Hi any experience's of the supernait vs the 202/200 pre/power. Is there a vast difference in sound quality? Thanks

Yes there is.What is your source LP or CD?
If you need the DAC and one box the Snait is the way to go.
The 202/200 wont give you the DAC but will give you a better sound.Add a NASPC and a Flatcap2x or a Hicap.
Try at home and let your ears tell you what to do.

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Originally posted by wizard67:
Hi any experience's of the supernait vs the 202/200 pre/power. Is there a vast difference in sound quality? Thanks

Hi there. I specifically compared both with my speakers and source. There is a difference in presentation rather than quality IMO, especially as I have now added a Hicap, which makes a big improvement for me both with analogue sources and the SN DAC which I use with iTunes. Costings wise this being v.similar to 202/200/napsc & more flexible WRT sources with the DAC.

You need to listen for yourself and decide, I pondered for a while before jumping, and am very happy with the result but, it aint for everyones ears

I also specifically compared the SN and the 202/200 with my source and speakers (cd5x/fc and b&w804s), though neither had a hicap.

Even though I wanted to like the SN more (cheaper, less boxes, DAC), I thought that the 202/200 combo had better resolution but still (or therefore?) made music sound significantly more unforced, natural and altogether more enjoyable - this became even more evident as time passed. Adding the NAPSC (only $500) to the 202 led to further improvements.

The SN was lovely in its own right, but after having spent time with the 202/200, I don't think that I could have gone back to the SN.
I have since added a hicap to my 202 and it sounds even more spectacular.

Also, if you're going to be playing the naim upgrade game, having separates gives you a lot more flexibility. Because of my difficult speakers, I have replaced the 200 with a 250.2. I next plan to add a supercap to my 202 as a bridge to an eventual move to a 252.

At the end of the day, as others suggest, this all comes down to your ears/priorities. In an absolute sense both are great amps and I'm sure you'll enjoy whichever one you end up with. But for my money, I'd go with the 202/200.

cheers

I heard both set ups thru Kudos speakers, the 200/202 was a marked improvement , more detail, more definition, stronger base. The super nait was very good however a big improvement over nait 5.

I think alot of the choice comes down to music and application. If you want or need access to a DAC for Sonos/SB the SN makes perfect sense. While you can always use these into your system via analog, the digital is much better. Having said that, the 202/200/HC/NAPSC will have a different presentation and better performance, but as many contributors have mentioned the 202/200 can be a bit "finicky."

In reference to music reproduction only, to my ears the 202/200 is an improvement to the Supernait in terms of a larger soundstage, better resolution and a more relaxed sound. The Supernait in its own way sounds great but I soon noticed its limitations when listenning to 200/202 combination. However if you are a great user of other appliances such as the IPOD go for Supernait (which is a Jack of all trades according to one Naim dealer.

I wouldn't buy a SN only because of its dac. Not being out there very good external dacs under 1000 eur. If you buy SN, be sure its sound satisfies you,

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202/200/HC/NAPSC will have a different presentation and better performance

- it will cost nearly twice as much (£4,400 as opposed to SN at £2,400), so I suppose it should sound better!!

regards, Graeme

Depends if you think you might upgrade. If you think not then Supernait may well be all the amp you'll ever need and if you wish to use a PC/Mac the DAC might be useful. But if you want to upgrade in the future (few of us resist!) then I would say 202/200 is the way to go.

Fender (Strat)