naim 82 - back from service

Good move d100, Darran serviced my 52 and my findings were similar.

I have got an 82 that missed a service interval as well (or more than one....)

Happy to read the benefits of the service for a pre-amp.

Just one question (so I can start budgetting this ;-) ), how much does a service for an 82 cost?

The service cost was the 'standard' one quoted by 'Class A' in Sheffield. My amp had 36 capacitors changed! - it had really started to sound rather 'dirty', two dimensional and a bit lifeless. Have a look at their web site.

Congratulations on joined the New 82 Club.

Mine was serviced - for the first time - in 2013. Its a 2001 vintage 82, so it was just 12 years old when in was done - by Class A. Cost then, was £20 less than currently listed. 

I bought mine Pre-Loved from TomTom and always intended to get it serviced, once it got close to being 12. So I did. And its sounds super ....!! Not that it sounded bad before - certainly not 2D or lifeless. YMMV.

All my other older black boxes have also been serviced by Class A. So, 250 and both HiCaps. My XPS is the next one due, in a couple of years. Highly likely to go North, for that.

Enjoy....

IanM

My 82 was transformed by a similar service performed by Plurison, to the point where I stopped thinking about upgrading... except that a 13-year old 252 + Supercap combo crossed my path last week at an attractive price. It will be interesting to see how an unserviced 252 +SC compares to a serviced 82+ HiCap.

Jan

Hi Jan

That would be some comparison. Eagerly awaiting your report.

Might a 13yo SC be a cause for concern? Interested though.

C.

The SC and the 252 are both due for a recap, but that will come later - or sooner, depending on SQ - and probably the DR upgrade on the SC... when funds permit.

"unserviced 252 plus SC vs serviced 82 plus HiCap" - "all bets are off" as is frequently said on this site!

Well maybe not, depends on the presentation you are looking for- the 252 and 82 are very "different" sounding. One thing is for certain imo, any Olive power amplifier or PS that has not been serviced is a risky proposition- I personally would not plug them in .

ATB,

Mark

Looking forward to sending my recently acquired 82 off to AVOptions in February for its first service. Well, it was manufactured in '98 and did receive the Pots 8 upgrade within 2 years...but this will be a complete rebuild! 

Sounds like it's well worth the time and money invested.

Aric:

You will find that Chris West at AV Options will do nothing short of an excellent job on your 82 .. it'll be a long wait but well worth it.

Isn't that a rather sweeping statement?  Surely it depends on the history and the provenance.  I've 'plugged in' both a SC and a 52 at various times, both unserviced, both with sound history and provenance, and both sounded fantastic; and a worthwhile and cost effective improvement over the HC and 82 they replaced.  They were even better after they were serviced.

For my money the high spec Olive kit is where the real value for money is right now in the used market.

bluedog,

I think you have misunderstood my intent- simply stating that 82 and 252 have a different sonic signature, serviced or unserviced.

As far as plugging in a 15+ year old power amp or PS , well that is a risk that I will no longer take. I had an unserviced 110 blow a nice pair of new Dynaudio 's - you just never know when parts will fail when they are put under load beyond the recommended service life.

I'm currently enjoying my 52/SC/135's for a change of pace - all serviced. I agree the Olives are a tremendous value! Yes indeed..

ATB,

Mark

really "slumming it" Mark.  Some of us live with this as our normal system!

david

Hi David!

Hope you are well and enjoying your Olives. Not "slumming" at all !! The Olives have been running exclusively for a week now and are really sounding terrific. Very much reminds me of my early days lurking about at my naim dealer- so much energy and excitement. 

In a few weeks I will switch over to my 12s/160 for a real dose of time travels! With the weather changing I need some early flat earth sound to perk me up!

ATB,

Mark

Well, the 252 + Supercap are plugged in and nothing has been blown, apart from from my mind. I wish I could tell you that the serviced 82 + HiCap is close, but it's not. There is just so much more intensity, density of information, scale, gravitas... and I could go on, but I have a sh*tload of music to rediscover. ClaudeP, if you're reading: Merci !!!

Jan

Jan,

Awesome news!  Enjoy!

Charlie

Hi Jan-Erik,

I'm very happy that it works as well in your system as it did in mine. Congratulations!

Claude

There is a definite shift of attention after the 82. A lot more is happening in the bass, while the midrange has thinned out, but gained in clarity. Definitely not as chunky as the 82. More insight into music tho. Need to play with cables and setup.

Very fortunate we are to be able to have these sorts of discussions.

Jan, great news. I happen to think the 252 (DR in my case) is a cracking piece of audio equipment.. It was the device that appeared to make so much of my music make sense where previously it not always did... It has been some rediscovery... It is so infectious. What ever you feed it with sounds enjoyable and interesting/musical.. 

Enjoy your re discovery.. And you have done this at the right time of year with wet dark/grey days to not entice you away...

Simon

Interesting thread, which makes me wonder. I have a fairly recent 250.2 (2013) that I plan to get upgraded to DR (not yet booked in), but not serviced. I also have a 2006 252, which is probably not due a service and sounds good, but would it be worth having that serviced as the same time as the 250 is away? And has anyone got a recent price for a 252 service at Naim?
Thanks

Clive

Clive, although I can't answer your service cost question, i would say if your 252's SC also dates back to 2006, I thoroughly recommend getting that DR'd and probably serviced too. DR on the NACs (across the range) has made a massive performance improvement (IMO)

Simon

A 52 Service is listed as £289 at Class A.

Thanks, Simon - sorry, I should have said that the 252 is powered by a recent SC DR, so it really is just a question of the 252 itself.

Clive