Interesting Linn and Naim price points?
Posted by: Allan Milne on 01 December 2016
I'm looking at my digital/pre front-end; currently UnitiServe >> DAC V1 >> NAC 202/Hicap.
Plan is to keep the US and I'm not into streaming,, preferring to curate my own collection; so its theV1 and 202 that are up for grabs.
Linn DSM were suggested to me as a way to go but then they include streaming and I thought this might compromise the "quality" of the DAC and pre at the price point.
I did a comparison of what I thought might be considered "equivalent" systems just to get a handle on the landscape and was quite surprised that the prices came out so close ...
Higher-end:
Linn Climax DSM = £18,900.
Naim 252/Supercap/NDac/555PS = £19,240
Naim 282/XPS/NDac/555PS = £17,020
Lower end:
Linn Akurate DSM = £6,350
Naim 282/NDac = £6,855
Of course the Naim configurations are flexible with power supplies etc while the Linn contains streaming but it looks like both companies have identified price points and priced accordingly - surprise, surprise 
Note that I put the 555PS on the dac in light of comments made on this forum.
When the time comes I am going to have a lot of combinations to try out, including the Chord DACs that are so beloved of some forum members.
Just a throwaway post ... not intending to get into any deep stuff ... but then this is the Naim Forum so ... 
Allan
I don't know what some members get all excited about posts in this forum - those last few posts are sanity exemplified, thanks.
HH - that is certainly the simplest solution but remember I'm not wanting to upgrade again so ... I'd have to audition to the 252 as well won't I? I know that members have said its about different presentations with these two pres but maybe I'm one of those who likes the mnore refined academic presentation of the 252 ... but maybe not .. oh dear 
Adam - very simply explained ... trouble is this now takes me on another route which I should perhaps follow first to make sure that any home demos are done in the best possible environment ... I'll now make you cringe ...
Currently I have a Sky modem/router into which my NAS is plugged directly
... my US is connected to the Sky directly also but using powerlines (is that the right term)
... yuk I hear you say
So maybe I'll follow this up first ... or maybe not ... or maybe yes ... what is it they say about indecision !
Isn't this crazy, maybe I'll just mortgage the house again and fill it with 500 series without any auditions ... only joking darling 
Its a good job that I can't drive and that my dealer is not accessible by public transport or I'd be driving him crazy too.
I'm a bit anal about organisation, hence the OP, so I'm going to make a list of things to do/listen to ... I'll share if you're interested?
Thanks all, this forum makes my mornings with my cuppa a real treat,
Allan
Re Adam's suggestion about home network.
Am I right in thinking that the Airport Express is only to act as a wireless router?
Since my Sky fibre modem/router works fine with my wifi devices I could then leave the Airport Express out and simply connect a Cisco switch to the Sky router and only the audio stuff like the NAS and US into the switch? would this then compromise control via the NServ app?
... see I listen to you lot and would be going commercial switch rather than home switch
... and then I would get someone in to lay CAT5 cable between the switch and my US.
Is it better this way, keeping all the audio components only into the switch or could I also wire up my PC (which is also currently using a powerline) into the switch as well - my son had suggested in the past that I should run cables from the switch to Ethernet sockets in all my rooms ... just in case ... comments?
This thread has gone really off topic now but then nobody seemed to want to talk about the price point equivalences which is fair enough since they are what they are.
Allan