Ryder, Thanks for the post. What do you think you get in the 282 as opposed to the 202. But the price difference is significant, isn't it? I understand that the 250 would be a real improvement over the 200 but also at substantial increased expense.
Naim or Octave with Dynaudio Confidence C1
After an inordinately long search, I have definitely decided to purchase the Dynaudio Confidence C1 speakers. I think they are amazing speakers. I recently auditioned them with the Naim separates, the 202 preamp and 200 power amp and a Naim CD player. I thought the system sounded great, intimate, sweet, clean, and transparent. Having read a lot of great comments about the Octave V70 amp, should I audition that as well or conclude my search? I have a 12 by 20 room and listen to jazz, vocals, Brazilian, r&b and other generally non bombastic music.
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Handsomeck, I have not tried the 282 in my system(202/200) although I've listened to the 282/250 in another system. If you browse through the Naim forum, the general consensus is music becomes more real and believable when going up the Naim ladder. You are correct that the next model up represents a significant increase in expense, usually two times or more the cost. That is one reason I will stay put with the 202/200 for the time being. If I ever want to upgrade(not at this point of time though), the 282 is where I would want to stop. The 250 is an improvement to the 200 if the speakers require the additional current. However, from what I was told the 250 is voiced differently from the 200 apart from having a more robust power supply that's fully regulated. Some may prefer the lean sounding 200 over the 250 that has a warmer and fuller presentation. Since Xti thought the Octave amps sound better, it is prudent that you compare both before making your decision. Naim amps do sound good but I feel the higher range amps are costly for what they are. There may be others which provide good sound(not necessarily the same sort of presentation) at a lower cost. I just looked up the Octave V70se and noticed it is a tube integrated amp. I am quite sure the Octave will sound quite a bit different from the Naim amps being tube. Hence it is best if you are able to listen to both and find out for yourself which house sound do you prefer, the Octave or the Naims. Good luck. |
Handsomeck, I believe Reno HIFI a Passlabs dealer offers 30 day trial. Give them a call. |
If you are going to the CES in Vegas, I just read that Octave is doing a demo of the V40 and the MRE 130 with the Saphire speakers. "Octave Audio will be exhibiting in Venetian Suite 30-230, and company founder and chief engineer Andreas Hofmann will present the companys MRE 130 monoblock amplifiers, Phono Module phono-preamp on the Sapphire loudspeakers, as well as the V40SE integrated amplifier on the limited-reissue Dynaudio Special Twenty-Five. For all of you attending CES, we look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas." Ciao, Audioquest4life |
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