Best shoe box pre-amp

NAC72 but you'll need a DAC as its strictly analog.  You could stick with the V1 or a Rega Dac.

I have a 72/140 and love it. Use a rPI + Chord Mojo as dac.

Beware: the UQ works best on its own - its not guaranteed that UQ as a streamer + dac into a shoebox pre is an upgrade. And thats the beauty of the UQ.

72 is probably the best shoe box Naim pre, owned three 72s over the years also owned the 32.5 and 42.

Previously I have used a 72 with a UQ just as a streamer, set the volume on the UQ to around 85 and fed this in line level to the 72.

Also added a Hugo on the digital output of the UQ into the same 72 with great results but in the end I opted for a 272 that is currently in use.

Don't forget if using the NAP100 you will require a HiCap for the 72.

I’m not sure you will beat the SU all the time the UQ is the source. Would it really make sense to have a UQ, a 72, a Hicap and a 100? Two pairs of different styled boxes. Wouldn’t an SU be better? It would certainly be a lot simpler, with no built in redundancy. These stand alone boxes really don’t make sense as a source, with most of it unused. 

Would you say 72+HiCap+Uq+Nap100 is better than V1+UQ+Nap100? Is it better than SU?

I don’t know. Neither seem like a very efficient way of going about things. A lot depends on how much you value collecting little boxes. For a  good simple system that wasn’t an SU I’d be looking at a 172/155 or an ND5XS and Nait XS. 

hungryhalibut posted:

I don’t know. Neither seem like a very efficient way of going about things. A lot depends on how much you value collecting little boxes. For a  good simple system that wasn’t an SU I’d be looking at a 172/155 or an ND5XS and Nait XS. 

It would defy the purpose. I'm trying to build a system with half-size boxes (I have a really nice Cyrus Hark rack) but if in the end it cant compete with a SU, I might as well get the SU instead and be done with it!

It’s up to you of course but building a system around a rack seems an odd way of going about things. It’s not that it’s nice looking. An SU on a decent bit of furniture has got to be a better option. 

I'd go for the ultimate half size system: unitiserve - dac v1 - nac 72 - hicap - snaxo - hicap - nap 100 / nap 100 into SBLs

Often wondered what active NAP100s would sound like. I seem to recall a forum member who had such a system.

Dan.S posted:

Would you say 72+HiCap+Uq+Nap100 is better than V1+UQ+Nap100? Is it better than SU?

I doubt it personally. I've tried

UQ/102/Hicap/180

UQ/180

SU

SU/180

SU/250

and I'd say the performance gets better down the list (although top 2 was more that I didn't hear enough benefit to keep the 102/Hicap.

The SU power stage is better than the 100 and I believe the DAC is closer in design to the NDAC than the V1 is. But I've never heard a V1 so can't comment on how it compares. 

Has anybody tried the Crimson Electronics products?   They truly are shoe box sized.  I have seen them in a couple of dealers.  They sound good but I am wedded to Naim at the moment.  Any comments?

I’m interested in this to. I’m running a second system of UC2/NAP100 into Totem Hawks and want more power through the Hawks (I also run a Core to both of my systems). What’s the bettter option, a NAP200 in place of the 100, or maybe the NAIT XS2 (the better headphone stage is attractive), either option running of my UC2 as the streamer/DAC? Can the NAP100 have a second one added to the system, powering each speaker even?

For strictly shoebox width:

72/140
or
Atom

Mike Sullivan posted:

I’m interested in this to. I’m running a second system of UC2/NAP100 into Totem Hawks and want more power through the Hawks (I also run a Core to both of my systems). What’s the bettter option, a NAP200 in place of the 100, or maybe the NAIT XS2 (the better headphone stage is attractive), either option running of my UC2 as the streamer/DAC? Can the NAP100 have a second one added to the system, powering each speaker even?

Sell both and buy a SU. Plenty available at <£1800. you'd be upgrading DAC, preamp, power amp and headphone amp. A bargain. 

Counter argument would only be if you plan to upgrade to better source / preamp overtime. 

I think I'll stay with the SU option myself, sell the nice Cyrus Hark and buy a wonderful Quadraspire Wall Shelf instead.

JedT posted:

Mike Sullivan posted:

I’m interested in this to. I’m running a second system of UC2/NAP100 into Totem Hawks and want more power through the Hawks (I also run a Core to both of my systems). What’s the bettter option, a NAP200 in place of the 100, or maybe the NAIT XS2 (the better headphone stage is attractive), either option running of my UC2 as the streamer/DAC? Can the NAP100 have a second one added to the system, powering each speaker even?

Sell both and buy a SU. Plenty available at <£1800. you'd be upgrading DAC, preamp, power amp and headphone amp. A bargain. 

Counter argument would only be if you plan to upgrade to better source / preamp overtime. 

Thanks, I’ll look into that as an option then. I’m in New Zealand, so not sure of the second hand market.