Upgrade choices?

As the PMCs aren't that difficult to drive, I'd suggest doing the XPS DR first.

(But don't then listen to a 250DR as well, as if you do you'll be scrabbling around desperate to find the funds for that as well!)

I really don't know which to advise. When I swapped from a SuperUniti with twenty.23s I went to a 272/250. I mentioned the idea of a 200 to my dealer and was advised that the 23s could do with the power. The 23s certainly sounded excellent on the end of the 250. System hierarchy suggests getting the XPS, but something tells me the 250 might be the way to go. I doubt you'd be disappointed with either. 

The 20.23s will have no trouble revealing what you throw at the source or amplification chain. I used them for a couple years and they were the lowest cost component of my hifi by a far margin barring the headphone arrangement. Unless you have a specific gripe with them, you can take your system to some fairly costly extremes and the PMCs will hold their own.

They will respond well to either change. I'm fully inclined to agree with Huge that maxing out the 272 with an XPSdr seems logical.

FWIW, I found that the 20.23s worked better with the older 250.2 than they did with the 250DR. The more linear sounding low end frequency response of the 250DR could make the 23s a bit thin sounding whereas the more compressed low frequency response of the 250.2 gave the 23s more bass scale since the oomph was delivered in a range the 23s could deal with better. The XPS is a safe bet but a 250dr could possibly break the spell. The 250dr has more going on at the lower end but needs a speaker that can show that off. There is only 1Hz difference in low end frequency response between 20.23s and 25.23s but I suspect the former has a rolloff that starts mich higher. The 250DR ultimately led me to change speakers. I was bessotted with with 20.23s until the day my 250 came back from having the DR upgrade.

So another option, I might consider in your shoes is an XPSdr and a second hand 250.2 (recent or older but recently recapped). Second hand 250.2 can be had for a bargain and the 20.23s just love that pairing.

I would go for a non dr 250

A PS makes a massive difference to the 272.

Buy either XPS DR or 555PS (demo both). Much later, buy old 500 and get it DR'd. This is the path to avoid endless upgrades (Philip, currently 272/XPS DR/250 DR, shortly getting a 500 DR back from Naim)

True Blue posted:

I would go for a non dr 250

I wouldn't. The 250DR is great with the 23s. 

FZ, True Blue,

Do you think that your preference for the LF characteristics of the older 250.2 over the 250DR when driving the 20.23s may have been influenced by room interaction with the speakers?

Having lived with both the old 250 and DR version  I can comfortably say the latter is a considerably superior product.  

Regards,

Lindsay

I'm sure you will like both upgrades, and I dare say you will do them both eventually? I would be tempted to get the 250 first, as your 200DR must be relatively new, so you could sell it now before it depreciates. Also, you will then no longer have a redundant DR power supply in your system. 

Thanks All,

Plenty of food for thought here to be going on with.

I'll close it fir now and come back with any further puzzles after an audition,  or two.

KR, J

Huge posted:

FZ, True Blue,

Do you think that your preference for the LF characteristics of the older 250.2 over the 250DR when driving the 20.23s may have been influenced by room interaction with the speakers?

Well, don't get me wrong. I think the 250DR is a superior product to the 250.2 in every way. After all, I kept that and changed the speakers. I would not begin to suggest a 250.2 is superior to a 250DR. However, as with any piece of hifi, no matter how good it is, it needs to work well with what it is matched with.  Impact of room interaction? Yeah, possibly. We'll never know. I have an odd room that defies to impart the characteristics a 2x7m curved glass window and sprung floor tell you you'll get (bright top end and boomy bass - of which I had neither). I'm not the sort to go as far and take measurements - I just go by my ears. All I know is that after a few months of hoping I was wrong, the bottom end kick just vanished after the DR.

If your only frame of reference with 20.23s was a 250dr then you'd probably be really happy with the result. I suspect that those who had a 250.2 with that particular speaker and then went to the DR probably understand that quality aside, the 250.2 just worked with those speakers. When I went to 25.23s (on a punt) all the bottom end came back and more (I actually had trouble taming it for a while).

So I would just caution the OP to be careful if also adding a 250. Demo if possible and be sure.

I'd only look at the power supply once I've got the power amp sorted. I wouldn't go for a 250.2 either, i think it's too slow and heavy sounding. 

Basically only you can decide by visiting your dealer. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

True Blue posted:

I would go for a non dr 250

I wouldn't. The 250DR is great with the 23s. 

Neither would I - I 'upgraded' a 200 to 250.2 and missed the lithe nimble quality of the former. Ulitimately you'll want 272/XPSDR/250DR - it doesn't really matter how you get there - but if it were me, 250DR first.

G