I don’t really want to upgrade again, but

I tend to think that in Pareto terms with Naim it's a difficult measure to get to work as I've enjoyed every one of my systems immensely. The problem is, when you travel up that path, it gets very hard to go back and get the same level of enjoyment from a lesser system. I'm sure it's possible after time but I seem to have a very good audio memory and once I've heard an album sound staggeringly good I expect it to always sound like that.

I've often got great enjoyment when I've made a dramatic SQ improvemnt for little money. It's not a common event but it does happen now and then.

My personal measure of enjoyment is when I get goose bumps and every track becomes an event no matter how lame the CD is. Playing air guitar or air drums is also a pretty good sign

:-)

If you like Dyn’s listen to the Special 40’s. I don’t know about the Bluesound but if it is good enough S40’s on a 282/250 will let you hear it. 

Dynaudio demo’ed them on a 252/300 system at Bristol this year, they really are very good. 

I don’t really want to upgrade again, but......

then don’t 

I’m not trying to flippant. You have a good balanced system, enjoy it.  

.sjb

I agree with Olly,I owned focus 160s and special 40s,the 40s are much better.I also owned C1’s,I would consider those or Contour 20s also,if you want to stick with Dyn.A 300 would be my choice for the C1’s though,they love power,but I have used a 250 DR with them,and it sounded stellar,but don’t expect real high SPLs,with chest thumping bass.If That is what you like,go with the Contours.

You can choose to not upgrade if you really don't want to. If you really have the itch, as suggested you could do the speakers rather than the amps or source. The 282/250 is good enough for most systems. 

I still enjoy both 202/200 and 282/250 although there are frequent discussion on which is a superior setup. On several occasions I was tempted to move from the 202/200/PSU to a one-box no frills integrated amp but I am still hanging on to it as it all sounds good. The upgraditis syndrome is a vicious cycle and I'm now at the end of the road when it comes to upgrading the system. 

you dont have to as you seem to have a balanced system.

take some time out.....especially from the forum

do something else..

breathe... and enjoi !

regards

282/Hicap/250-2 is a good combo, a supercap can give it a boost but it’s nicely balanced as it is. 

Morning NJB

similar route to myself i went 202/200 to 202/HCDR/200 then 282/HCDR/200

one of the biggest improvements - upgrades is when I added in a 300 (non DR) in to my system - it has everything the 200 had and more, focus, seperation, control - etc etc

I owned my 200 for 12 + years so did not rush into the 300 but when I did boy....................in saying that for me the 200 is a real star in the NAIM line up

I love the 282 with the 300 and I am not in any hurry to rush into the 252 club so don't  think the 282/300 does not work, it certainly does

but most emportantly enjoy the music!

I have a Bluesound Node2>Qutest as a source, and recently added a SoTM SMS-200 network renderer. The sms200 shows a clear upgrade in sound quality, probably due to lower jitter/noise on the feed to the DAC. However there is a trade-off in usability, depending on whether you stream from local NAS, Tidal, Spotify or a combination of those. Bluesound's app is very good in terms of stability, speed etc compared to using e.g. Linn Kazoo to control the sms200. My household uses all three music sources which is clunky in the sms200 as I need to change mode sometimes through the web interface.
But with sms200 the music is clearly more natural and real sounding than with the Node2.

I'm looking at adding the full Auralic Aries which is a further upgrade for even better source quality and has the solid and functional Lightning DS control app. If you only play from NAS & Tidal or NAS & Spotify, then an sms200 could be all you need.

Other alternatives although I don't know whether the sound would be better than Node2 as a streamer:
- Elac Discovery (advantage of including Roon Lite so controlled by Roon app and can act as Core to other Roon endpoints including Node2)
- Cambridge Audio (upsamples everything to higher bitrate and has a good control app but you would have a redundant built-in DAC)
- Moon MiND is another option but at a much higher price point, and to my ears not really better sounding than the sms200 or Auralic Aries

FWIW I think the rest of your chain is fine and the best bang for buck could be upgrading from the Bluesound to a better transport.

Pretty much sure all you have could expose a lot more and investing your time listening to a proper source upgrade would best repay any effort. 

DC71 posted:

...
- Cambridge Audio (upsamples everything to higher bitrate and has a good control app but you would have a redundant built-in DAC)...

I meant the Cambridge CXN here, as I doubt the 851N would have much advantage over that when using an outboard DAC.

I really like the Node2 itself and Bluesound OS/app, and I was skeptical of whether the renderer could make much difference when feeding Qutest, but moving to the SoTM and trying the Aries, the upgrade is clearly audible. 

I assume you have at least a Hicap DR for the 282? I would invest any upgrades to the source- (NDX2/XPSor 555PS?) Or just invest your funds in more music. That's the only reason we have these boxes anyway. 

Buy loads of music.

2017 an 2018 have both been expensive,I'm waiting on a pre-owned 282 to arrive next week. My lp12 just became a money pit- needed a new cart ,so krystal fitted,new kore, and ekos fitted. Last year,changed from 200 to 250dr and hi-cap dr. Speakers are harbeth 30.1, and cd and tuner are both "5". All on quadraspire rack and wallmount. Time to sit back and enjoy. Although new streamer (?).......

aaaargh, it never ends

Enjoy that system and stop worrying that it could sound better. From experience you could spend  £1000 - £3000 on cables or your boxes and you could strain your ears and possible hear a marginal difference but it isn’t worth the cost IMO. 

But if you must upgrade your speakers your amp is fine and your front end is fine. 

Bob the Builder posted:

Enjoy that system and stop worrying that it could sound better. From experience you could spend  £1000 - £3000 on cables or your boxes and you could strain your ears and possible hear a marginal difference but it isn’t worth the cost IMO. 

But if you must upgrade your speakers your amp is fine and your front end is fine. 

Bob, have you heard the difference between a node 2 and a better transport running through a Qutest? No ear strain needed, the improvement is not subtle but brings a significant dose more realism and immersion into the music.

Swapping a node2 for an sms-200 can be done at virtually zero cost, or the node2 redeployed elsewhere (it works really well with JBL active studio monitors for a second system). An Aries gives even more, plus improved usability.

Having lived with the same source combo as the OP, I know now that the Qutest really shines when fed by a higher quality dedicated digital transport. One of these should be relatively cheap and easy to find on the used market.

I would say look up some options for proper footers on the qutest.  If they <Chord> just provide little silicone nubs on the Qutest then there is improvement to be had, and it doesn't have to cost a fortune.

Pareto was wrong  

282 + 250 is a good combo. So is 252 + 300. I like them both.

I would work on the source, if anything. Perhaps a Naim one to complete the setup?