250dr to 300 none dr

I can't see the problem with the comparison of the two amps. A 250DR is fabulous but a 300 is a big step up. The ease, control, solidity is superior. You can argue about system balance etc but considered as a straight comparison its pretty clear to me.

The option to DR a 300 is good. You have the future option, but there is nothing wrong with a 300 as it is. 

Considering that a good used 300 is on par with a 250DR pricewise, I know what I would do.

And yes a 272/XPS/250 is a nice combo. But Naim have been demonstrating 272/XPS/300 with Sopra2s. Personally I think this makes sense, although a better front end would be the first thing to consider if you were looking upward.

I am heading for a used 300, and will probably slum it with a 272 bare for a while until I can either get an XPS and/or the mythical 372. 

Timmo1341 posted: the system with the 300DR sounded awful! My original SuperUniti sounded better through the K6s than the seperate!

Really???? A SuperUniti bettering a 300, that really is a case of different strokes for different folks! I kind of find it hard to believe, but hey!!

I would venture to guess that something else is at fault, I have never heard a 300 sound awful, DR or not.

I owned a 250-2 for several years, it was by far the best amp to ever grace my house, but the reality is the 300 is just at a whole different level, those 10 extra watts on paper do not begin to justify the sonic difference between the two amps.

I for one, if I was able to not feel guilty about spending that kind of money on stereo equipment, hands down, purchase a 300, and never look back.

badlands posted:

Timmo1341 posted: the system with the 300DR sounded awful! My original SuperUniti sounded better through the K6s than the seperate!

Really???? A SuperUniti bettering a 300, that really is a case of different strokes for different folks! I kind of find it hard to believe, but hey!!

I would venture to guess that something else is at fault, I have never heard a 300 sound awful, DR or not.

I owned a 250-2 for several years, it was by far the best amp to ever grace my house, but the reality is the 300 is just at a whole different level, those 10 extra watts on paper do not begin to justify the sonic difference between the two amps.

I for one, if I was able to not feel guilty about spending that kind of money on stereo equipment, hands down, purchase a 300, and never look back.

 

 

Why do so many people feel the need to put their own, skewed interpretation upon others words? I did not state, or imply, that the SuperUniti was a better amp than the 300DR. I was simply illustrating the fact that the overblown bass produced in my lounge by the combination of the 272 (naked and paired with 555 PS & XPS DR), 300DR and ProAc K6s was so unpleasant that the music produced by pairing SU with K6s was preferable, to my ears. Neither am I saying the 250DR is a 'better' amp, simply that the sound it produces is better, again to my ears, than that produced by the 300DR in my room, in my system. 

I would add that Stuart Tyler of ProAc, a man of some experience within the world of hi-fi, said the overblown bass was not uncommon when matching the K6 with the 300 amps. 

A 555PS can overblow a 272. A friend tried it with his 272 and found a DR-XPS to be a better synergistic match.

The 300 (DR'd or not) is a fabulous amplifier. This thread simply illustrates the old Hi-Fi problem of as one climbs the ladder; the window is opened wider with increased power and bandwidth, and it becomes harder to realise the potential of more expensive kit. Something in the chain (or the room acoustics) can kick back and send things into reverse if the balance and synergy is upset.

All the Naits 'work' (I love my XS2) by not opening the window too wide. 'More expensive' does not automatically deliver more musically pleasing results.

John.

exactly right, the NAP 250DR is quite a fine amplifier, but performance depends on what is feeding it, from the source, to the preamp, which power supply, etc... and also which interconnect from source preamp.

the 250 really likes top quality inputs 

The esteemed Richard Dane, runs a 552 into his 250

It's different for everybody. And there's no way to predict. Having said that I would classify the 500DR as the least likely amp to upset a room and the 300DR as the next least likely. They've got grip and control that are difficult to appreciate until you hear hem. If the room is already naughty or the source isn't up to it, a 300 won't save it because it can't put back what isn't there.

A 250.2 was all over the place in my room and resoundingly ruled itself out as a suitable amp for our household. The 300 which eventually came to live with us was as good as gold. In another room the opposite result may have fallen out. You just can't tell. But as a rule of thumb, good amps work better in bad rooms. Except when they don't!

Harry posted:

It's different for everybody. And there's no way to predict. Having said that I would classify the 500DR as the least likely amp to upset a room and the 300DR as the next least likely. They've got grip and control that are difficult to appreciate until you hear hem. If the room is already naughty or the source isn't up to it, a 300 won't save it because it can't put back what isn't there.

A 250.2 was all over the place in my room and resoundingly ruled itself out as a suitable amp for our household. The 300 which eventually came to live with us was as good as gold. In another room the opposite result may have fallen out. You just can't tell. But as a rule of thumb, good amps work better in bad rooms. Except when they don't!

Agreed Harry. All generalisations are false, including this one.