Naim Supernait 2 or 3 Owners...

[bluegrassphile]

...Anyone ever run out of power with one of these amps? I'm seriously considering a SN3 and just want to make sure there's no lack of clean "horsepower" at higher volume levels. For the purposes of this discussion we'll define "higher volume levels" as 40% or higher on the volume knob. Chances are I'll not play my system that loud very often. But when I do I want clean transients...no audible distortion.

[joeinid]

Never on my Supernait2 but I don’t play at ear bleeding levels. I’ve heard my SN2 with your model Harbeth speakers and loved the sound. It was a clear, meaty and musical toe tapping good time.

A great friend of mine has my original SN2 with Teddy Pardo power supply for at least 6 years now and will not change. That’s how happy he is with Naim. I bought another friend’s SN2 with HiCap (my current SN2) about a year and a half or a little more ago because I missed it so much.

[the professor]

From a visual basis: typically on any NAIM volume control. The amps start to give out around 2 o'clock. How loud that is - totally dependent on speaker sensitivity and room size.

[bluegrassphile]

Jock, it's my guess that even if you have low sensitivity speakers and/or a big room, 2 o'clock on the volume knob would be pretty darn loud. Especially with transient peaks intact. Sounds pretty impressive to me.

[Sean]

I never pushed my old SN2 to near the 2:00 level (running Dynaudio Focus 160’s) that Jock mentions. I don’t remember quite where my average listening level was, but I always felt the amp had plenty to give beyond what I felt was loud. My guess from memory is about 11:00-11:30?

The external power supplies likely serve to help the overall stability of outputting power. Naim watts always confused me cause the spec’d 80 seemed liked much more. High current, I suppose.


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[hifinutt]

the sn2 was here with several speakers , very muscular amp , i doubt if it would struggle with anything except maybe martin logan clx perhaps lovely amp , very nice holographic sound

[the professor]

Even the Nait 2 with it's 30 watts was beefy as all get out. Back in the late nineties we would compare it with 200-300 watt amps and it would hang with them without question. It was a fun demo.

I've never had a Supernait at home but I'll bet there are very few cases it would run out of steam.


Jock, it's my guess that even if you have low sensitivity speakers and/or a big room, 2 o'clock on the volume knob would be pretty darn loud. Especially with transient peaks intact. Sounds pretty impressive to me.