300 DR upgrade or 500

What is the rest of your system ?

i believe the DR upgrade for the 300 is about £1500 and a new 500DR is listed by Naim at just under £21000, so even with a discount on a new NAP 500DR you would be looking at well above £15000 more with one option than with the other. Only you can know if spending that sort of money is worth you thinking about.

best

David

555DR, 552DR.

Hadn't appreciated how much a new 500DR cost.

You could always get a good sh 500 and ipgrade to dr for around 12k.....ish

Bryce Curdy posted:

555DR, 552DR.

Hadn't appreciated how much a new 500DR cost.

What are your speakers and sources for the music?

How old is the 300 ; => 10 years may need service +DR conversion.

Sounds as though the 500DR cost is a bit of a surprise to you.

I had a 2 year old 300, but decided to trade in for a new one. Faster turnaround and full 5 year warranty.

Maybe a 300DR plus Super Lumina (or something from Chord) cabling may give you the performance you want. Can you arrange a home demo?

A 500DR will always win on performance at a cost.

If everything else is equal - it rarely is! - I'd say a 500 particularly with a 555/552.

Regards,

Lindsay 

The Strat (Fender) posted:

If everything else is equal - it rarely is! - I'd say a 500 particularly with a 555/552.

Regards,

Lindsay 

What does the 555 refer to though; CD transport or power supply? He did say 555DR which must be the PSU.

Sorry, didn't make myself clear.

Source is CD555.  (I also have a Rega Planar 3 for a smallish vinyl collection.)

300 is eleven years old.

Speakers are Sonus Faber Grand Pianos (original version).  I recognise they are the weakest link.

Power Cables and interconnects are Chord Sarum Tuned Aray.  Will upgrade to Super Aray in due course.  Speaker cable is also Chord, can't remember which brand.

i think I had it in my head a 500 was about £15k rather than north of £20k and hadn't really thought things through properly.  I'm guessing I might get £3k trade in on my 300 leaving over £17k for the 500 upgrade versus £1500 possibly plus service cost for the 300 DR upgrade.  Miles apart sadly.

Upgrading to Super ARAY would be worthwhile - you could even try the Music (I haven't yet ).  

I would suggest that you think about the combined DR and service for the NAP300/300PS as it is good price - but I am not sure how long the waiting list and the work time is. 

Service and DRing on a 500 is £4900, waiting list was a month and they've had it a week so far.

Why not look for a used 500? There are a few around and you could always DR at a later date.

intothevoid posted:

Why not look for a used 500? There are a few around and you could always DR at a later date.

 

 

This was exactly my course of action when the time came to consider the DR for my 300.  It didnt need a service and iv always loved it.  It was running my Vivid G3's very well but they could certainly handle a bigger beast.  Mr dealer happened to have a non DRd 500 on their books that really needed replacing with the latest technology.  The price they offered me for the EX dem was just toooo tempting - stupidly good.  The 300 is now in my second system with its old friends and the 500 is gripping the living daylights out of my Vivids - it was a fabulous upgrade and ive got the DR to look forward to - maybe next year ... 

If you're not going to keep the 300 you could bring down the cost of an ex dem non DRd 500 even further - if the speakers warrant it and the cash is to hand... plenty of choices really if the cost of new 500DR is a  a little eye watering.  Certainly was for me but no regrets with my decision here 

Even SH feels very costly.  I had a substantial backdated pay rise that allowed me to buy the 552, and at the risk of causing controversy always though that a 552/300 was a much better combo than a 252/500 (at much the same cost) for those of us lucky enough to afford either but not quite lucky enough to afford both. Has there been a thread addressing this comparison, surely?

I doubt there will be any controversy - the 552/300 is much better than the 252/500 because the preamp is far more important. I've always preferred the 300 to the 500 and if it were me, and because you are clearly balking at the cost of the 500, I'd just get your 300 serviced and DRed. 

I think I'd already decided that.  I'd consider the 500 if it was VFM but relative to other upgrades sounds like it's possibly not.  Good to know I'm not missing a trick.

Have you done a demo?

Alba1320 posted:

^ I would have thought that 555DR refers to the CD player, not the PSU.

There is no power supply IN the 555 cd player; thus nothing to "DR" in it.

Bryce Curdy posted:

Sorry, didn't make myself clear.

Source is CD555.  (I also have a Rega Planar 3 for a smallish vinyl collection.)

Then you NEED a 500.

I had a 552/300 before and I was amased when a 500 transformed a performance of the CD555.

I have not heard a 300DR but somehow I very much doubt it'll sound like a *mini* 500.

The intro of a 500DR devalued a standard used 500 so perhaps waiting for a gently used 500 might be the way to go. and later if the funds allow, DR it.

kuma posted:

Bryce Curdy posted:

Sorry, didn't make myself clear.

Source is CD555.  (I also have a Rega Planar 3 for a smallish vinyl collection.)

Then you NEED a 500.

I had a 552/300 before and I was amased when a 500 transformed a performance of the CD555.

I have not heard a 300DR but somehow I very much doubt it'll sound like a *mini* 500.

The intro of a 500DR devalued a standard used 500 so perhaps waiting for a gently used 500 might be the way to go. and later if the funds allow, DR it.

I don't NEED a £20k+ Power Amplifier.  Even relative to a very expensive system that has taken me almost 30 years to build up, that is an obscene amount of money for 99.9% of the population.  But I might WANT a second hand one.

Bryce Curdy posted:

Sorry, didn't make myself clear.

Source is CD555.  (I also have a Rega Planar 3 for a smallish vinyl collection.)

300 is eleven years old.

Speakers are Sonus Faber Grand Pianos (original version).  I recognise they are the weakest link.

Power Cables and interconnects are Chord Sarum Tuned Aray.  Will upgrade to Super Aray in due course.  Speaker cable is also Chord, can't remember which brand.

i think I had it in my head a 500 was about £15k rather than north of £20k and hadn't really thought things through properly.  I'm guessing I might get £3k trade in on my 300 leaving over £17k for the 500 upgrade versus £1500 possibly plus service cost for the 300 DR upgrade.  Miles apart sadly.

You'll be doing really well if you can get £3K for an 11 year old 300 (which by now also needs a service).  There are a glut of them on the second hand market due to the DR release.  Prices on eBay dropped by £750-1000 due to number available and by not being latest spec.  I replaced three 300s (active system) with new DRed 300s around a year ago and got between £2750 and £3000 for each.  They were 8 years old at the time and were advertised separately so that I didn't end up competing with myself bid wise.

Graham Clarke posted:

Bryce Curdy posted:

Sorry, didn't make myself clear.

Source is CD555.  (I also have a Rega Planar 3 for a smallish vinyl collection.)

300 is eleven years old.

Speakers are Sonus Faber Grand Pianos (original version).  I recognise they are the weakest link.

Power Cables and interconnects are Chord Sarum Tuned Aray.  Will upgrade to Super Aray in due course.  Speaker cable is also Chord, can't remember which brand.

i think I had it in my head a 500 was about £15k rather than north of £20k and hadn't really thought things through properly.  I'm guessing I might get £3k trade in on my 300 leaving over £17k for the 500 upgrade versus £1500 possibly plus service cost for the 300 DR upgrade.  Miles apart sadly.

You'll be doing really well if you can get £3K for an 11 year old 300 (which by now also needs a service).  There are a glut of them on the second hand market due to the DR release.  Prices on eBay dropped by £750-1000 due to number available and by not being latest spec.  I replaced three 300s (active system) with new DRed 300s around a year ago and got between £2750 and £3000 for each.  They were 8 years old at the time and were advertised separately so that I didn't end up competing with myself bid wise.

I'm sure you're right.  I was hoping my dealer might soften the pain of a new 500 with a generous trade in.  Probably wishful thinking!

I think you should be able to get about 10% discount and if you are doing a trade-in then you could probably add a lowish trade-in price to that, as it is so old, so maybe £4K or a few hundred more off the new unit.

It would be a lot more hassle, but you could get your 300 serviced and DRd and then think about a trade-in for a new 500DR at a later date when/if funds allow.  I think this approach would maximise the trade-in value of your 300, since you are dealing with the pain of getting the service and upgrade done.  And of course you could find that the updated 300 is good enough to forget about the 500DR altogether.

best

David

David Hendon posted:

  And of course you could find that the updated 300 is good enough to forget about the 500DR altogether.

best

David

Bryce Curdy posted:

I don't NEED a £20k+ Power Amplifier.  Even relative to a very expensive system that has taken me almost 30 years to build up, that is an obscene amount of money for 99.9% of the population.  But I might WANT a second hand one.

MSRP

552 about 20K

CD 555 about 15K

555PS about 6K

Yeah, about 30 years

Only you can decide, and that decision would most likely be based on time and money.

300 DR Upgrade

2nd hand 500

Brand New 500, out of the Question.

Hence, 300 DR Upgrade, or 500!

Either Route, Killer System.

 Enjoy your Music, the Why.

Allante93!

Allante93 posted:

Bryce Curdy posted:

I don't NEED a £20k+ Power Amplifier.  Even relative to a very expensive system that has taken me almost 30 years to build up, that is an obscene amount of money for 99.9% of the population.  But I might WANT a second hand one.

MSRP

552 about 20K

CD 555 about 15K

555PS about 6K

Yeah, about 30 years

Only you can decide, and that decision would most likely be based on time and money.

300 DR Upgrade

2nd hand 500

Brand New 500, out of the Question.

Hence, 300 DR Upgrade, or 500!

Either Route, Killer System.

 Enjoy your Music, the Why.

Allante93!

 

Posted by OP:

I think I'd already decided that.  I'd consider the 500 if it was VFM but relative to other upgrades sounds like it's possibly not.  Good to know I'm not missing a trick.

Missed your reply, but you are point on!

300 DR Upgrade.