NAP300 DR upgrade run-in

Hello Keith,

As daft as it might sound, I'm still hearing subtle sonic gains, over five months after the installation of my DR'd 500. The 300 and 500 become very different amplifiers when DR-upgraded.

In the early stages you may well get a day or two when the sound goes off big-time. A 24 hour 'thin and screechy' period had me a bit worried, but it soon passed.

Put simply; the peaks and troughs in performance seem gradually to become less noticeable as time passes, with the gains shining through very strongly.

John.

Thanks John,

Wow, five months is a fair old time, although it could be argued that the best upgrade would be the one that keeps going forever!

what were the gains you experienced? 

I've just had my set of three NAP500 DR upgraded and also re-capped a week ago today - the run it has been bumpy with some days not really listenable if I wanted music!

Reaching 7 days today and they are beginning to open-out and sound musically interesting in the ways I'd anticipated, but I expect another week or two of bumps in performance ahead.

Individual listening preference and system will determine how annoying run-in is. Active allows you to hear what is happening a bit too well - the highs and lows are more. I prefer my system to do all the work for me and just present the music, so any fatigue while listening past run-in niggles I have little tolerance for.

A few days ago if asked do I prefer my old well run-in set of NAP500 or the new feisty DR hooligans then present I'd have chosen my old Amps in a heartbeat, as it was not subtle.

But now things are looking-up - I've been here before when I first purchased the NAP500 many years ago when it took at least three weeks before I moved away from thinking I'd made a mistake. They took about three months to open-out and another six months to really become magical,

With the DR I shall see how it goes, but expect JN has it right.

DB.

Nice move, Keith. I hope your DR'ed 300 gives you much please.  My 300DR was brand new, so arguably had more to run in, and I was running in a new pair of XLR SL cables. But to be honest I really didn't notice much of a run in.  Once fully warmed up it sounded lovely and stayed that way.   

Mike

Darke Bear posted:

I've just had my set of three NAP500 DR upgraded and also re-capped a week ago today - the run it has been bumpy with some days not really listenable if I wanted music!

Reaching 7 days today and they are beginning to open-out and sound musically interesting in the ways I'd anticipated, but I expect another week or two of bumps in performance ahead.

Individual listening preference and system will determine how annoying run-in is. Active allows you to hear what is happening a bit too well - the highs and lows are more. I prefer my system to do all the work for me and just present the music, so any fatigue while listening past run-in niggles I have little tolerance for.

A few days ago if asked do I prefer my old well run-in set of NAP500 or the new feisty DR hooligans then present I'd have chosen my old Amps in a heartbeat, as it was not subtle.

But now things are looking-up - I've been here before when I first purchased the NAP500 many years ago when it took at least three weeks before I moved away from thinking I'd made a mistake. They took about three months to open-out and another six months to really become magical,

With the DR I shall see how it goes, but expect JN has it right.

DB.

You're a patient man, DB

Thanks Mike and DB,

I've just left it playing on repeat for the night. I know some disconnect the speakers, but I'm not bothering with that for now.

incidently, the amp was with Naim for just under three weeks so it looks like they've sorted out their problems from earlier in the year.

The amps need a load - the speakers - to draw current, so it will run-in quicker if you don't disconnect the speakers.

I concur with JN and DB as I have had the same experience.

I have had my 300DR for 7 weeks now and it is still settling in. At the start I had a 24 hour period where is sounded just as JN describes, thin and screechy, so much so I could not listen to it. I have also been running in Chord STA din>xlr so I am sure that is playing a part too. 

I am now finding the bumps are becoming fewer and far less noticeable, it`s just getting better.

My previous 250DR took about 4-5 months to fully settle in.

So relax and enjoy the ride as you have more to come in the following weeks and months.

Darke Bear posted:

The amps need a load - the speakers - to draw current, so it will run-in quicker if you don't disconnect the speakers.

Thanks DB, a top tip. I'll just have to keep the sonic barrage going night and day until after Guy Fawke's night!

Congratulations Keith. I can't speak for the 300DR but I do remember that my old 300 took months and months to give its best. The good news is that after around a month it was cruising at an altitude where small increases in performance would just make it sound even more amazing than it already did - something you wouldn't have thought possible. This continuous giving really does make it feel like money well spent and it's been the same for us with DR.  We've had our 500DR for around three months and it hasn't stopped unfolding yet. I'd give yours until Christmas. Seriously.

Been running in a DRed 250 for a week now and there were some really unlistenable days at the beginning but it is sounding extremely good already. I did ask my dealer and his response was "2 or 3 months if they are recapped; 1-2 weeks if it was just the upgrade."

I guess I'll know how true this is in another week but the unit is certainly up to a concentrated listening session now. I don't imagine this is significantly different for a 300DR.

Hi Keith,

I am at the same point as you with my upgraded and serviced 300; I reinstalled it into the system on Friday, which had been stripped down and rebuilt from scratch.  I also installed SL speaker cables (ex dem so well run in) to replace my NACA 5 .  I was listening to my NDS through my Yamaha AV amp while the 300 was away and was then on holiday for the two weeks before it arrived back.  I'd kind of got used to the sound through the Yammy so the first listen to the rebuilt Naim was somewhat grin inducing on that basis alone! 

I know it will take a while to come fully on song and that the road to that point will have some bumps in it but the potential is there to hear.  Enjoy the road, bumps and all, as I will.

Cheers,

Ian

had my 300 back about 3 weeks, was an instant improvement and am happy to wait for it to come into its own, money well spent imho

It would seem that quite a few of us have recently had our amps returned to us.

So, I can expect mine to be there or there abouts after a month pretty much sorted by xmas, with the possibility of the odd screechy day early on.

My 300 was away for 3 or 4 weeks being DR'd during which my main system was completely unused. When I got the amp back I plugged it in and left it powered up for a day or so before listening to any music. I must admit when I did listen for the first time I was not that impressed, and couldn't be sure I could hear any improvement at all. The next day the music seemed much better and in the days following even better still. I'm only a week or so after getting it back and it is clearly a much improved amp - more detail and separation of instruments and definitely money well spent.

Naim really do give great customer service with their retrofitting policy. I've got a much better amp without selling my old one.

I plugged my newly recapped and DR'd 300 a few hours ago and my initial reaction is a big WOW! Usually a clearer sound means more listening fatigue, but so far the system sounds clearer AND smoother at the same time. I'm eager to hear what it will do once fully run in.

Claude

I've been informed that the upgrade will be available here in Sydney within the next two weeks, I'm so excited is can't sleep.