Nac 72 versus sn2 preamp

From my experience they both offer a comparable performance level. It would depend on what you intend to use as a power amp and which direction you’re going as regards box count etc.

The SN2 makes an expensive stand alone pre-amp so you’d be better looking at other Naim pre’s for VFM.

I think the SN2 pre is very good. I had an SN2 and also a recently serviced CB 62/Hicap/250 until a couple of months ago. I felt adding the 250 or Hicap/250 to the SN pre improved the sound but when I tried the 62 as a pre with the SN2 the sound didn’t seem as good as the bare SN2 to my ears. Of course it’s all down to the listener and a 72 may be better than a 72 although I think my 62, serviced by Darren was one of the best. In summary I agree with Cheeselet

Bob

Bear in mind that a 72 might be showing its age, and that sample variation was said to be greater on older models than more recent designs such as the Supernait. So opinions might vary, and if you buy a 72, it might sound quite different to one that another forum member has heard. 

I dont’ think they compare at all - NAC72 is a clear winner for me. It’s more comparable to 282 / 252.
Pre-amp section of an SN2 is OK, but it struggles against dedicated separate pre-amps.

....and for me a bare SN2 beats my (serviced) 72/HiCap/140...

Adam Zielinski posted:

I dont’ think they compare at all - NAC72 is a clear winner for me. It’s more comparable to 282 / 252.
Pre-amp section of an SN2 is OK, but it struggles against dedicated separate pre-amps.

 

I agree with MATTNBARNS

I've owned quite of few dedicated pre-amps, including the 72, and what I find kind of odd is that on a previous thread you state the pre-amp in 272 punches above it's weight without ever actually hearing one, and especially with all the nasty streaming electronics introducing all kinds of noise, then unequivocally state that the SN2 pre-amp section struggles??

In my experience, the pre amp section in the SN2 is at the very least the equal of the those earlier pre-amps, and probably betters the pre-amp section in the 72. The SN2 pre-amp section is after all based on the technology from the 552, not my words, but from Naim on their website when describing the pre-amp section of the SN2.  Another fact is the SN2 pre-amp section has the DR technology, which is missing from the 72. That alone makes a pretty significant difference to the sound quality when compared to the older Naim pre-amps by quite a lot. To all those members who are going to say that I'm stating that the pre-amp section in the SN2 is just as good as the 552, I"M NOT!!!  Just that it's based on the circuit topology of that amp, according to the manufacturer!

Because of the DR technology in the pre-amp section it has that "inky blackness" that is used here so often to describe other Naim products, of course you can add an additional power supply with the DR technology to those products at a substantial cost.  

All in my opinion of course.

badlands posted:

Adam Zielinski posted:

I dont’ think they compare at all - NAC72 is a clear winner for me. It’s more comparable to 282 / 252.
Pre-amp section of an SN2 is OK, but it struggles against dedicated separate pre-amps.

 

I agree with MATTNBARNS

I've owned quite of few dedicated pre-amps, including the 72, and what I find kind of odd is that on a previous thread you state the pre-amp in 272 punches above it's weight without ever actually hearing one, and especially with all the nasty streaming electronics introducing all kinds of noise, then unequivocally state that the SN2 pre-amp section struggles??

In my experience, the pre amp section in the SN2 is at the very least the equal of the those earlier pre-amps, and probably betters the pre-amp section in the 72. The SN2 pre-amp section is after all based on the technology from the 552, not my words, but from Naim on their website when describing the pre-amp section of the SN2.  Another fact is the SN2 pre-amp section has the DR technology, which is missing from the 72. That alone makes a pretty significant difference to the sound quality when compared to the older Naim pre-amps by quite a lot. To all those members who are going to say that I'm stating that the pre-amp section in the SN2 is just as good as the 552, I"M NOT!!!  Just that it's based on the circuit topology of that amp, according to the manufacturer!

Because of the DR technology in the pre-amp section it has that "inky blackness" that is used here so often to describe other Naim products, of course you can add an additional power supply with the DR technology to those products at a substantial cost.  

All in my opinion of course.

English is not my first language, but it appears to be yours. So I do recommend reading with comprehension and not taking my words out of context.

As opposed to quoting a marketing blurb from a sales booklet, I actually did some listening instead. And a fact that I actually do own ALL of the components quoted on this thread (72, 282, 252 and SN2) gives me a little bit of an insight into their strenghts and weaknesses.

As to N272 from another thread - my first sentence, whith you so graciously discard, clearly states that I have NOT heard N272.
I would suggest that you do refrain from missquoting me in the future.

Adam

Thank you all.To be clear l m not interested in the sn2 ijust wanted to form an idea how you guys are ranking  the 72 against todays naim preamps,So i thought acomparison  with the lowest ranked preamp in the classic range(sn2 pre section)willget me an ideaMy aim is to replace my olive 250 with a new 250dr and i dont want the 72 to become the bottleneck.your commets are welcome.

In that case I would upgrade your pre amp first. 282/Olive250 would be an excellent system whilst you wait for funds to Upgrade the 250 where as a 72/250DR will inevitably lead to a pre upgrade anyway  

Many years ago I had 72-Hicap-140 and upgraded the 72 to an 82. This was a huge upgrade. Soon after I changed 140 to 250.

Two years later I upgraded to 52/Supercap. Compared to 82/SC the 52 was better, more controlled, refined and relaxed, but the wow factor less than when going from 72 to 82. 

At the time, just for fun, I also put the 72 back in the system fed by the SC. This was clearly better than 72/HC. 

I have practically no experience with the newer units. But you can probably find a s/h olive Supercap at a reasonable price, and with 72/SC you will have a very, very fine preamp at a reasonable price. 

Claus

When trading my 72 for a4500 GBP 282 my72 has almost nil value while the olive 250 can fetch 40%of a new 3500GBP 250dr plus the fact that with the 280 ihave to accomodate one more box one more cable takes more space.so back to my original question,the72is it good enough to accompany 250dr/hc dr.

Leni, 

if you're presently running 72/hi-cap/250 then a move to SN2 will be very different and IMO sideways at best, perhaps easier to live with being integrated but you really ought to listen for yourself because if you appreciate the mellow tuneful voicing of a well tempered nac 72 with NAP 250 any naim integrated amp may simply sound compromised to your own perception of musicality.

What is nice about the 72 isn't so much in what it does but what it doesn't do, a 72 doesn't sound sterile, it doesn't fatigue the listener, it doesn't try to reproduce detail that it can't possibly perform well, it is true to say the 72 isn't the most detailed naim pre-amp for this day of age but at least this doesn't come at any detriment to producing highly enjoyable music.

I think you need to decide if it's time to transition away from olive and onward and upward to modern black box era, but to better your classic 72/hi-cap/250 amp you will need a 282/SC/250.2 which is expensive.. and If so i recommend shopping around at naim dealers for pre-owned or ex-demo gear to help stretch the upgrade budget.

If i had your system; i'd keep the 72/hi-cap/250 and upgrade the CDX2.2 to a nice pre-owned CDS3 ; )

Debs

Claus posted:

 At the time, just for fun, I also put the 72 back in the system fed by the SC. This was clearly better than 72/HC. 

I have practically no experience with the newer units. But you can probably find a s/h olive Supercap at a reasonable price, and with 72/SC you will have a very, very fine preamp at a reasonable price. 

Claus

Yes all right with you for 72 / SC  !