SuperUniti vs. 172XS & NAP200

Posted by: DC71 on 14 June 2016

Hi,

I'm looking at one of the above options as there are a couple of used/ex-demo units available here in Singapore.

Can anyone give advice on the relative differences in sound quality/signature and pros & cons of these options. I want to keep to 2 boxes maximum, and the SuperUniti is coming up around 15% more expensive than the 172 combo before cables.

Room is around 30sqm and speaker options could be one of:
Focal Aria 926/936
Proac Studio 140 mk2
Monitor Audio Silver8 (although leaning away from this due to the rear port which can be troublesome in Singapore apartments with concrete walls/ceilings & marble floors)
Goldenear Triton 5/7
Revel Performa if any come up used

Home demos are not really an option here so the best I can do in listening is at the dealer with the Focal speakers.

 Thanks in advance
Dylan

Posted on: 15 June 2016 by Eloise

I was under the impression that the SuperUniti had a superior streamer / DAC to the NAC-N 172XS; but has an inferior power amp section to the NAC200.

Posted on: 15 June 2016 by PeterJ

I agree with Eloise. If you look at new costs the SU is more expensive than the 172/155XS combination. I would go with the SU (I'm biased and have one). You can always add a power amp on later. The other option is to look for a S/H NAC-N272 (which are coming on the market now) and run that with a NAP 200.

Posted on: 15 June 2016 by Huge

The choice will vary depending on the particular speakers in use (the more difficult the load, the more they will favour the NAP200) and your personal preference for the different sonic signatures of the two solutions.  Listening is really the only way for you to tell which you prefer.

Posted on: 15 June 2016 by David Hendon

The SU has the SHARC DSP that is used in the higher end streamers (ND5-xs, NDX, NDS, NAC N-272 and SU) whereas the NAC 172-xs is more akin to the rest of the Uniti range. The power amplifier in the SU is very capable although people who have added a NAP 200 say that does improve the sound over a bare SU. Personally I like the SU a lot (I use one in my home office) and if it were me making the choice that is what I would buy.

best

David

Posted on: 15 June 2016 by DC71

I thought I posted this in Hi-fi corner, maybe the mods can move it as it's not just a streaming topic.

Thanks for the replies, I guess the only way is listening for ourselves, as I do see from other threads that some people prefer the 172/200 combo while some prefer the SU, and 272 is well out of price range for the moment.

Posted on: 15 June 2016 by Simon-in-Suffolk

Hi DC71, I have heard the SU and heard the 172 many times in different locations. The 172 is a real gem and sounds fantastic with a NAP300 into Kudos Titans.. ok perhaps not a typical combo, but is a testament to the quality of the 172. It has wonderful smoothness and natural sound in this setup. Sometimes less is more.

However according to Naim the 172 uses the same TI DAC converter as the NDX, and uses the same DSP reconstruction filtering techniques as used elsewhere on the Naim portfolio.

if you use the 172 with the 155 amp you might find it sounds sublime with speakers like from Russel K .. which I have heard sounding very good together.

Simon

Posted on: 16 June 2016 by DC71

Thanks Simon,

Yes I've been eyeing the RK Red100's since I heard about them, but there's no distributor yet here in Singapore. I may be tempted to bring a set back next time I go back to the UK, as I have a feeling they would work quite well on the end of my current Qute & Odyssey amp.

With my current speakers I will most likely need some room treatment as the rear ports have excited a 45-50hz room mode which I never had with other speakers - various with sealed box, downward port or PMC transmission line.