Any left field ideas for an upgrade?

I have the same system, but recently replaced my s20s with new speakers and have been amazed by how much more the system is capable of. Posted on it - ART diamond speakers, but if you do a significant upgrade with more full-range speakers, it will make a difference, although it takes a lot to beat the s20s. Br Lars

DRing the 300 is really a must in all respects. Have a trial and listen in situ if you still have doubts. Be only aware of that very light touch of brightness coming with it.  

Chag -

sounds like move to Nap500 only makes sense if planning to get way bigger speakers - given that it is not the case, nap 300DR could very well be the endgame...

Or maybe even going down to a Nap 250DR - for a full DR system?

NAP500 is not just more power... it's a significantly better sounding amp.  Speaker size should not be the deciding factor. 

Spend a shed load on music. Buy things from genres you don't usually listen to. Buy some stuff for nostalgia, or just a bit randomly. Get some Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sufi devotional singing, some ambient electronics from Bing and Ruth, a bit of heavy metal, some indie pop, Southern gothic Americana, modern jazz, mediaeval plainsong and some 70s disco. Buy up everything your favourite artist has ever released. Whatever. Listen to it and have fun.

It is what your HiFi is for. I bet it sounds excellent.

Well, you asked. 

Bruce. (Starting his day off with the first two artists in that list)

Hmm "left field" is not exactly NAP500 or speakers but more like "Ditch the NDS for X or swap the 552 for Y". Neither of which I would suggest just now.

I'd definately get the 300 DRd, or perhaps by a long in the tooth NAP500 (as old as you can find and therefore lowest cost) and then pay to have it recapped and DRed to current spec. Once you move to one of the DR power amps, the next step will present itself obviously.

Is say this from experience that DR does sound very different and offers more of everything but it does absolutely make speakers behave differently. You may find it an improvement in all areas or you may find it (as I did) breaks the spell slightly if your current speakers were carefully matched with your non 300, As soon as you DR the amp, you are effectively using speakers with an amp you never originally matched them to. In my case, a speaker change was required to something more capable of the 250DRs more linear low frequency delivery.

But if "left field" is truly what you're after, fine. Sell the NDS, buy a Revox reel-to-reel and reverse rip everything on your NAS to tape

Your system looks finished to me. If you have to spend any money you should dr the 300 to bring it up to latest spec

Building on what Zen said - don't mess about, get an old NAP 500 and DR when funds available. A very significant sound upgrade for you. You already have a 552 anyway. The extra power is a bonus but is not what the 500 is about

If you haven't done so and have too much cash burning a hole in your pocket, get the the SuperLumina full loom

I also like this idea on buying a shed-load of music, especially from the artists you don't know.
Probably more fun than some fancy DR transistors 

Dedicated mains supply? And music (listen to some vinyl!).

Mango - the advantage of the S20s is that they are very room friendly.  At a price there are undoubtedly "better" speakers out there but could you accomodate them.   

I personally prefer the drive and grip afforded by the 500 over the 300 but not everyone would agree.  

It could be you've reached your zenith in which case DR treatment for your 300 is a must  

Regards,

Lindsay

500 is a different to every Naim power amp. It is a bridged amplifier, and the speaker return currents do not flow to system earth where distortion can be injected back into the system.

That is where I would put the upgrade money.

I once tried my NAP 250 DR (not run in) against NAP 500 (with 552 as a preamp)

The NAP 250 DR was in this case, easily trounced by the 500 as it should be (considering the price difference)

The very good Leftfeild upgrade for any system is some Rhythm and Stealth  : )

MangoMonkey posted:

Or maybe even going down to a Nap 250DR - for a full DR system?

MM,

I thought you considered that the pairing of the S20s with anything less than the NAP300 was a no-no.

Adding a spellchecker or perhaps spiel cheka

Go active with the S20's ?

naim_nymph posted:

The very good Leftfeild upgrade for any system is some Rhythm and Stealth  : )

Oddly enough I was giving this one a spin earlier today.

feeling_zen posted:

naim_nymph posted:

The very good Leftfeild upgrade for any system is some Rhythm and Stealth  : )

Oddly enough I was giving this one a spin earlier today.

will check this out

DR the 300

then replace the 552 with Townsend Allegri

Thanks for all the music recommendations. That should keep me busy for a while...

sjbabbey posted:

MangoMonkey posted:

Or maybe even going down to a Nap 250DR - for a full DR system?

MM,

I thought you considered that the pairing of the S20s with anything less than the NAP300 was a no-no.

You're right - I don't recommend the kudos s20s with the nap250.2. I don't recall how the 250DRs did...

Have you thought about the Melco range feeding the NDS. I'veheard very good reports re sound quality improvements,especially hi-res downloads.

I never heard the S20s with the old 250 but then when I owned that amp I had a love-hate relationship with it such that eventually I reverted to a 200.  But I can confirm that the 250DR just sings with the S20s. 

Looks like a more than capable system to me! But your profile needs an uppgrade ;-)

Do you have fraim, power lines, etc. for all boxes? And why not consider an PowerIgel? An alternative to new music could be a nice tuner (I for sure  miss mine!).

Regarding 300 and DR, since you already have two DR products I would be surprised I you would not like this as well. To me they shared alot of sonic character when I auditioned DR versions vs. mine none DR (sc, 555, 300).

As a possible recap, DR update, SL I/C, possibly SL speakers then, seem very sensible options before new speakers. 

Chag -