Moving on from a NAP 150x to a NAP 200

Dynaudios need power the more the better.

If it were me I would go for the 200 (non DR) as you already have that PSU. You know which one.

Thanks, the 200 looks to be a small increase in power over the 150x, but looks to have a bigger transformer.  Therefore, it might have a bit more reserve which could help the speakers.

The DR in the NAP 200DR just applies to the power supply for the preamp. So if you are using an external supply there would be no advantage at all of a 200DR over a 200.

best

David

I ran a nap150 for 10 years with Dynaudio contour speakers with the same impedance characteristics as your speakers (in fact the focus 160's look like an updated equivalent of mine). The 150 worked well but as Analogue says, the more power for these the better. I had the 80watt supernait which definitely improved bass control and headroom. I've now just moved to 202/200 (also with external psu). The 200 works superbly with the Dynaudios and there's no obvious lack of power compared with the Supernait which has higher rating on paper. In part this is helped by the control of the better preamp, but either way I don't think you will be disappointed with the 200.

Dont know if you are considering second hand or not but the older (pre DR) 200s are great value now. As stated above given you have a psu the DR version has little benefit over this older version.

go for the NAP200 either DR o not.

It's a much more refined performer other than the watt increase may you believe. A no brainer in your system.

Your Dynas - great speakers - will love the 200.

I actually was in a similar situation a couple years back.  202, aftermarket power supply & 150x running Audio Physic Scorpio speakers.  I was happy with the setup but was looking for an upgrade.  From my research most said the upgraded amp wouldn't change the sound much unless my speakers were hard to drive.  While the Scorpios aren't the easiest to drive I wouldn't by any means call then hard to drive.  So while I wasn't expecting much improvement my thoughts were the 200 is the natural partner & to be honest I liked its matching case work better.

When I hooked it up I was almost shocked as I wasn't really expecting any changes.  Biggest changes were the details/blacker background & bass control/grip & depth (as well as improvements in all other areas).  I didn't know the old setup was lacking till I heard the 200.  For me the change in amp was probably as big a change as adding the power supply, if not slightly more.  If you experience the same as me, I would 100% recommend the upgrade (like has been said, even reg 200 should do the trick).

I believe the reason I noticed such a change is the order I upgraded the gear.  I think the 150x was the weak link in the change after the power supply upgrade.  So changing to the 200, it was no longer the weak link & it also allowed you to see the full benefit of a power supply upgrade on the pre.

Thanks Strat, I still have my ES14s and the Dynaudios, admittedly much younger speakers, are a much more polished act.  As I got them for a very good price then I remain rather chuffed!

Hi NJB, in my experience the NAP200 has a rock solid grip on bass in comparison to the NAP150. I currently run a 150 but have tried a 200 which really was a very different beast. If you're hankering (or your speakers are) for more grip and control, then I think yes the 200 will make a considerable difference. For me however, there was  downside which was a glassy hardness to the overall sound which I found a little grating and fatiguing. I stuck with the 150. Some on here have reported the new 200DR to be a little sweeter and better balanced and I believe it's pre-amp power supply is equivalent to a DR Hicap. It might be worth considering selling both the 150 and your current power supply and replacing the two with a 200DR. I don't have experience of the power supply that you mention (or didn't), but this way you'd be upgrading the power amp, and I suspect also the pre-amp power supply whilst reducing your box count :-) Perhaps worth a thought?

That is interesting about the glassy hardness of the NAP 200. Some others have commented on it, notably Frank Abela of Audio-t and Catalinmetal, and when compared directly to a 250DR, yes I do hear this trait of sounding a slight bit dry, but that is only in direct comparison and soon one gets used to this presentation which does sound quite dynamic, exciting and rhythmic!

It also is source dependant, some digital sources do sound quite dry to me (for instance some DVD players that very low cost), but on NAP 200 vinyl never does sound dry. So it is the amp or the source?

 I wouldn't worry about it too much though, I have lived with NAP 200 for many years now and like it.

I have never found the 202/200 causing me any fatigue at all though despite listening to it for hours on end.

And with Dynaudios is sounds very fine indeed.

I use my 202/200/NAPSC with Dynaudio X16 speakers and DAC V1 as a source for watching Movies and TV, and if it did cause fatigue we would not be able to watch TV sometimes couple of shows in a row without experiencing some kind ear fatigue, but never felt it once. 

In fact 202/200 is the first Naim kit that I ever heard, and was really amazed by it on the first audition.

A point about Dynaudios with Naim amps and cables.  Ordinarily I'm of the view that speaker cable fine tunes the sound rather than makes the night and day difference - ultimately depends on your perception of night and day of course - but when setting up the Dynas with both the NAP 200 and 250 I've tried both Naim Naca and Chord Oydessy and to these ears - on this occasion - the Oydessy was a more ature - somewhat smoother sound. 

I am using NACA5 cable, and have seen comments before that suggest alternatives. I go back to the day when A4 or A5 were almost obligatory but understand that the other choices are now mire accepted. Thanks for your recommendation, I have seen DNM Reson cables given strong support before. However, I think that the NAP200 is the first move before I start to tinker with cables. 

Absolutely - settle on the amp first. 

I recently adopted a 200 run with 202/HCDR/NAPSC and, to me, the 200 sounds very neutral. A nice clean authoritative and detailed sound reminiscent of my earlier 300.

A 282 is en route to me to partner with it now so it will be interesting to see what that brings out in the 200.

G

GraemeH posted:

 

A 282 is en route to me to partner with it now so it will be interesting to see what that brings out in the 200.

G

Lots of great advice, thanks to all.  I am getting excited about getting a 200.  I have this feeling that my Dynaudios are really going to love the extra power.

So, the NAP 200 is now sitting pretty in my HiFi rack, warmed up and it has made a very interesting difference to my system.  The bass is much fuller, there is clearly more power there, with a definition to the real lows that I had not experienced before with the 150x.  I would have expected that to mean that the sound had darkened, but that is really not the case.  The whole soundstage feels like it has expanded, vocals are nicely airy, I am picking out background detail that I had not noticed before.  I don't know if that is because I am listening more critically, but I suspect that there is more detail.  Now I know that the Naim experts have told me that the 200 is more back to the old style PRAT, but the whole sound is pretty effortless, a sledgehammer in a silk glove maybe?  Whatever, but first impressions are very positive.  

Very interesting to hear your comments NJB, especially about the expanded soundstage. I read an article in HiFi News recently about phase distortion which it reckoned was influenced and improved by extending the bass response of a system. That article reminded me that some years ago I used some B&W speakers that were a bit light on low bass and I used an active filter made by KEF (KEFCube) to extend the bass by an octave. The amplifier was a Quad 606 which had the headroom to handle it. There was a lot more very low bass, but what surprised me at the time was that even when there was little going on below 100 Hz, the whole soundstage seemed wider and more open. There was a switch on the front of the KEFCube which allowed instant comparison and the effect was repeatable and constant on almost any disc.

Anyway enjoy your NAP200. It sounds like it was a good move you made.

Best

David

Interesting stuff, although I am not an expert on the wider science.  I am happy that I can hear an improvement for my money.  Of course, there is also a possibility that my speakers are being fed a better signal and are responding with a little bit more enthusiasm.  Clearly, these are not the be all and end all of speakers, but they do have a little respect in some quarters and do seem to do a lot of things well.