Supernait and 250DR

The 250dr is a superb piece of kit, I'm not surprised it's sounding so good, I expect with your cdx2 you are probably thinking of an xpsdr next, but does it matter which order you upgrade..... 

True Wenger, an upgrade is an upgrade in any order  

Enjoy while it lasts. And do hope that your friend does not buy that 300...otherwise you may have to buy his 250.... 

Interesting findings! I have SN2 + HCDR also and I'm too afraid to try out the 250DR. At this point it's very problematic to take the next step in amplification. I think it's not a good idea in a long run to keep SN2 as a preamp only. So if you want to go for 250DR, you need a proper preamp. Well everybody here says that 202 is not good enough for 250DR so it would need to be 282. At this point we talk about quite a big budget. Of course we have 272 + 250DR but considering my recent experiments with NDX, I doubt 272 matches Naim DAC as a source. 

Yes [@mention:3819189062215082], adding a 250DR would, if it stayed, only be a step in the right direction. Just had another quick listen and its stunning. My Revel speakers are singing like I've never heard them before. 

Been using a 250drfor five months it is an absolutely cracking amplifier.

Totally agree

I had a home demo of a 272/250 dr combo while i still had my SN 2 with Unitiqute 2 as a digital source into Hugo,into SN 2.I felt the 272/250 dr was miles ahead of the other combo with NO redundancy,so i went for the 272.250 dr with no regrets,i also kept the Hugo.I tried many different combo's that week,i also have Dynaudio xd 600's,so i wanted to compare passive versus active,being fed from the 272,i also have passive Dynaudio excite 12's here,and borrowed c1's to try with the 272/250.The one combo i WANTED to try was hooking the 250 dr to the SN 2,and was about to do it,when i thought...there is no way in hell i would keep this combo,it would be too much of a waste of the SN 2's power amp,so i did not bother,i wish i did to this day,i also had a high cap dr at that time,so the SN 2 would of had DR technology in the preamp and then use DR tech from the 250 dr...might of actually been ahead of the 272/250.but too many boxes and redundancy for me,so i am with PATU on this,it is not a realistic long term solution.

I don't see what the problem is with running the 250 with the SN for a while. It's hardly going to do any harm. It depends on where you're wanting to end up really and if there's a chance of getting a 250dr at a good price from someone you know I'd go ahead. 

I'm using a Superuniti with a 300dr and it's fine. I figured I'd make the big step rather than smaller upgrades which would only cost me more in the long run. This time next year I'll have done away with the SU for something else. I've got an itch regarding a used 552 and a 372.

oh and some more Fraim to put it all on £££££££££££££££.

Very much agree with DREWY, I don't see what the problem is, the SN is more then capable and if the improvement is transformational, it's a no brainer... 

My own upgrade path was more about purchasing at a to' good to miss opportunity ' then possibly the natural order... enjoy the 250dr ...

I have convinced myself that nothing significantly beats my SN2/HCDR other than a 552/500 and since this is rediculously expensive (at least to me), I am so happy with my system as is

Moussa posted:

I have convinced myself that nothing significantly beats my SN2/HCDR other than a 552/500 and since this is rediculously expensive (at least to me), I am so happy with my system as is

Brilliant! 

wenger2015 posted:

Very much agree with DREWY, I don't see what the problem is, the SN is more then capable and if the improvement is transformational, it's a no brainer... 

My own upgrade path was more about purchasing at a to' good to miss opportunity ' then possibly the natural order... enjoy the 250dr ...

The problem is the idea that you waste 50% of the SN2 when the poweramp isn't used. Back in the days when I got the original SN, it bothered me that I didn't use its internal DAC anymore since I got the nDAC. I upgraded to SN2 immediately when it was released. 

The great thing is though [@mention:3819189062215082] is that it isn't a waste! It is temporary. The SN is perfectly capable of playing the role of Pre only. I doubt SN/250 is anyone's dream system. To upgrade from the excellent intergrated to a better pre/power will cost 8 grand and not many of us can afford to do that in one go. Half the outlay is more achievable. This is, if it stays, a step in the direction I'm heading. At a later stage the SN would obviously be swapped for a pre such as the 282, and I can use the HCDR I currently own, or 272 if I start thinking about streaming. 

As Finkfan rightly says, it's budget dependant,  which is why I'm not quite yet in a position to upgrade my car to an Aston Martin.... 

Same plan here. Have SN1 and saving money for a poweramp next to it. then save money and replace the SN by a good preamp. Not forgetting source of course, but I feel that I need to study much more on this since this digital world is changing fast.

Does anyone know by the way if you connect a poweramp - lets say NAP 250 - to the SN, if that can be used to power a second zone too? I have my SN in an attached room to my living, but it would be good to have some decent speakers in the attached room too since the tv is there.

It seems that SN2 + 250DR works well. I wonder why 202 + 250DR is thought to be such a bad combo. Maybe SN2 has a better preamp than 202 then? 

When I got my 272 & 250DR to replace my SN, I took the opportunity to both use the SN amp section with the 272 and also put the 250DR on the SN. Using the SN pre with the 250DR was a very nice combo, so you are not going to be "suffering" if you have to live with that for a while.

I was really happy with my SN1 and had I not gotten such a killer deal on the new gear I was very pleased and satisfied with it as it was.

I think the SN1 was a great piece of gear, and very versatile given the built in DAC.

I use a SN2 as pre with a 250DR and it sounds amazing , its definitely not a combination I would have bought together at the same time though . I had enjoyed my SN2 bare for the best part of 3 years and always knew one day I'd go to a Pre/Power set up . Around march this year I had the opportunity to try a new a 250DR on sale or return , from the off it was never going back and whilst I would obviously be better off with a 282 etc. attached the lift in performance and enjoyment the 250DR gave me will keep me happy for a while yet .... 

Moussa posted:

I have convinced myself that nothing significantly beats my SN2/HCDR other than a 552/500 and since this is rediculously expensive (at least to me), I am so happy with my system as is

You are in a very good place.

Ardbeg10y posted:

Same plan here. Have SN1 and saving money for a poweramp next to it. then save money and replace the SN by a good preamp. Not forgetting source of course, but I feel that I need to study much more on this since this digital world is changing fast.

Does anyone know by the way if you connect a poweramp - lets say NAP 250 - to the SN, if that can be used to power a second zone too? I have my SN in an attached room to my living, but it would be good to have some decent speakers in the attached room too since the tv is there.

You can add a second amp to the bi amp din socket on the SN. This would however output the same as the main speakers and you wouldn't be able to control the volume on the second amp independently of the main speakers. 

Patu posted:

It seems that SN2 + 250DR works well. I wonder why 202 + 250DR is thought to be such a bad combo. Maybe SN2 has a better preamp than 202 then? 

Someone here has the NAC 202 with the NAP 250 DR and it was reported as a great sounding system. Not too sure if anyone has compared the Supernait2/NAP250 DR and the NAC 202/NAP250 DR though.

ryder. posted:

Patu posted:

It seems that SN2 + 250DR works well. I wonder why 202 + 250DR is thought to be such a bad combo. Maybe SN2 has a better preamp than 202 then? 

Someone here has the NAC 202 with the NAP 250 DR and it was reported as a great sounding system. Not too sure if anyone has compared the Supernait2/NAP250 DR and the NAC 202/NAP250 DR though.

Ok that's interesting. I've asked about 202 + 250DR few times here and usually people have told it's better to go for 282 + 200 than 202 + 250DR. But I'm not interested in 282 + 200 since my ATC really could use the extra juice 250DR offers and I'm not sure 200 even betters SN2's power amp. 

The 250dr on the back of my SN has been a joy to listen to. The control, detail and soundstage that it provides is fantastic. I returned my system to SN/HCDR and my wife noted that something had changed and I needed to put it back to how I had it, it just doesn't sound as good! All in good time my dear, all in good time. A truly brilliant amp and it's been a pleasure having it to stay, but I must get used to SN again. 

I suggest very strongly you keep SWMBO happy,  and order a 250dr, for her benefit not yours of course