Please help: Getting back into naim and need advice on upgrade path ...

I was all set and seriously thinking about getting the 272/XPS2/250 like I mentioned in my first post until I found out about the new dac/streamer. I am willing to wait a little until the dust settles on the ND555. I do realize it will be more expensive but I don't want to think about selling/trading in the 272 for the 555 with a proper preamp. I'd rather splurge a little now.

I am probably going to end up in the middle of the road, but I will be honest that "window shopping" now is slightly addictive. I can have anything right now until I need to put my money down. Then everything changes.

My very first initial thought was to just go for the SN2 and PS upgrade and wait a year. I'd move the SN2 to a second system downstairs. But the more I explore, adding some more funds now, gets me a little more performance for a better main system.Yes, my room is not the best but it works for me and I like what I hear.

Please do not get me wrong, I loved the SN2 when I had it but now I'd like to turn it up a notch.

I bought my NAP300 from a hard core Naim guy who ran it driven by the Unitiqute into nSats.   As I recall, his nSats were hanging from the ceiling.   I never heard it but I know it sounded good.   The 300 sounded better at my house; so good that I would always opt for the 300 if available.   The 300 I had sounded like the solid state version of a great tube amplifier.    Frankly it sounded so good I hated to trade it when I got the 500 opportunity.  

There are many ways forward in the Naim world.     Just get the best gear you can afford, listen to your dealer,  and go with the flow.

Sorry about your wallet. 

Thank you Skip. And thank you for thinking about my wallet. I admit to having owned expensive gear in the past but when I start to configure all the permutations with Naim, my heart skips a beat.

My friends Supernait2 and HiCap should hopefully arrive by the end of next week. I am eager to hear it, but realize that it surely will need break in.

I'm considering the NAC252/SC/NAP300 at the moment but need to talk more with my dealer. A Naim source may have to wait a little while depending on when the ND555 is released and how much it will finally cost.

Following the conversation a bit. It looks like your thoughts are still all over the place in what you want. Perhaps you first need to determine in which direction you want to consider your budget to move.

If you are considering everything between the 272 and even a ND555 sourced 252 the range of options and combinations is quite wide.

I think on the level 272 you have a nice option package with choices 250 or 300 - 300 definitely in another league. And then the nice options to take either the 555ps or the XPSdr. A good starting point could be XPs dr, 272, and the 300.

if you think about the 252 route you might also consider after the nd555 coming out to combine that with a pre-loved nds, even after the introduction of the nd555 still a great machine...

I love the idea of the 272 but worry about there not being an upgrade path for it in the future. I am not familiar with how Naim handles new technology and if they plan on offering updates to existing products like the 272.

I am extremely familiar with other brands and know what I can reasonably expect from a certain digital piece.

Please forgive my ignorance. This is all still new to me and I don't like trying to sell end of life or outdated gear. I'm here for the long haul like many of you.

Well Hungry Halibut recently had a thread,it might of been called “Blimey” discussing how much better the 272 is with the addition of a 555DR power supply.I also recall another forum member comparing the 272/555DR to his 552/555DR,and said it was not that far behind it.Maybe mister HH would be kind enough to point you to that thread,it might be an interesting read for you.Joe,does your dealer have any Naim on hand that you can try,or do you have to order it.?

Joe, you mention the upgrade path for the 272. In terms of its firmware, it will be superseded by streamers using the new platform. The NDX and NDS will be superseded in the same way. So none of these will be able to use Roon or make use of Airplay. They all have a smaller streaming buffer than the new platform. So buying a new platform streamer - the ND555 or successors for the NDS or NDX - will be more future proof. We pretty much know that NDS and NDX replacements will appear at some point, but it’s far less clear about whether there will be a new platform streaming preamp. 

But.... all these current streamers sound great, and even when superseded they will still sound great. It may or not matter to you about Roon or AirPlay.

It really is a good idea to go and listen to some of the options. 

HH and NQ,

Thank you for the additional information. I'm planning on doing some demos over the next few weeks. Sometimes I go overboard. Thank you for the straight talk.

If I may throw a curve ball....

Please remember that it’s the pre-amp that really defines and control the sound. I would therefore start with the best streamer and the best pre-amp you can afford. Power-amp can come in later - NAP250 is a great box to start with.

You have very sensitive speakers that apparently have a high dynamic current demand and you usually play music at low power levels - that's a situation for which the 300DR is ideal.  Yes it has masses of current reserves to play at higher volumes without dynamic compression, but it's also very nimble and astonishingly good at low and very low volume, that really is one of it's key strengths (and it's most definitely better than the slightly lower powered 250DR).

joeinid posted:

I love the idea of the 272 but worry about there not being an upgrade path for it in the future. I am not familiar with how Naim handles new technology and if they plan on offering updates to existing products like the 272.

I am extremely familiar with other brands and know what I can reasonably expect from a certain digital piece.

Please forgive my ignorance. This is all still new to me and I don't like trying to sell end of life or outdated gear. I'm here for the long haul like many of you.

agree with you, you won’t be able to upgrade from 272 and you will loose money.  

But if he bought a second hand 272,and added a 555dr,it would be pretty good to hold him over until the ND555 is available.Then he can switch the power supply to the new streamer,and trade the 272 in on an upgraded pre amp...not really losing anything.

Dealer still recommends the 272 and better ps as in the 555dr. I'll be making a decision soon after a demo. Now I'm thinking of how to squeeze out the NAP300 over the 250. We'll see.

Thank you all for your thoughtful answers. Please keep the advice coming. I sincerely appreciate it.

No quarter posted:

But if he bought a second hand 272,and added a 555dr,it would be pretty good to hold him over until the ND555 is available.Then he can switch the power supply to the new streamer,and trade the 272 in on an upgraded pre amp...not really losing anything.

yes, if the nd555 will not be produced with a different super ps.  And the stradivari speakers are big speakers, they need a lot of energy to be driven correctly, i think.  

The luxman cu900 is on the 252 level, the 272/555 more on the 282/supercap with nd5x streamer.

Perhaps the luxman / nap 300dr/ ndx 555 would be a terrific trio.....

Difficult to tell without hearing.

joeinid posted:

Dealer still recommends the 272 and better ps as in the 555dr. I'll be making a decision soon after a demo. Now I'm thinking of how to squeeze out the NAP300 over the 250. We'll see.

Thank you all for your thoughtful answers. Please keep the advice coming. I sincerely appreciate it.

can you borrow a nap 300 and see how it sound with your luxman and the stradivari ?

French Rooster posted:

joeinid posted:

Dealer still recommends the 272 and better ps as in the 555dr. I'll be making a decision soon after a demo. Now I'm thinking of how to squeeze out the NAP300 over the 250. We'll see.

Thank you all for your thoughtful answers. Please keep the advice coming. I sincerely appreciate it.

can you borrow a nap 300 and see how it sound with your luxman and the stradivari ?

I'm going to try and do that.

Hi Joe,

Welcome to the Naim forum. I have enjoyed following your journies with JOB et al over the years. You have owned some excellent equipment. Just wondering what has prompted the sell off and the move back to Naim? If you're willing to share.

M

Hi,

 I fondly remember my SN2/Hicap. It had that full, meat on the bone tone to it that was very musical. I never worried about the gear, just the music.

i still have my Job INTegrated and was planning on getting the monos again after my brother fell in love with mine and bought them. Now they are discontinued but hopefully someday they will return.

I have had lots of gear and nothing is perfect. I will admit to being addicted to serial gear swapping, trying different pieces for fun. I felt it was getting a little out of control. Naim was the system I had planned on moving up the line before being dissuaded out of it by friends. 

I’ve had my fun, recouped some cash and want to settle down now.

 I see the brand loyalty and general camaraderie here and appreciate the spirit of this forum.

One friend who purchased his SN2/Hicap a week after me, still has his going on 4+ years. He loves it. Another friend and I were going to buy the same combo. His is arriving today but I held off thinking I’d like to move up a little. 

I know financially Naim can be an expensive proposition. I’m beginning to understand that in the long run, Naim’s staying power actually may result in lower costs overall.

So here I am, looking for my destination system.

Hi Joe,

I have had lots of gear and nothing is perfect.

Amen.

I no longer use Naim for my main amplification, but retained the 250s for AV, just can't let them go - and they are doing a sterling job.

Mentioning JOB, didn't realise that they had stopped the Mono production. I played with listening to the JOBs, but input sensitivity put me off.

Naim do some great gear, and while the entry fee can be higher than some they do retain value. I have been listening to a number of rigs recently, including two friends who have excellent Naim systems. I wouldn't attempt to rank them in terms of quality, they each bring different things to bear, and so much comes down to personal taste.

Look forward to following your journey here, and your commentary.

M

Traditionally you'd focus on the front end and work through from there, aiming to end up with a balanced system. This is a bit difficult now with the uncertainty around the NDX/NDS/272 replacements in due course. It may be worth considering used on that front so you don't wind up losing your shirt. Work out what level of Naim you really want (which I suspect revolves around a NDS/252/300 + relevant PSU's eventually - and thats an awful lot of money!) and aim to get to it in as few chunks as possible - front end first preferably!