Does anyone use NAC 272 without XPS?

Me, with a NAP100 sounds fantastic but I will add XPS in the future before power amp upgrade

I use a 'naked' N272 with a NAP200DR. I am pleased with the sound (but I haven't heard the N272 with a power supply). Perhaps I will add a power supply in the future.

I used mine naked for awhile with a 250DR & 300DR

I am using mine on its own right now with a 250dr,and I find it to be very good,well worth the money.I also use it to feed my active Dynaudio XD 600's some times,and again,it sounds awesome.Do not think that you HAVE to get a power supply right away,I am trying an Xpsdr next week,and have lived happily with the bare 272 for about 8 months now.

Same here, 272 with 250 DR and i'm happy for the moment but i will add an XPS DR or a 555PS DR when budget will allow me..

The 272 is very accomplished "bare". For me a XPS2 (non DR) gave it additional refinement and, to my ears, circa 80% of what the XPS DR added to it (I tried both at home). Is a power supply required? I'd say no. However, if you can afford it then it's certainly worth considering as it does improve things. I didn't feel it improved it enough to justify the £3k+ that the XPS DR costs even pre-owned so I went for a used XPS2. I can always DR it later and still save over £1000.

To some extent I think the importance of the power supply depends on how good the power amp and speakers are. I view the 272 with XPSDR as a different animal entirely to the bare one, rather than an improved version, such is the difference in terms of the things that really matter such as naturalness and musical involvement. 

Hi HH,

Did you ever audition your 272 with the 555PS DR, and if so, how did it compare with the XPS DR which you decided upon?

S3 posted:

The 272 is very accomplished "bare". For me a XPS2 (non DR) gave it additional refinement and, to my ears, circa 80% of what the XPS DR added to it (I tried both at home). Is a power supply required? I'd say no. However, if you can afford it then it's certainly worth considering as it does improve things. I didn't feel it improved it enough to justify the £3k+ that the XPS DR costs even pre-owned so I went for a used XPS2. I can always DR it later and still save over £1000.

I guess the law of diminishing returns is particularly applicable in this scenario. I auditioned the 272 yesterday - 'naked', +XPSDR, +555PS. Without doubt it sounds good on its own, a lot better with the XPS, but on a different level again with the 555. Is the latter combo 'worth' £10,000 or, more to the point, £6,500 more than the bare 272? Probably not is the cold, rational, logical answer. Sometimes though logic has to be set aside in pursuit of sonic excellence!!

I wonder if it is a 10k £ good vs bare but it is definitely far better

It loses VFM 

Emre posted:

I wonder if it is a 10k £ good vs bare but it is definitely far better

It loses VFM 

Question is how much better and do you enjoy music more 

My experience of Naim amps in general is that in relative terms, you get what you pay for. Weather or not any purchase is worth the money is obviously highly subjective, but with that in mind, the 272 can certainly hold its own against any other source and preamp combination Naim make in its price bracket. Add an XPS, and the same is true, at that price point too. 

As I said,I will be doing some testing in a week(with xpsdr)so I will report my findings...after living "bare",for 8 months.I am also going to be testing the xpsdr' s influence on the digital out,feeding my XD's as well as it's affect on analog,using my 250dr,should be fun,and this should tell me whether or not I will be happy with the XPSDR,or will hold off for the 555dr.

I've run the 272 without a power supply into a NAP500 while my NAC552 was away being DR'd... it sounded extremely  good and kept me very happy for the four weeks my regular pre was on vacation in Salisbury.

So I guess what HH says above is absolutely true - the result will depend heavily on the quality of the power amp you're partnering it with.   Which leads to the conclusion that you can leave your 272 'naked' and invest in the best quality power amp you can...  a 250DR would be the minimum spec for me, but if your credit card is looking healthy, the NAP300 would be an awesome partner for the 272.

Roger

PS - having just read the suggestion that a 555PS would partner the 272... for that level of wonga you've gotta' be looking at the NAP300 option 

rjstaines posted:

... but if your credit card is looking healthy, the NAP300 would be an awesome partner for the 272.

Roger

PS - having just read the suggestion that a 555PS would partner the 272... for that level of wonga you've gotta' be looking at the NAP300 option 

 

It is an awesome partner for the 272.  

Huge posted:

rjstaines posted:

... but if your credit card is looking healthy, the NAP300 would be an awesome partner for the 272.

Roger

PS - having just read the suggestion that a 555PS would partner the 272... for that level of wonga you've gotta' be looking at the NAP300 option 

 

It is an awesome partner for the 272.  

Something to look forward to for the future, not sure which direction to go xps or better amp. 100 does a great job in my setup in 20 years of Naim never been happeir.

And now I'm tempted again.... blast....

dave marshall posted:

Hi HH,

Did you ever audition your 272 with the 555PS DR, and if so, how did it compare with the XPS DR which you decided upon?

I didn't try it because the 555 was out of my budget. If you don't hear it you don't know what you are missing is the way I look at it. 

I heard them both numerous times, 555PS or leave it bare with a powerline

rjstaines posted:

I've run the 272 without a power supply into a NAP500 while my NAC552 was away being DR'd... it sounded extremely  good and kept me very happy for the four weeks my regular pre was on vacation in Salisbury.

So I guess what HH says above is absolutely true - the result will depend heavily on the quality of the power amp you're partnering it with.   Which leads to the conclusion that you can leave your 272 'naked' and invest in the best quality power amp you can...  a 250DR would be the minimum spec for me, but if your credit card is looking healthy, the NAP300 would be an awesome partner for the 272.

Roger

PS - having just read the suggestion that a 555PS would partner the 272... for that level of wonga you've gotta' be looking at the NAP300 option 

 

Roger,when you had the 272 hooked up for that month,was it "bare"the whole time,or did you try one of your 555's on it?

Till 372 arrives 272 will be king of the hill for me, very good pre and streamer

I think 272/ xpsdr/ 250dr is a better value proposition 

I think the game play by naim is or will be :

272/xps/250 - each piece around 3k total of 10k £ - you may even add sopra 2 to this "set", they push lots of reviews of them together 

372/555/300 - each piece around 7k total of 20k £ - maybe even sopra 3? 

Makes sense to me, while I am waiting for 372 I enjoy 555/300dr with 272 which they sound better for sure but not a VFM proposition of xps/250

N372 - that mythical beast.... I would be serioiusly tempted by that one.

If only life consisted of such problems

I'm using a bare 272, and even with the very revealing ATC SCM40's, it certainly doesn't sound broken. I think it's a great £3.5k streamer/pre-amp.

Forgive me if it's already been done but what's the consensus of 272/XPSDR/250DR against 272/300DR?

Emre posted:

Till 372 arrives 272 will be king of the hill for me, very good pre and streamer

I think 272/ xpsdr/ 250dr is a better value proposition 

I think the game play by naim is or will be :

272/xps/250 - each piece around 3k total of 10k £ - you may even add sopra 2 to this "set", they push lots of reviews of them together 

372/555/300 - each piece around 7k total of 20k £ - maybe even sopra 3? 

Makes sense to me, while I am waiting for 372 I enjoy 555/300dr with 272 which they sound better for sure but not a VFM proposition of xps/250

 

 

 

 

I think I agree(!), but sometimes you can't boil everything in life down to VFM. Let's face it, if you did there would be no luxury car market, no fine art, in fact very little of luxury or high end anything! Ultimately I think it has to boil down to what you can afford. I fully empathise with HH's 'if I can't afford it I don't audition it' approach.