52 pros and cons

Posted by: Bruce Woodhouse on 22 February 2002

I have just acquired a s/h 52/supercap.

I could write a long eulogy about just how fantastic this is. Suffice to say that my wife and I spent the entire evening curled up on the settee listening to music, competing over what to play next. This was BEFORE she noticed the new box. Magical.

One snag emerging, and a tip for anyone thinking along the lines of buying one. I used to have my CDX on squidgy padded feet as I was sure they did nothing to the sound and the hard feet made it slide around the top of my Quadraspire. The 52 is absolutely ruthless at exposing how they actually louse the sound up!

I have a feeling that all those little tips about stands, cable routing, placing of components on racks etc now need REALLY careful attention with the 52 able to expose weaknesses in set up. I was never too particular before.

Anyone wants a long critique of the 52 let me know!

BTW who on earth said that SBL cannot 'do' bass.....

Bruce

Posted on: 22 February 2002 by Wind in ears

I am trying to locate a reasonably priced 52 second hand.

Already have the Supercap. What a difference that made to my 102.

Please email me any thoughts you have.

Posted on: 22 February 2002 by Alex S.

Don't jab it with any needles.

Alex

Posted on: 22 February 2002 by Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus

Alex, a 'pox' on you.

Posted on: 22 February 2002 by John

With the 52 you might discover all kinds of setup issues that were previously masked. If you are running a bare CDX it also has limitations. I suggest you reevaluate your WHOLE setup. For example: I used to run my speaker wires along the back wall behind my speakers. I could not detect an issue with my 82/Super. The 52 revealed the highes were rolled off from the sonic vibration. Good luck with your tweeking.

John

Posted on: 22 February 2002 by ken c

With the 52 you might discover all kinds of setup issues that were previously masked.

and yet you may also find that even low quality sources are "improved" by the 52 -- very confusing. i recall being very surprised when very old casette tapes (recorded from a technics record player) sounded a lot better when i upgraded by preamp.

on the other hand, i also agree that the 52 is "ruthlessly revealing" (ouch!!!). you will recall an earlier thread discussing this very issue. i can't remember the conclusion, if there was any...

enjoy

ken

Posted on: 22 February 2002 by Bruce Woodhouse

For those that asked here is a bit more of a review. I am not good at HiFi terminology! Check my profile for the rest of the kit, note I do have an XPS and that I traded up from a 102/NAPSC.

Straight from cold it was obvious that the 52 causes a class change rather than just an incremental improvement. A bit like the first time I heard a decent CD player, or moved from a cheap integrated to a 72/140. The effect was not small.

THE major change is that everything feels so much more integrated, balanced almost. It is like a clear window into the music without any masking or artifice.

One big difference is the bass. So much more quantity and quality. Bass notes have greater depth and resolution, also more snap and bite. This is hugely different, and a bit disconcerting at first. Re siting the CD player on its own hard feet made the bass lose a slight thickness and improved matters a lot.

The other really striking thing is the detail. I am hearing stuff on favourite CD's I have not heard before. None of this is intrusive either-it all seems to fit together in a perfectly natural picture.

The treble end is obviously improved, especially at higher volumes. Perhaps the jump here is less impressive but this seems to be changing daily with use so may get better yet.

Downsides? Well as above I have a feeling I need to take set up very seriously now, I intend dismantling the lot and cleaning up cables etc especially in the stand. I hate tweaking too. It is also true that it improves mediocre sources (such as my DVD player) but also ruthlessly exposes some rather shoddy production or recordings.

Finally-worth the cash? Well we all have different values but I cannot remember being so excited about getting home and listening for ages. It feels like a component I will keep for years and years (like the SBL's) whatever i do with other bits and pieces.

Bruce

Posted on: 22 February 2002 by Ade Archer

quote:
I used to run my speaker wires along the back wall behind my speakers. I could not detect an issue with my 82/Super. The 52 revealed the highes were rolled off from the sonic vibration. Good luck with your tweeking.

I find my 82/Super, and in fact the 82/Hi before it, quite capable of showing up setup deficiencies such as cable dressing, such as keeping the NACA5 out of contact with the walls, keeping the Burndy cable off the wall behind the rack etc.

Cheers
Ade