NAP 300 or 250 DR
Posted by: CK on 19 November 2015
I may have the option of acquiring a used NAP 300. the problem is that I will have only one shelf spare on my hi fi stand. The bottom shelf is deep enough to take the 300 and its power supply but I am concerned that stacking them will significantly compromise their performance. Alternatively I could consider a 250 DR for about the same price which would only require the one shelf. My current amps are NAC 82 with 180. Your thought would be appreciated.
I may have the option of acquiring a used NAP 300. the problem is that I will have only one shelf spare on my hi fi stand. The bottom shelf is deep enough to take the 300 and its power supply but I am concerned that stacking them will significantly compromise their performance. Alternatively I could consider a 250 DR for about the same price which would only require the one shelf. My current amps are NAC 82 with 180. Your thought would be appreciated.
I wouldn't recommend stacking any Naim boxes. Trying to dress the 2 Burndies correctly on the bottom shelf under such circumstances simply underlines this. The 250 DR according to some rivals the pre-DR 300.
It may also be more in tune with your NAC 82.
300 in my opinion, find a way to avoid stacking though
If it's possible split your stack into brain and brawn with the 300 and it's PS side by side. No again to stacking the units, I wouldn't consider buying the 300 if this is the only option.
Hi Mr CK
Having literally just sat down after coming in from my local dealers DR evening,
hosted immaculately by naims newby Morris, by the way thanks all at Acoustic Streams and Morris,
300 old style trumps a 250 DR to my ears tonight.
I may be biased though.
biggest leap in performance was Super Lumina speaker cable though.
but as hinted at at the evening should probably be your final upgrade!
regards Hilz 
+1 for the 300
But again, avoid stacking. A 300 is a thing of wonder. And you can always DR it later when it comes time for recapping. I'd love a 300 but am already starting to get into monkfish territory as it is.
+1 for the 300
But again, avoid stacking. A 300 is a thing of wonder. And you can always DR it later when it comes time for recapping. I'd love a 300 but am already starting to get into monkfish territory as it is.
Surely if you got a NAP300 you would have more of an eel?
Can be upgraded to reference Fraim, shelf by shelf, or just add nuts and bolts!
why are so many 300 (non DR) available for sale at dealers and private sales?
of course it is a bargain.... but think of the extra cost involved in getting this to DR, the time you could have had the DR (from now) and then also the time your 250.2 will be away in the factory.
I'm surprised actually. The DR upgrade prices are much lower than I imagined. I know some sold things because they couldn't wait and wanted DR now, but now that upgrades have started and the cost is reasonable, I don't get why there are so many pre DR units out there.
I'm glad there are though.
Next stop Snaxo 362, eyeballing a SC 2 DR, but until then I will enjoy Stanley Clarke plucking on his Bass!
that is the spirit, enjoy the music
that is the spirit, enjoy the music
Also chatting with Naimee's like yourself!!!!
feeling_zen, I think you know where I'm headed!
feeling Zen Nov 4 2015
Naim amps can swing transients in a way other similarly powered amps just cannot do. But that isn't the same as a 30wpc amp being equivalent to a 60wpc amp. The fact that a Naim amp can swing those big transients sometimes better than a more powerful amp leads them to falsely believe that their constant output is higher than stated - but it isn't. That misconception might explain some negative opinions. A lot of dealers incorrectly deliver sales pitches like "30wpc of Naim is like 75wpc of Arcam" which is nonsense. Maybe a Nait can deliver a big/ger bang like the 75wpc amp but sustained output is a different story. Musically it is also a less relevant story unless your recording has very poor dynamic range.
The fact is, if you are driving a consistently hard load due to volume and/or speaker load, more power will be required and there is no getting away from that. Naim cater for that with increasingly more powerful amps and the ability to go active (or bi/tri amp simply for power reasons). It costs a lot more to do this with Naim than some others but I don't see a problem in that.
never was lucky enough to hear the famous BRIKS, what is it about them ? I think it's the bass I guess?
Back to the OP's post, Now remember last year, before the new DR technology, that 300 wasn't that shabby!
300 but only when avoiding the stacking.
By the way the 250 DR has been tested to produced 92 W per channel, same as the old 300.
It is there on the review done by the esteemed Andrew Everard on hifi news (available on the naim website)
By the way the 250 DR has been tested to produced 92 W per channel, same as the old 300.
It is there on the review done by the esteemed Andrew Everard on hifi news (available on the naim website)
Watts is just one part of a better sound and even arguably quite a number of competitors have a much higher output but don't sound as good as Naim amplifiers. It's about the whole architecture which puts the 300 in a different league and it would be possible to upgrade later to dr level which would increase the gap.
Of course, but it is worth noting.
anyway the 300DR has to sound much better since it costs double what a 250 DR costs.
and apparently, it delivers massively
Thanks for all the advice. I think that if I can accommodate the 300 without stacking that would be the way to go. I may be able to raise the rack and create more space below the bottom shelf. If that doesn't work a 250DR will be a great improvement over the 180 anyway.