NAP500 off to AVOptions for DR upgrade

Oh, and as others have said - those cases are totally cool. As soon as I see those I feel like all my boxes should have serious trunks like those as cases. Seems like it could be another aftermarket thing now... case builders for Naim electronics...  :  

500 disassembly starts. 

Hi Chris - I have just taken my 500 into Audio T ... for the DR upgrade and service ..... please keep us posted on your experience! Is this picture actually your amplifier!! I find the disassembly of such a brick a bit scary.....  Nice to see you have got the posh transport cases - mine are the same - imported mine from Italy.

Yes... that is my 500 being disassembled at AV Options.  It is in good hands. 

DR upgrade is finished.  I should have it back by Friday!  Chris West kindly provided these photos of the process.  

Down to bare bones …  (Old amp modules removed)

Old thermal grease cleaned away 

Applying thermal grease to Right Channel DR module Copper heatsink 

Left Channel DR amp module

Left channel module mounted to chassis heatsink

Right Channel DR module mounted to chassis with 18 bolts (tightened in a specific sequence to to maintain flatness of copper heatsink surface)

Chassis ready for bench testing

New rear panel confirms DR status.  Yea! 

Yeah, I guess that doesn't look like a basement job. Nice to see you on Saturday. 

Hi chris I've. Got a question for you if you don't mind I thought only naim could dr naim gear .

There are a few international Naim service engineers authorised to do DR conversions.

Don't understand why Class A hi-fi engineering here in good old Sheffield  isn't one of them .

Surely one of their most experienced and competent engineers.

Too close to home for Naim ?! 

It might cost alot of money to set up maybe ,I would like to think in the near future someone else in the uk will start doing the dr upgrades .

The DR module's are built at the factory.  AV Options does the installation + the power supply was also recapped.  It's like getting a new amp.   

What I find most interesting is how different the electronics look.  So many more parts on the new DR module.  I'd love for a Naim engineer to describe the evolution of the original NAP500 to the DR version.  

Omg. .... wow think I feel worse....is that really what happens......this is a full on rebuild...ground up!!!! Mines in now at Naim hq.....what were you quoted for time wise for turn around....

Chris Bell posted:

The DR module's are built at the factory

Are you sure about that?

Indeed, I heard that the modules were built elsewhere.. but assembled at the factory... I'm sure all rumour and tittle and tattle however.

I got mine a month ago.  You won't believe how good it sounds!

Chris,

I am really looking forward to hearing this - but maybe need to wait a while for it to settle in...

Charlie

It sounds good right out of the box at my house.  And it gets better.   It is a giant uptick from the regular 500.  

For those who have lived through a 552 DR upgrade and now a 500 DR upgrade, how does the 500 DR upgrade compare in scale of SQ improvement? Basically, is the 500 DR upgrade as good as the 552 DR upgrade? Better? Worse? Thanks in advance..

ATB,

Mark

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

Indeed, I heard that the modules were built elsewhere.. but assembled at the factory... I'm sure all rumour and tittle and tattle however.

I stand corrected.  The modules start their life at the Linn factory, before being shipped over to Rega for further refinements. The secret sauce is then applied at the Meridian factory before a final inspection at Naim.  

varyat posted:

For those who have lived through a 552 DR upgrade and now a 500 DR upgrade, how does the 500 DR upgrade compare in scale of SQ improvement? Basically, is the 500 DR upgrade as good as the 552 DR upgrade? Better? Worse? Thanks in advance..

ATB,

Mark

you will probably find this will vary from system to system -- and of course user to user. in my case i can state that the 500 DR upgrade has been much more emphatic. even though my 2x500s are not yet fully run in -- i can tell.

hope this helps

enjoy

ken

Chris Bell posted:

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

Indeed, I heard that the modules were built elsewhere.. but assembled at the factory... I'm sure all rumour and tittle and tattle however.

I stand corrected.  The modules start their life at the Linn factory, before being shipped over to Rega for further refinements. The secret sauce is then applied at the Meridian factory before a final inspection at Naim.  

Thanks Ken, good to know. Anyone else??

Can't speak of the NAP500, but if I was to make a judgement I'd say the improvement was more pronounced with the NAP300DR than the 552DR upgrade.

Nothing to do with SQ but there is significantly less thump on switch on wth the 300DR vis, the non DR.

In Ken's post he said Meridian factory that should read Marmite factory but then then you know how rumours spread ?

varyat posted:

Thanks Ken, good to know. Anyone else??

just to qualify my answer a little more.  i think its important to note that my experience is based on having done the 552DR upgrade first.

i am not sure what the result would be if you compared these as independent upgrades -- i.e. 552DR without 500DR and then 500DR without 552DR (which is counter to 'source first' philosophy anyhow). i strongly suspect that without 552DR, i would probably not be hearing the full benefits of 500DR -- but i dont know for sure as i havent tested this myself.

enjoy

ken

Fair point Ken.

It's the same for me. The NAC552DR came before the NAP300DR.