Upwards or sideways movement?

Posted by: Charles44 on 29 March 2017

I have seen for sale at a fair price a NAC 152 XS and NAP155 XS pairing. I currently use a Nait XS amplifier. My question is would there be any improvement over what I currently use given that I don't want to spend more to go to a 202/272.

Posted on: 29 March 2017 by hungryhalibut

I'd suggest that you stick with what you have and add a Flatcap XS. That will improve both the CD player and the amplifier.

Posted on: 29 March 2017 by The Strat (Fender)

Charles,

Any chance of a listen? In theory a pre-power if everything else is = will perform better because of the separation. But in practice you may think it not worth the extra £ and of course boxes. One area though where a pre-power does have an advantage is with regard to future upgrade possibilities. But as you've no intention of seeking a 202 or 272 then perhaps not an issue for you. But we've all said that at some point or other!!

Regards,

Lindsay

Posted on: 29 March 2017 by Mayor West

Hi Charles. Having tried this myself I found the Nait XS to be much more involving and musically satisfying than the pre-power combo. Of course YMMV so you'd have to have a listen yourself if possible. However I think that HH's suggestion of adding a FlatcapXS may bring better improvements.

Posted on: 29 March 2017 by stuart

Charles

If budget allows I would add ndac as this would bring about a more significant improvement. Maybe a pre owned one but make sure it has firmware update.