would be worthwhile if buying a Hicap.