Stack XPS DR on NAP 250 DR?

I'd not be worried by any overheating potential but more worried in the loss of SQ. With this level of equipment transparency will be very high and you'll easily notice things like a simple change of plug let alone equipment location and the negative effects that energy paths can have.

If a suitable stand is out of the question I'd be looking at something like a small home made 15mm MDF shelf with wooden feet or similar. Even better if it doesn't stand directly on your amp. They can be very close but as soon as you use the case work you'll change how the amp sounds.

Ever wondered why the case work rings like a bell if your wrap it with your knuckles? That's to do with the control of unwanted energy. Stop that and you will have an effect on SQ.

i'd consider equipment surfaces as the foundation to any system and to be as equally important as the equipment itself.

The XPS and 250 each have a large transformer, which in close proximity will greatly affect sound quality for the worse. Almost no point in getting the XPS if they can't have breathing space of at least 2 inches from each other. Much better right now to optimise space as a first priority as Geko says.

Thanks for the good input

Had my Nap 250dr stacked on top of the xps dr,as a short term measure bought some rubber door stops and placed them under the feet of the 250, this gave a bigger distance between the two ,to add cooling space and keep the transformers a bit more apart,cotton bobbins a similar idea.

To the OP -- I'd suggest just stacking them, and listening to some music, and not getting fixated on some of the more religiously questionable aspects of naim ownership.

So you've got well in excess of £10k of electronics and you're going to set them up in a sub-optimal way? I'm sure it will work OK, and I guess I would tolerate it as a short term measure. My experience of Naim boxes is that as you climb the ladder, correct setup becomes more and more important if you want the system to perform as it should. Talking of which, are you using a proper equipment rack?

I suspect that in practice, listening to music, it will make no difference at all whether you stack them on top of each other or not.

best

David

I agree (I think!). Due to my wife disliking the looks of Isoblue (she loathes Fraim & Quadraspire!) I have temporarily relocated my three black boxes to built in shelving. The shelves are part of a custom made floor to ceiling alcove unit, and are 20mm thick and very solidly made. I have to say I can detect no difference in SQ whatsoever! I'll give it another week or two, one more swap round, then I think the Isoblue will end up back with the dealer or on the usual auction site.

To the OP

Any type of rack or shelving has to be better than just plonking them on top of one another as the top one is bound to leave feet marks on the lower one.

Ray

Hi Robert, if you're intending to listen to your ayatem through low cost ear buds then the stacking you're contemplating will be fine.  In fact the 272 with XPS together with the 250DR will be one of the very best sources you can put together and will even drive an expensive pair of ear buds when stacked as you're thinking.

However... if you're contemplating running what amounts to a very fine audio system indeed through some half (or even completely) decent speakers, then for goodness sake do whatever it takes to separate the components and avoid stacking.. for all the reasons given inprevious posts, but most of all....

...because you owe it to yourself to hear this fine system performing at it's very best  ...you owe it to yourself to sit back and say to yourself "This is one hell of a good audio system I've put together".

I guarantee you'll be glad you made the effort, but if you're not, I'll offer to buy your system off you at half the going price less shipping.... now I can't say fairer than that, can I ?  

thebigfredc posted:

To the OP

Any type of rack or shelving has to be better than just plonking them on top of one another as the top one is bound to leave feet marks on the lower one.

Ray

I once stacked a NAP500 on top of my Sony tuner for a couple of minutes and it left feet dents, not feet marks 

I remember when I had my 172 on a shelf about 4 inches above my 250. So not directly resting on it, but fairly close.

When I moved it to over 12" away, it sounded better.

It's your stuff, OP, do what you like with it. But if you want to fully enjoy the thousands of pounds you've spent, don't put components on top of one another, especially components with transformers in them.

It's not heresy, the sky won't fall in, the equipment won't break.  You just won't be getting the optimal results from your considerable investment.