In praise of 272/250DR

Indeed the 300DR that I use now is an amazing combination - as and when required, it can deliver the delicate touch of a brain surgeon or the hammer fist of a cage fighter!

Huge posted:

Indeed the 300DR that I use now is an amazing combination - as and when required, it can deliver the delicate touch of a brain surgeon or the hammer fist of a cage fighter!

Huge, a superb description of a 300DR.

I've been sat in the garden for the last hour, ipad in hand, listening to my 272/250DR and it's sounding brilliant out here in the Somerset sunshine. I know a PS will lift performance, but for now, till funds allow, this is a fun two box combo. 

Finkfan posted:

I've been sat in the garden for the last hours, ipad in hand, listening to my 272/250DR and it's sounding brilliant out here in the Somerset sunshine. I know a PS will lift performance, but for now, till funds allow, this is a fun two box combo. 

Me too. Unfortunatly I've overcooked myself and have a look of the tomato about me! Kids finding it most amusing.

G

Ouch Graham! 

Ive been sat in the shade, I'll be working out in this heat all week. [@mention:50422349809511500] popped round for a play around with Tidal after lunch. So much music, so little time. 

It was breezy here which fooled me into not noticing the direct heat! Paying for it now.

G

I'm Fitzpatrick 1, so I have to be really careful - in the past I've burnt to the point of blistering in less than 1/2 an hour and that was in Wales.  Now it's SPF 30 minimum!

Sounds painful [@mention:36201736971392588]. 

I hope, once Poldark starts, to be back out in the evening sun with the 272 for company 

GraemeH posted:

Finkfan posted:

I've been sat in the garden for the last hours, ipad in hand, listening to my 272/250DR and it's sounding brilliant out here in the Somerset sunshine. I know a PS will lift performance, but for now, till funds allow, this is a fun two box combo. 

Me too. Unfortunatly I've overcooked myself and have a look of the tomato about me! Kids finding it most amusing.

G

I am still running as a 2 box combo, it always pleases and leaves little to desire. I will likely get XPS2DR when financially viable, but feel no urgent upgraditis..

I did a 20 mile cycle ride this morning and a six mile walk this afternoon - not a lot I know, but it was really hot - and am now relaxing with a glass of rosé and a Toumani Diabate album before dinner. Since getting my 272/250 and SL2s, and finalising the wires early last year, I've just forgotten about the system, stick on a record and enjoy it. It's not been like that for years. One of the reasons I chose the system is because it's hard to upgrade and is just right as it is. Hifi is a means to play records, not something to stress about. 

Agree 100%, now that I have the 272/250DR and a Krystal on my LP-12 I am just completely satisfied to not change a thing,. 

I upgraded recently from a Cyrus x-power to a Nap 250DR on the end of my 272. The music is back, the finger tapping is back, the finesse, the mellow yet crips sound has returned! Happy times!

My question is: should I upgrade my Monitor Audio Gold 200 (which are starting to show their limitations) to a pair of Dynaudio Contour S1.4 or Focal Electra 1008BE? While Electras sound ok for my taste (a little bright without too much body), I never heard the Contours which btw are 65% of Electras price.

Thanks for any comments on the matter.

Dan.S posted:

My question is: should I upgrade my Monitor Audio Gold 200 (which are starting to show their limitations) to a pair of Dynaudio Contour S1.4 or Focal Electra 1008BE? While Electras sound ok for my taste (a little bright without too much body), I never heard the Contours which btw are 65% of Electras price.

I would consider an XPS next. A bit more expensive than the speaker upgrades you're thinking of, but unless your speakers are a real problem, that would be my priority. 

Dan.S posted:

I upgraded recently from a Cyrus x-power to a Nap 250DR on the end of my 272. The music is back, the finger tapping is back, the finesse, the mellow yet crips sound has returned! Happy times!

My question is: should I upgrade my Monitor Audio Gold 200 (which are starting to show their limitations) to a pair of Dynaudio Contour S1.4 or Focal Electra 1008BE? While Electras sound ok for my taste (a little bright without too much body), I never heard the Contours which btw are 65% of Electras price.

Thanks for any comments on the matter.

I don't know about the S1.4 but I think the new Contour C20 sound great on the end of my 272/XPS DR/250 DR. 

Selecting speakers is like selecting wine.

Given system components you have (or what are eating), there are some things you know won't work well, but beyond that the choice is still bewildering and down to personal taste.
What suits one person won't necessarily suit another - you can't describe it completely, you can only give a vague idea of what to expect...
So in the end you just have to try them for yourself in combination with the rest of what you have.

One thing though... adding an XPS DR (and don't be tempted by a cheaper non-DR unit) will add quite a lot more finesse, detail and 'musicality' to the sound without taking away any of the drama, emotional connection or the 'PRaT'.

....a week went by and so happy with the 272/250dr, don't care about upgrade right now, so much music so little time. 

What about the run in time? My 272/250DR combo sounds marginally better than my late SU. I've read somewhere that a trick would be (instead of just waiting for 6 months) to switch both nac and nap off -> wait 5 minutes -> switch on -> wait 5 minutes -> repeat for 20 times in order to completely discharge and recharge the capacitors.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

Dan.S posted:

What about the run in time? My 272/250DR combo sounds marginally better than my late SU. I've read somewhere that a trick would be (instead of just waiting for 6 months) to switch both nac and nap off -> wait 5 minutes -> switch on -> wait 5 minutes -> repeat for 20 times in order to completely discharge and recharge the capacitors.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

I'd just listen to it as much as you can and enjoy it. 6 months seems to be a long time to expect it to get better. I'd expect it to be on song in a couple of weeks with perhaps some marginal improvements further on. Did the 272/250 combo you demo'd sound significantly better than your SU ?

Sounds like a great way of breaking switches or blowing fuses to me! I'd be tempted to leave things well alone. Living with 300 DR it does seem to come on song quicker than the old NAP300. I wonder if this is true of the 250?

My 272 took at least 4 weeks to settle down. Peaks and troughs till then. 

Dan.S posted:

What about the run in time? My 272/250DR combo sounds marginally better than my late SU. I've read somewhere that a trick would be (instead of just waiting for 6 months) to switch both nac and nap off -> wait 5 minutes -> switch on -> wait 5 minutes -> repeat for 20 times in order to completely discharge and recharge the capacitors.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

The TQ enhancement disc helps the process remarkably well, just let it run through your system a couple of times......also leave your system on at low volume when you are out ......then it's just a waiting game

I'm sure that if that switching off and on trick actually worked, everyone would be doing it already. On that basis I'd suggest that it will achieve nothing whatsoever. 

When I installed my brand new 272/250 in place of my then SU, with PMC twenty.23 speakers the improvement was absolutely massive - nothing subtle about it at all. The sound improves a lot in the first couple of weeks, with a few ups and downs and off days. After that the sound continues to gradually improve. As James so rightly says, the best thing is to just play music and enjoy it. You can always leave the radio playing while you are out. I'm assuming that you are leaving it switched on all the time. 

I added a 250DR to my Uniti 2 and Core three months ago and the sound improved gradually but early May  I swapped in a 272 as my front end. The difference was a largish jump in SQ immediately but it is now so sweet sounding in about 5 weeks of about 8 hours use daily. Saving for the XPS DR at Christmas to complete my set up.

My 272 will be 5 weeks old this week. Sounds so much better than it did at switch on. I only get to listen for about half an hour in the evenings at best at the moment, so I guess it will continue to improve. 

Dan.S posted:

What about the run in time? My 272/250DR combo sounds marginally better than my late SU. I've read somewhere that a trick would be (instead of just waiting for 6 months) to switch both nac and nap off -> wait 5 minutes -> switch on -> wait 5 minutes -> repeat for 20 times in order to completely discharge and recharge the capacitors.

Although I think the abilities of the 272 have been talked up quite a bit on here, it really should sound more than marginally better than your SU, even straight out of the box. System setup, rack etc. might be to blame if you haven't optimised them, and this becomes increasingly important as you climb the ladder. Did your dealer set it up for you?

As for repeated switch on/off, never heard that one before. Sounds a bit dodgy to me.