Will a re-cap of my CB NAP250 make me want to keep it after trying a Dynavector HX75?

Posted by: DaveW on 16 March 2018

I recently read some old online comments from individuals that swapped their NAP250's for one of these Dynavector HX75's, so when one came up locally a few weeks ago i thought 'why not' so bought it out of curiosity and decided to have a bit of an experiment so hooked up the 62/Hicap to it and took a leap...

For the first week it sounded a bit rubbish, but two weeks in now and to be honest, it's absolutely knocked the crap out of my beloved 250! so much so I'm actually considering ditching the 250 which I can't believe I'm saying!

I'm quite angry with myself and should have left well alone but it's too late now! This thing is just better. Vocals just breath so much more, and details and tones are there that I never realized before. All the PRAT is there as usual and my toes are tapping just as much as ever. There might not be quite the absolute low frequency clout that I'm used to with my Saras but the bass has a nimbler, more agile and subtle quality now that I don't think I can go back.   Even the harshness from the supposedly fierce tweeters in the Saras has gone and is smooth now but just as detailed and has much more finesse and quality.

Anybody out there have any opinions/comments/advice that might make me want to keep the old girl? I have never had the 250 re-capped so am unsure what level of improvement that would bring compared to the level of enjoyment the Dynavector is giving?

Help!

 

Posted on: 17 March 2018 by Richard Dane

Dave,

all I will say here is that if your NAP250 hasn't had a service within the last 8-10 years then all bets are off.  A regulated amplifier like a 250 can go "off" in a big way if everything isn't exactly right and within tight spec, so if it has never been serviced then it will likely be sounding pretty poor.

So, if you want to do a proper and fair comparison against your HX75 you'll need to have it properly serviced (by Naim or Naim approved tech).  And who knows, maybe you'll still prefer the HX75, but at least it will be a much fairer comparison.

p.s. A service, particularly of an amp like the NAP250, is much more than just a "re-cap"...

Posted on: 17 March 2018 by Clay Bingham

I own a Dynavector HX100 and a 250.2 non DR. The HX100 sounds better through my 282 but there are other factors to consider. My HX100 started smoking one day. Even though the support from my importer could not have been better it took Dynavector over two years to fix the amp. I think maybe a parts provider had issues. But that would never  ever happen with Naim. Both amps sound excellent but which manufacturer provides the support when you need it. Somewhat better sound is not absolutely everything.

Posted on: 20 March 2018 by DaveW

Thanks for those comments.

Incidentally Rich, I bought the 250 from North Shore Hi-Fi in Auckland only a couple of years ago, so I would have thought and hoped they as Naim dealers would have made sure that it wasn't sounding awful before I bought it? Because if it was below par then, then it has remained so for the last two years? I do realise that a full service is far more than just a 're-cap'. I have been loyal to Naim for the last 35 years so do know a little about the products.

Just remember though that the Dyna is also a used product circa early 2000's so I don't think it is an entirely uneven playing field?

What I was asking fellas was, is there a chance that those qualities that I said I liked in the Dynvector would emerge from a serviced 250? as I would always prefer keeping it.

I'm tempted to say that an Australian made HX100 could be an inferior product compared to this NZ made HX75 so no wonder it started to smoke! - but i won't (tongue poking through cheek!)

And I thought the unrelenting search for your audio nirvana WAS absolutely everything? - a large number of members of this site might be disappointed that it's not? LOL

 

Posted on: 20 March 2018 by ricsimas

You can recoup a fair chunk of the servicing costs (at least in the UK with UK servicing costs) when selling on an used amp, so I would explore that option as it would be mean not much loss in case you still preferred the DV.

Posted on: 20 March 2018 by cdboy

Yes. The re-cap will be transformational. Book it in now.

Posted on: 21 March 2018 by blythe

If you bought the 250 two years ago, can your dealer confirm when it was last serviced? I was amazed at the improvement when I had my 250's serviced/re-capped.

Posted on: 21 March 2018 by Bertie Norman

+1 for getting it serviced. I couldn't believe how much difference it makes - money well spent.

BN

Posted on: 21 March 2018 by Richard Dane

As I said earlier, the NAP250 is a regulated design and, from the point of view of performance, regular servicing of a regulated amp is usually far more critical than with an unregulated amp.

Posted on: 06 May 2018 by DaveW

just as a final note on my original question.

Have been playing around with different interconnects for the last few weeks now.

Problem solved, my dealer loaned me a Hi Line interconnect from my CDP - absolute magic. (in my system anyway)

The difference was so great my wife commented from the spare room about how much better it sounded!

Can't believe how mighty a CD5i can sound.

Gone deeper alright ! and everything else you can think of !

Goodbye Dynavector and hello CDP upgrade next? (and a service one day of course!)