Pre amp section SN2 + NDX vs NAC272

this debate has been going on since NDX & 272, I went down the NDX route with 202 and then 282 which is still in my system

a lot of very happy owners of the 272/amp/ and the real upgrade is a PSU to 272 ideally 555

i don't know the 272 well enough to compare the pre with SN2 but others may

Robbert, I'd always try to avoid having double components in my system, which will be the case when going the SN2 route.

Hi Robbert.

My two-peneth worth...

Having a demostration of both options is the only way for YOU to find out. 

Based on my dealers observations (not my own) the NDX is likely a better streamer than the streamer contained in the NAC272.

The NAC272 is great for keeping the box count low and is undoubtedly a very fine component in its own right but an NDX would take you further in the future if you were going to upgrade it with a power supply and upgrade your pre and power amplification as an upgrade to your SuperNait. 

Best,

John

I would keep the NDX and the SN2 and look into purchasing a Hi-line interconnect.

The NDX as a source is better than the 272.

 and...the Hi-line is really fantastic, do try to audition one.

According to Naim the streaming section of N272 is somewhat comparable to ND5XS.
Having said that, the owners of N272 report remarkable uplifts in performance when N272 is used with a power supply, especially 555PS (it benefits both the pre and the streaming sections of N272).

With regards to NDX and SN2. The strong point of this combo is NDX and SN2 as a whole. However when looking at just a pre-amp section of SN2 it is the weakest link - this is purely my opinion, based on my observations and experience.

At one time I owned a UQ 2,fed the digital out of it to a Hugo 1,this was my only source.The amp I used was SN2 with a highcap DR,speakers were Dynaudio focus 160’s.I had the opportunity to home demo a 272/XPSDR/250 DR into the same speakers.The 272 combo was much better in all areas,so I proceeded to trade in the SN2/Hig cap....kept the Hugo.Maybe an NDX would of been better than the UQ2/Hugo1,I will never know,but I was extremely happy I made the trade.

Adam Zielinski posted:

According to Naim the streaming section of N272 is somewhat comparable to ND5XS.
Having said that, the owners of N272 report remarkable uplifts in performance when N272 is used with a power supply, especially 555PS (it benefits both the pre and the streaming sections of N272).

With regards to NDX and SN2. The strong point of this combo is NDX and SN2 as a whole. However when looking at just a pre-amp section of SN2 it is the weakest link - this is purely my opinion, based on my observations and experience.

Having directly compared the two, I can categorically say that the streamer / DAC of the 272 is a notable step up from the ND5 XS when both are used without an external PSU.
In reality the overall quality of the 272 sits squarely in-between the ND5 XS and the NDX.

It also shouldn't be forgotten that with the 272, an external PSU improves both the steamer / DAC and the preamp at the same time - a fact that means the 555DR isn't such a silly option with the 272, since you effectively get two upgrades with the one external PSU.

As always, unfortunately, this is not a question you will get an answer that you will hope for, and has created much debate for years. I use the NDX with HiLine plus Hicap DR into a Supernait2 with a Powerline on the NDX and in my opinion its incredible! and I personally feel the pre is better on the supernait2 with the HiCap DR powering the pre, but that goes with another debate.