XPS DR more expensive than 250 DR
Posted by: Popeye on 20 December 2018
Hi guys
just out of interest really, does anyone know what is likely to make the XPS DR a more expensive product than the 250 DR.
I know they are completely different products.
Just interesting to me as a layman, as the inside of a XPS DR is somewhat sparse compared with the 250 DR.
Obviously there is a reason.
Popeye,
the main determinant of the end price of Naim kit has always been the BOM (Bill of Materials), which includes all the inputs of componentry, labour, R&D etc.. Then a set percentage is applied for manufacturer and seller margin (which need to cover costs and hopefully make a bit of profit), and then maybe a very small adjustment made to round it to a neat number.
Being hand built in Salibury, one of the biggest input costs is the skilled labour involved, particularly in anything where wiring or hand soldering is required. Looking at the internals there's probably more labour involved in an XPS compared to a current NAP250. Oh and don't forget the Burndy cable which is a fairly costly item on its own and is included with the XPS.
With high end Hi Fi like this it's not the physical materials cost that fixes the price, but the time spent in the development and optimisation of the product, and as Richard says time in assembly.
Sure thing, forgot about the Burndy also.
I had cause to open my XPS DR up yesterday, under instruction from the factory to verify its DR pedigree. It turned out it had been upgraded by an overseas distributor.
I was surprised at how little was in there and have always felt that the power supplies seem poor value compared to the complexity of the streamers, pre-amps and power-amps and especially the Uniti's. I've seen the Nova and Star being built in the factory and there is a lot inside them.
I just tell myself that the other components are good value and the power supply is priced just right. I may be deluding myself but it makes me feel happier!
Have to agree tricky.....the Nova is just crammed to the brim with power supplies, streamer and dac boards, pre and power amps. But I guess the PS innards have always been the same and the value is perhaps determined in part by Naim for the SQ uplift.
More likely it's down to labour - in particular the amount of hand wiring and hand soldering required. Kit like the new Unitis were designed to be modular and so require comparatively little hand wiring or hand soldering.
Gazza posted:Have to agree tricky.....the Nova is just crammed to the brim with power supplies, streamer and dac boards, pre and power amps. But I guess the PS innards have always been the same and the value is perhaps determined in part by Naim for the SQ uplift.
As I understand it, the new Unitis are costing a lot more to make than expected, so effectively are too cheap, hence Unitis going up next year and Classics not.
It’s amazing just how different the inside of the XPS DR looks compared with the 555ps
Upgraded my Bel Canto power supply from a VBS (3 inputs) to VBL (1input) and needed to change the facia plate. I was little surprised to see less in the upgraded version than the original one. I am sure it is about the quality of the materials and the development time. Power supplies make a big difference to sound - it's not just for Naim kit!
Popeye posted:It’s amazing just how different the inside of the XPS DR looks compared with the 555ps
Which may also go some way to explaining why the price of the 555PS is double that of the XPS*.
Wiring up the 555PS is a big job that requires the highest soldering skills to ensure everything is exactly right and consistent. Watching any bit of Naim kit being wired up is a joy to watch - the 555PS especially so - possibly worthy of a video I think.
*when you remove the cost of the included Burndy from the XPS.
hungryhalibut posted:Gazza posted:Have to agree tricky.....the Nova is just crammed to the brim with power supplies, streamer and dac boards, pre and power amps. But I guess the PS innards have always been the same and the value is perhaps determined in part by Naim for the SQ uplift.
As I understand it, the new Unitis are costing a lot more to make than expected, so effectively are too cheap, hence Unitis going up next year and Classics not.
Yes I saw a beat the price rise email from a dealer with a sort of sweetener saying the hdmi would be standard on atom from February....save £250 now.
Agreed the inside of the 555PS is a work of art* / marvel of engineering* and shows magnificent attention to detail both in design and assembly.
* Pick whichever you feel applicable (or both!).
Never been that brave to open up one of my black boxes, have seen pics here and there but not necessarily verified by Naim.