NAP300 - DR upgrade vs new DR unit

Also - does the upgraded unit come with a 'NAP300 DR' label on the back ?

Actually I just checked with Naim themselves and the upgrade replaces both power boards rather than individual components thereon, and the upgraded unit is technically identical to a brand new one.

It also has a new DR sticker on the back.

It's the sticker that makes the difference

How much is the sticker and does the 500 sticker cost more?

Will99 posted:

Actually I just checked with Naim themselves and the upgrade replaces both power boards rather than individual components thereon, and the upgraded unit is technically identical to a brand new one.

Does this mean it comes with the new 009 'Statement developed' transistors fitted in place of the 007 transistors currently fitted?

Ken

I can understand the concern about this, but without even checking with the factory, I would be very sure that if Naim say the upgrade is there, then both units will be identical

Naim are not in the business of short changing anyone. If the upgrade were to result in a different amp than a new 300 DR, Naim would have told you already.

Southweststokie posted:

Will99 posted:

Actually I just checked with Naim themselves and the upgrade replaces both power boards rather than individual components thereon, and the upgraded unit is technically identical to a brand new one.

Does this mean it comes with the new 009 'Statement developed' transistors fitted in place of the 007 transistors currently fitted?

 

Ken

It has to - if it didn't, it wouldn't be technically identical to a new one. 

I am advised it is £1520 for the DR upgrade and £1875 for the upgrade plus service. Does anyone know what the service includes? My NAP300 is a 2010 model so not so old yet. Is it worth having the service done whilst it is sent back to Salisbury for the DR upgrade?

Opinions and advice appreciated.

Ken

Ken if you are interested in the DR upgrade it may be worth having a chat with your dealer.

My 300 wasn't much younger than yours and I ended up trading it in against a brand new 300 DR for not much more than the cost of the DR upgrade. My 5 year warranty is reset as well 

IanG posted:

Ken if you are interested in the DR upgrade it may be worth having a chat with your dealer.

My 300 wasn't much younger than yours and I ended up trading it in against a brand new 300 DR for not much more than the cost of the DR upgrade. My 5 year warranty is reset as well 

An interesting thought!

It certainly is.

It wasn't the outcome I was expecting at the start of the conversation.

Southweststokie posted:

I am advised it is £1520 for the DR upgrade and £1875 for the upgrade plus service. Does anyone know what the service includes? My NAP300 is a 2010 model so not so old yet. Is it worth having the service done whilst it is sent back to Salisbury for the DR upgrade?

Opinions and advice appreciated.

Ken

the 300 is not cheap to service at the factory as it has 2 boxes full of electronics. (I've seen audio-t charge one customer around 600 GBP) for changing the capacitors and other small pieces.

so if your NAP 300 is more than 5 years old, then maybe worth it.

if less than 5 years old, then not worth it.

Plus new capacitors take months to run in, not weeks, but months 

Just read a very interesting article from the Hifi+ magazin on the differences DR non DR. I have copied in a part of the review...

The demonstration of the NAP250, 300 and NAP500 against their new DR counterparts was handled expertly by Jason Gould, and was both enlightening and informative. While the hierarchy of the range was strongly evident, the improvement in each case was beyond question. The DR amplifiers exhibited a lower noise floor that allowed more detail, greater articulation and presence, together with a far more expansive range of dynamic expression portrayed with a wider bandwidth.

With their predecessors sounding drab and lacklustre by comparison, the technology handed down from the Statement electronics and the way in which it has been incorporated into the new DR amplifiers would have to be judged as a brilliant and unqualified success. This is arguably one of the most significant enduring legacies of the Statement project, as the lessons learned in producing this cost-no-object amplifier are directly filtering down to more attainable amplifiers in the Naim Audio range. That one of those ‘lessons’ involves the production of a transistor specifically for Naim Audio shows the levels of commitment the company is willing to make to get the job done properly.

My 300 is 2011 so plan to just have the dr upgrade and the service in 2020ish a tad more expensive this way but it helps spread the cost. 

On a 2010 I would the above too I.e. Just have the DR done and service in 3-5 years subject to no performance issues of course. 

Regards 

Gary

I've gone from entry level through full XS setup to my current system. Whilst every upgrade has given good improvement over the previous incarnation, I've always been left thinking there is more to come. That's is until I got the 300 DR.

My system sounds so good now. The DR upgrade of the power amps is nothing short of astonishing IMO.

Southweststokie posted:

Will99 posted:

Actually I just checked with Naim themselves and the upgrade replaces both power boards rather than individual components thereon, and the upgraded unit is technically identical to a brand new one.

Does this mean it comes with the new 009 'Statement developed' transistors fitted in place of the 007 transistors currently fitted?

 

Ken

Very good question here! 

The 009 transistors are part of the 250 upgrade, and they are described as a feature of the 300DR on Naim's web site.  So I would surely expect they are inluded with the upgrade of 300 to 300DR.  These must be an essential component of the upgrade.

Very good answer here!