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TeddyCap vs HiCap DR for Naim Supernait2

N

Nickyhkg

Member
Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and would like to know TCMK3 vs HicapDR is there any difference on a Supernait2? if using TC will that bypass the original DR pre power section of SN2? I was given a TC from a friend and am curious about the difference. If the DR hicap is definitely better I'll put it on my upgrade list.

Thanks,
Nic
 
The TC & HiCAP should operate/function the same way on your Supernait. I have owned both the TC & the HiCAP DR. I had the TC on my previous 202 & went with the DR on the 282. To me, with out a direct comparison they are similar in their presentation (where as the older HiCAP's weren't). The HiCAP DR was a bigger upgrade vs the TC but this isn't necessarily a fair comparison as the 282 is more revealing vs the 202, so it may have just been better at showing what exactly the benefits were, that the external power supply is adding.
 
Nickyhkg said:
Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and would like to know TCMK3 vs HicapDR is there any difference on a Supernait2? if using TC will that bypass the original DR pre power section of SN2? I was given a TC from a friend and am curious about the difference. If the DR hicap is definitely better I'll put it on my upgrade list.

Thanks,
Nic
Click to expand...

Since you now have the Teddycap Mk3, you are able to determine whether the unit will bring any difference to your Naim Supernait2 isn't it? From my experience, the Teddycap will surely bring some benefits, a cleaner and more refined sound. The real question is the difference between the Teddycap and Hicap DR.

Perhaps after getting the Hicap DR and comparing it with the Teddycap in your system, you can then let us know on the differences?

Cheers.
 
Unfortunately there is no such thing as a home demo in Hong Kong and I'm curious on how to bring the best SQ to my current setup. Tot there will be someone that might have experience on this. I'm currently on bare NDX + Supernait2 + TC + Neat Elite SX.
 
Nickyhkg said:
Unfortunately there is no such thing as a home demo in Hong Kong and I'm curious on how to bring the best SQ to my current setup. Tot there will be someone that might have experience on this. I'm currently on bare NDX + Supernait2 + TC + Neat Elite SX.
Click to expand...

Okay, hopefully someone would be able to help you with your question then. I presume the Teddycap had brought some improvements to your Supernait2?
 
ryder said:
Okay, hopefully someone would be able to help you with your question then. I presume the Teddycap had brought some improvements to your Supernait2?
Click to expand...

YES definitely! Lower noise floor, tighter bass, more controlled in all areas but just wondering if the HiCap DR will do just the same or better with the signature NAIM direction.
 
Nickyhkg said:
YES definitely! Lower noise floor, tighter bass, more controlled in all areas but just wondering if the HiCap DR will do just the same or better with the signature NAIM direction.
Click to expand...

My expectation is that the Hicap DR would be better with more of the Naim sound. This is based on owning a Teddy Supercap, a Naim Hicap DR and a non-DR Supercap. I don't have a Teddy Hicap so cannot compare them directly.

The Teddy power supplies are very good. However, I found that the Teddy Supercap was not as good as my non-DR Supercap. I would expect the DR Supercap to be better again. The Teddy Supercap was a vast improvement on a non-DR Hicap, signficantly lowering the noise floor and sounding more refined. But the Naim Supercap, with without the DR upgrade did the same thing, and added a level of drive and texture that the Teddy PSU did not bring to the table. This is not surprising given that the Naim Supercap has a massive transformer and weighs about 3 or 4 times the Teddy Supercap. This is not to dismiss the Teddy Supercap, which is extremely good, and may be better value than the Naim version. But in my view the extra cost of the Naim PSU does bring some gains, particularly in the things that Naim do well, like dynamics and drive.

Again, my experience is based on Supercaps, not Hicaps, but I would be surprised if the difference was not similar.

One thing I would also add is that Teddy's power supplies are completely silent, unlike the Naim PSUs which often produce transformer hum, sometimes annoyingly so.
 
I'd agree with RossB, although I hasten to add that I've no experience with Teddy gear.

PS I use a Supercap DR with my SN2 as a preamp into a 250.2. The jump in quality was significant. The eventual goal is to swap the SN2 for a 252, then add a second 250.2. The 250.2 can be bought new at half price because it's been replaced by the DR version.
 
Recent feedback from a customer who has both a HiCap DR and a TeddyCap and compared them using a SuperNait 2:

"just got my TeddyCap today which is replacing my HCDR on my Supernait 2.

But how is this possible? It plays out of the box and after - say - 30 minutes a lot better than the HCDR. I am really happy with this upgrade. "PRAT" all over the music.

You must try it on a SN2 (in my case fed by HDX and nDAC/with your XPS) with some good british speakers (mine are Spendor SP23R2) and compare that with the Naim HCDR, it is not small - it is overwhelmingly big a difference."
 
It will be nice if someone can provide insights on comparing the teddcapy and the hicap DR who did direct comparison would be great! Oh yes how about the TeddyXPS for NDX? It's 1/3 the price and I would really want to know how good it is compared to the Naim XPS and what's the difference in terms of sound quality and which one they prefer?
 
I think it is fairly easy to know the answer to your question : think about it. You have Sn2 which has internal DR regulator. Do you like that sound, or do you like SN2 sound with Teddycap. Hicap DR will sound like the SN2 alone. As for your question of Naim PSU being "definitely better" I don't think it is so easy and simple as that.

Over the years I've seen plenty of these comments, "blows out of the water", "knocked for a six", but in hi-fi it is more qualitative than thinking of it as a car race where there are only 2 cars.

It is a bit like BMW vs Mercedes, both are extremely good cars.

Choose which one you like, my guess is the Teddy cap.

As for Teddy XPS, Teddy is friendly and generous enough to let you try his products for 14 days with full refund if not happy.

I remember once a dealer explaining Linn vs Naim to me, Naim is the front row of a concert, Linn is a few rows back, but to me both sound equally good and fun to listen to music on.

Music is a very personal thing, and there are no absolutes in hi-fi. So best to keep an open mind, and at least with teddy you have 14 days

I have both Chord Hugo and Naim DAC V1, and as headphone amps they do sound different, and I like them both for what they do.

Why not try Teddy XPS out and tell us about it?
 
teddy_pardo said:
Recent feedback from a customer who has both a HiCap DR and a TeddyCap and compared them using a SuperNait 2:

"just got my TeddyCap today which is replacing my HCDR on my Supernait 2.

But how is this possible? It plays out of the box and after - say - 30 minutes a lot better than the HCDR. I am really happy with this upgrade. "PRAT" all over the music.

You must try it on a SN2 (in my case fed by HDX and nDAC/with your XPS) with some good british speakers (mine are Spendor SP23R2) and compare that with the Naim HCDR, it is not small - it is overwhelmingly big a difference."
Click to expand...

I would fully support this experience yet again in terms of Supercaps.

I bought an olive Naim Supercap for my NAC 52, had it serviced and then compared it with a Teddy Supercap.

The Teddy Supercap absolutely wiped the floor with it (significantly more sub bass and a very noticeable extension in sound stage and dynamics). I sold the Naim unit!

I then borrowed a friend's Naim Supercap DR and did a direct comparison with the Teddy unit. They were extremely close and thus the cost of a Naim Supercap DR became a ridiculous proposition!

The Naim Supercap DR uses vastly superior regulators to the previous Supercaps and Teddy's version uses regulators of the same quality that produce a genuinely comparable performance at a fraction of the cost.

I have lost absolutely nothing of the Naim sound that I love!
 
So it might be a good idea to get a teddy XPS and upgrade my teddycap to teddy supercap. I am just curious how big the difference against teddy and Naim PSUs. If the presentation is so close I'll definitely go for teddy and save the money on Super Lumina or TQ ultra black speaker cables.

Another funny thing is that I use to own a Hiline but I absolutely hated it! Sound stage is wider but the tremble seems to be brushed off and I preferred the stock lavender grey interconnect over it. So I'll need to try the SL or TQ Ultra Black interconnects or the Arsound Lunar too. Anyone got any experience with these?
 
Many people are impressed with Pardo supplies at the beginning (incl. myself). I used to own Teddycap, dualTeddycap, TeddyXPS but ultimately came back to Naims. If you can afford Naim, buy Naim, you won't regret it....
 
Nickyhkg said:
So it might be a good idea to get a teddy XPS and upgrade my teddycap to teddy supercap. I am just curious how big the difference against teddy and Naim PSUs. If the presentation is so close I'll definitely go for teddy and save the money on Super Lumina or TQ ultra black speaker cables.

Another funny thing is that I use to own a Hiline but I absolutely hated it! Sound stage is wider but the tremble seems to be brushed off and I preferred the stock lavender grey interconnect over it. So I'll need to try the SL or TQ Ultra Black interconnects or the Arsound Lunar too. Anyone got any experience with these?
Click to expand...

Powering a CDX2, I found the Teddy XPS was an improvement over the Naim XPS2 in terms of control and presentation (smoother and easier on the ear)
The same applies to the Dual Teddy Cap over the Hi-Cap on a Nac 282.

I use a combination of ar Sound lunar cables and Teddys own cables,the lunars are expensive but very good, the Teddy cables excellent VFM.

It would be wise to speak with Teddy before changing from Teddy cap to Supercap on the supernait, you may not gain it's full potential with the S.N.
Putting a TXPS on your NDX will bring improvements I'm sure, but I would go a step further. The spec of the Teddy integrated is impressive and this together with a psu on the NDX would be a far better option than dabbling with exotic cables,
I realise that this option would take a leap of faith,but it's one I took myself some years back, with the knowledge that it could be sent back, if not suitable.
 
Nickyhkg said:
YES definitely! Lower noise floor, tighter bass, more controlled in all areas but just wondering if the HiCap DR will do just the same or better with the signature NAIM direction.
Click to expand...

Good to hear. I have a Dual Teddycap Mk3 powering the Naim NAC202/NAP200. I didn't see the reason to try the Hicap DR as the Teddycap brought an improvement to the Naim amps, an added bit of refinement with reduced background noise (cleaner sound) and a more defined presentation(less smearing of notes). Now I have a redundant Naim NAPSC sitting at the corner for years collecting dust.

Of course, if one is curious and doesn't mind spending the money, he can always buy the Naim Hicap DR, compare it with the Teddycap and sell the one which is inferior sounding. For me, there isn't any need to do so since I like what the Teddycap has done to the Naim amps, and it has served its purpose in bringing tangible improvements to the sound. That is all that matters. Of course, you may (or will) get a different kind of sound with the Hicap DR or any other gear for that matter ie. a higher level Naim amp for instance, and the question is at which level is satisfactory for you. There is no end to this game.

In my view, as long as you are happy with the sound from your system, ie. you enjoy listening to your system, that is all that matters. Of course, sometimes there is an itch to try something new after many years listening to the same old system, and it is comprehensible if one intends to try something new just for the sake of getting a new experience.
 
One question regarding the Teddy Pardo units is how does one differentiate whether it's an Mk1, Mk2 or Mk3? There are no labels or markings on the Teddycap, I mean nothing at all as it's just a black box.
 
twinslaver said:
Many people are impressed with Pardo supplies at the beginning (incl. myself). I used to own Teddycap, dualTeddycap, TeddyXPS but ultimately came back to Naims. If you can afford Naim, buy Naim, you won't regret it....
Click to expand...

Yet you rarely, if ever, find Teddy Pardo kit for sale on the second hand market.

I think if teddy wanted to make a Hicap clone, which sounded and looked exactly like Naim Hicap, he can (very) easily do it, but he has created something that is more advanced. I had a read at his website, and read all the technical documents about how the ripple (there is always a ripple after AC is converted to DC) is managed by Naim (big transformer, big capacitors, LM317 regulator, now they use their own DR) , and how he does it with his SuperTeddyreg, and well, until Hicap DR, the Hicap design had not changed in 40 (yes, 40!) years. Some people argue that the DR tech from Naim was due to market pressure from Teddy Pardo Teddycaps. Why did Naim stop using the LM317 regulator after so many years - especially after insisting that the LM317 was the only regulator that gave the "Naim sound"
 
analogmusic said:
Yet you rarely, if ever, find Teddy Pardo kit for sale on the second hand market.

I think if teddy wanted to make a Hicap like Naim one, he could easily do it, but he is trying to create something that is more advanced.

Until Hicap DR, the Hicap design had not changed in 40 (yes, 40!) years. Some people argue that the DR tech from Naim was due to market pressure from Teddy Pardo Teddycaps. Why did Naim stop using the LM317 regulator after so many years.
Click to expand...

That is a very good point! And I don't believe that's a coincidence! Anyways I'm just trying to squeeze every drop of juice out of my system. So a TeddyXPS is my next upgrade! Then I'll consider interconnects and speaker cables.
 
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