Improvements you would like to see from Naim in 2019

nbpf posted:

Anders - If the Naim DAC had a separate power board that contained the regulator section which could just be replaced then it may have been more of a possibility. You've got the usual sprinkling of LM317/337 devices on the main board for first stage regulation so adding DR modules here would be quite a modification - I don't see Naim doing this on a legacy product. External PS (sorry about the box count) upgrade is the way to go here.

Good points but I would not buy an external DR PS for my nDAC at this point unless Naim provided indications that that PS is going to be usable with an upcoming nDAC successor. The same holds for a SL interconnect: a PS555DR and a DIN-DIN SL cost together about 10k EUR. Such an investment makes sense only in the perspective of a nDAC successor, in my view.

I'd put money on the PS being usable with a future Naim DAC. Naim have made very little changes in their power supply range over the years - cosmetic changes and minor tweaks aside, the biggest one being the introduction of the DR modules. Again with the interconnect, it's been DIN connectors for as long as I can remember so I can't see that changing either.

I suppose the real question is whether there will be a Naim DAC successor... Perhaps a poll on the new look forum could give some guidance to Naim on demand

james n posted:

nbpf posted:

Anders - If the Naim DAC had a separate power board that contained the regulator section which could just be replaced then it may have been more of a possibility. You've got the usual sprinkling of LM317/337 devices on the main board for first stage regulation so adding DR modules here would be quite a modification - I don't see Naim doing this on a legacy product. External PS (sorry about the box count) upgrade is the way to go here.

Good points but I would not buy an external DR PS for my nDAC at this point unless Naim provided indications that that PS is going to be usable with an upcoming nDAC successor. The same holds for a SL interconnect: a PS555DR and a DIN-DIN SL cost together about 10k EUR. Such an investment makes sense only in the perspective of a nDAC successor, in my view.

I'd put money on the PS being usable with a future Naim DAC. Naim have made very little changes in their power supply range over the years - cosmetic changes and minor tweaks aside, the biggest one being the introduction of the DR modules. Again with the interconnect, it's been DIN connectors for as long as I can remember so I can't see that changing either.

I suppose the real question is whether there will be a Naim DAC successor... Perhaps a poll on the new look forum could give some guidance to Naim on demand

Right, that's the question and Naim could introduce a new DAC as a first of a range of devices based on a new design and/or chipset.  And a new design could make external power supplies obsolete or just less attractive: things have moved on since the time Naim introduced the old nDAC and new DACs tend to have lower power requirements.