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Bluetooth > Topping DX3 pro > nap180 > linn isobarik - preamplifier?

I

isoprop

New Member
I'm using a nap 180 (replaced a sony integrated amplifier 440e) into linn isobarik speakers with amazon music bluetooth 44.1/96 to topping dx3 pro plus as a source.

I dont have a preamplifier yet but the Dx3 has a volume control so I bought a cheap din - rca connector, plugged it in, and the whole thing now sounds really good to me - do I need a nac preamplifier - will it bring further improvements or less is more in this case?

I have a hicap in anticipation of buying a nac102/62/72 but i'm now wondering if this is necessary. I guess the obvious answer is buy one and see. Anyone tried similar or have a view?
 
isoprop said:
do I need a nac preamplifier - will it bring further improvements or less is more in this case?
Click to expand...
Depends on where you want to go with all that. I really don't think a NAC will get you much more,

I've been through a lot of naim rigmarole (From nait5 to 282/Hicap/etc, and also 72/hi/110), and if you love naim sauce, the maybe you'll want to go that route. OTOH, the Olive and earlier nacs had too much gain for today's more or less standard 2V output. In other words, it will be difficult to make fine volume adjustments.

The topping DX3 has a remote, which IMO is nice to have, and I'm sure it sounds very good. If anything just using BT on the topping is the real limiting factor, and you might want to consider another way (some kind of streamer) to get you music into the DX3. I think that will give you more satisfying results.
 
It will depend how many dB down you are for normal listening using the Topping. Digital attenuation does not attenuate noise, so below around -30dB it can be a problem. Plug a laptop in via USB and see if that's better than Bluetooth.
 
Unfortunately you are likely to find any of the shoebox pre's and also the 102 worse than useless if they're running on any of the standard power supply options. Hotrodded ones are a different matter but the reality is that the standard two rail configuration just isn't sufficiently transparent to do justice to any decent modern digital source.

In the same way that most of us who got into HiFi in the 80's found most 70's equipment muddy sounding and woolly, people buying new equipment in the 2020's will be saying the same about much of the kit we originally had.

If you find you really need something to act as a volume control and ensure you're actually getting "all the bits" at your normal listening level then a topping headphone amp is the way to go. Another alternative is a passive pre but Naim power amps don't usually react well to those.

For similar outlay to a Naim pre and Hicap you could actually go a lot further up the Topping DAC range, which would yield greater benefit in my estimation.
 
I also have a NAP 180 (though with Avondale NCC220 boards inside) and a NAC 82, powered by a Teddy DTC. It sounds magnificent but I wanted to scratch an itch by taking the pre-amp out of the line and feeding the 180 directly from my RME ADI-2 DAC. I picked up a phono > DIN cable (from here in fact) to try it out.

I was hoping it wouldn't sound good (if only to justify the cost of the pre-amp!). The result was that the 82/DTC were reconnected after just a few hours. I don't know what kind of witchcraft goes on in these two boxes, but the improvement over the direct-from-DAC was incredible. Perhaps as mentioned above, the power supply to the NAC is the main reason.
 
isoprop said:
I'm using a nap 180 (replaced a sony integrated amplifier 440e) into linn isobarik speakers with amazon music bluetooth 44.1/96 to topping dx3 pro plus as a source.

I dont have a preamplifier yet but the Dx3 has a volume control so I bought a cheap din - rca connector, plugged it in, and the whole thing now sounds really good to me - do I need a nac preamplifier - will it bring further improvements or less is more in this case?

I have a hicap in anticipation of buying a nac102/62/72 but i'm now wondering if this is necessary. I guess the obvious answer is buy one and see. Anyone tried similar or have a view?
Click to expand...
I have a boxed mint condition NAC 102 that I no longer need, PM me if you are interested.
 
Any shoebox nap is likely to be 30db worse on signal to noise than the dac output, as long as you're not running the dac lower than -30db on the output all the nap can do is introduce noise and distortion. An analogue pre scales noise with level, a digital pre, dac volume control, doesn't. So at a certain point where they crossover one becomes better than the other.

If you run the dac between 0db attenuation and -30db I'd stick with it. If you run it lower than that it'll be quieter running it full tilt and using the nap for volume control.
 
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