Great speakers & NAP 250 DR OR Good speakers & NAP 300 DR

PS on Naim Dac :-) following source first adagium.

I have no Naim Dac and are not entitled to say though.

The more I've upgraded further up the chain, the more my speakers impressed me--no matter what speakers I had.

And think carefully--Is this really about getting the best possible sound, or are you simply ready for a new set of speakers? If you are bored with your speakers, get new ones. It's your ears and your living room. Have fun!

You have a very good system, so a better loudspeaker will be the biggest improvement.

lajlaj posted:

Hi folks, I've slowly climbed the ladder and now have the following:

• NAC 252/Supercap
• NAP 250 DR
• Naim DAC
• Dynaudio Audience 50 speakers (eep!)

I've had the speakers since I started - student loan helped with that! - and are the last thing to upgrade. I was planning on getting the Dynaudio Confidence C1 - I like the brand and synergy with Naim - but I've started thinking I might be better off getting the Contour C20 and upgrading my power amp for the NAP 300. I'll try to demo in the new year before purchasing but was interested to hear what you folks would recommend?

Luke

your electronics merit better speakers as perhaps your dac.  Where do you connect your dac?

252/supercap/250dr is a great combo, i would stay with that.

Speakers are getting replaced; I’ve got a ~13k amp going into 500 pound speakers that I bought when I was a child . Should I spend my 6k on c1s or upgrade to nap 300 and c20s for similar money?

There are some posts on this forum regarding the C1s. They are a difficult load so maybe C1's and Nap 300?

I like Dyna speakers - used to have Contour 1,8s but I’m not familiar with either of the models you suggest except by reputation.   I would suggest 2 things though.  First the nDac is like both the CDX2 and NDX in that it is pretty well transformed with the addition of a XPS.  Second and specifically regarding the speakers there isn’t much the 250DR can’t do so if I were you I’d assess what really works best in your room.   Whichever you choose you could always upgrade to a NAP300 at a later date.  

Good luck.  

Lindsay

Without getting into specifics and excluding under-powered amplification, my choice would be great speakers and good amp on any day.

I owned C1 MK11s for a couple of years,they work ok with the 250 DR,but I would go for the C20s,the C1 line is due to be updated any time,so I would wait on those.The C20s will play louder,also have the best tweeter Dyn make,so my choice would be 300/C20s.C1s are great if you listen at moderate volumes...but who does that?

lajlaj posted:

Speakers are getting replaced; I’ve got a ~13k amp going into 500 pound speakers that I bought when I was a child . Should I spend my 6k on c1s or upgrade to nap 300 and c20s for similar money?

perhaps you can hear other speakers than dynaudio....There are a lot that work good with naim amps and not necessarily power hungry.  Proac, Pmc, Sonus Faber, Harbeth, Spendor, Atc, Kudos, Totem.....Take the time 

Start with a demo of C20s, try with a 300 and bare DAC compared to a 250 with and without an XPS on the DAC, that should be informative. A dealer demo would do for this if he can assemble the right system. Based on the result of that you should get a better idea of where the money should go. 

oh that's a tough one.... not sure at all what I would do.

I would be tempted by what was said above "Without getting into specifics and excluding under-powered amplification, my choice would be great speakers and good amp on any day."

So I would look for a Confidence C1 or C2 speaker.

The 250DR is very capable to drive those speakers (I heard with C2, and no problems at all)

I've heard 300 DR and yes it is very good, but I personally I am aiming for Dynaudio C2 speakers with my NAP 250DR.

I currently have Dynaudio Focus 260 speakers by the way. They're surprisingly good, but not anywhere near the performance of a Confidence level speaker. Clarity, soundstage, detail is a lot better on a Confidence speaker.

One of the members here has 252/SCDR/300DR and 282/HCDR/250DR, Adam Zielenski.

I wonder what he would recommend?

And yes there is a substantial increase in sound quality when you move up the Dynaudio speaker chain, but it will expose your any issues in set up. 

Do you have a rack? How do you feed your NDAC? which interconnect from NDAC to your 252? Which digital cable between your NDAC and whatever feeds it. Naim DC1 or Chord Tuned Aray. Vertere is also extremely good.

The rack is a LOT more essential than it appears, my system only sounded like what I paid for it once it was on a rack with enough space between the 282 and HCDR (and 250DR).

I would have gotten my system on a proper rack with enough space before any upgrade at all, in hindsight. 

Although I do believe in source first once you have a good enough one I now believe after doing the opposite that great speakers good amp is the way to go.  Lots of people spend ££££'s upgrading amps and psu's but keep the same speakers of course this will improve things but I think now it is best if you buy the best speakers you can and then buy the amp to suit them when funds allow.

A set of very good speakers will bring out the best in an amp but average speakers are average speakers a better amp will get the best from them but they will always be average.

Luke

As good as those Audience 50s were, they are definitely way off the mark with your present system and are sucking up to much power without giving out the beans.

I recommend you try the new Special 40s.    Great speakers with your great system.

Change left from your budget for the C1s can be used towards upgrading to SuperLumina cables

cheers

I have the same System as you and i am driving the Dali Epicon 6, beautifull combination.

I tested them against B&W,Kef and Monitor Audio and they have been miles ahead.

Every update i made in the Naim Chain (5i>SN>SN+SC>282/250>252/250) was plausibel, but the step from Naim Ariva to Dali was mindblowing.

I have C20 with a 250DR and it's a great combination. So good I don't feel the need to upgrade to C30 which was my plan when I bought C20. I'm sure a 300 driving them would be even better. As NQ said above a new Confidence line is rumored to be coming soon so maybe C20 or even Special 40 now to hold you until the new line does come. Either choice you have will be a great upgrade to your current speakers. 

The highly efficient Focal Kanta no.2 could be an interesting avenue to explore.

lajlaj posted:

Hi folks, I've slowly climbed the ladder and now have the following:

• NAC 252/Supercap
• NAP 250 DR
• Naim DAC
• Dynaudio Audience 50 speakers (eep!)

I've had the speakers since I started - student loan helped with that! - and are the last thing to upgrade. I was planning on getting the Dynaudio Confidence C1 - I like the brand and synergy with Naim - but I've started thinking I might be better off getting the Contour C20 and upgrading my power amp for the NAP 300. I'll try to demo in the new year before purchasing but was interested to hear what you folks would recommend?

Luke

You would get more from the Dynaudio Audience 50 if you upgrade to the NAC 552 and/or NAP 300DR. However, if I were you I would not touch the amps and upgrade the speakers. The NAC 552 or NAP 300DR can come later.

I’d also recommend the C20s. But I’d wait in a 300 to see if you really need it. 

Second hand Contour 3.4LE is great in my opinion.

I have a 272 & 250DR and a Core, and am using a pair of Burmester B10 monitors for a desktop system.  Speaker cables - Crystal Reference.  I also use a JL subwoofer.  The sound is very good.  I'm very happy with the speakers, and would highly recommend them.