Naim, give us a preamp refresh!

They have been recently refreshed with DR upgrades and new additions like the 272 and S1. 

Yes - nothing further required 

It seems that naim tend to do their upgrades quietly without changing the product line unless there's major changes. Like the ndx, they added a 24 bit 192khz upgrade, still ndx, then Bluetooth added, still ndx instead of ndx2. The beauty is you can send it to naim and get it upgraded to new spec without having to buy a new unit. I guess there must have been upgrades to the preamps along the way too. The dr upgrades to the power supplies would for most manufacturers be a whole new product line of preamp. 

The highly regarded NAC N272 is claimed to benefit from "Statement trickle down" such as volume control, board layout and component mounting.  Perhaps these things would improve the classic line of preamps?

With trickle down technology from the Statement

A volume pots upgrade perhaps?

Edit :- Beat me to it CharlieP 

Don't want to be rude but the days of classical preamps are over in my opinion...

once we had tape, tuner, vinyl and cd...

now we have (maybe lp), apple tv, mac/pc, dvd, aurender, auralic, etc.

So i think a DAC with good volume control and one analog input is the future. If Linn brings out a vinyl amp with digital output you could even skip the "one anlog" input.

ok, we'll see...

What a bunch of heretics.  

What else is there other than vinyl, tuner and CD - in that order of importance!

T38.45, I tend to agree with you for products in the Unity series and N272 range.  Really this is the ideal solution for any sane music lover.  But perhaps not for those crazy hobbyists who spend silly money on power supply upgrades like Supercap DR and 555PS DR to enjoy the sonic benefits of heroic regulation.

Charlie

As said above, Naim recently did this with the high and higher end NACs by adding low noise discrete regulation.. It made a huge difference for the better.. Transformed the NACs in my opinion.

The day will be over for the current NACs when people stop buying them .. Until then they will continue to be a healthy if not essential part of the portfolio. I firmly believe the Naim system is centred around the NAC.

Simon

The 272's volume control, and that of the SU, is so nice to use. Even progression from 0 to 100, rather than everything in the first half and the merest touch causing you to be deafened. 

I see no, or little, future in a straight analogue preamp, except perhaps at the very high end. Who needs six analogue inputs and separate record outputs, except for a very few people who use tape machines or a headphone amp, of which, objectively speaking, there cannot be many? I strongly suspect that a higher level 272 will be on the way, along the lines of Linn's Magik, Akurate and Klimax range. Only better of course....

Then the 152, 202, 282 and 252 can be gently and humanely retired. 

"those crazy hobbyists" 

I work in mental health and it always makes me cringe when people use words like crazy, mad, etc as an insult. Some call it political correctness, but maybe one day it will be looked at in the same way as racism. Sorry if this is out of line on this forum. 

I don't disagree, but clearly Charlie meant no harm and there is a way to go before crazy and mad are set aside. In principle though, yes, they are inappropriate. 

Quite right Fuzzy giant. And while you're about it, please can you refresh your username. Some of us are somewhat vertically challenged. And clean shaven with it.

Cheers, Chris

What we can't use the word crazy as in following a craze? Ridiculous.  

Yeah, I hear what you're saying. I know no offence was meant. I think it's just thrown around way too much without thinking. I hope it didn't seem I was having a go. Anyway, back to the thread and sorry if I came across the wrong way. 

Strat,  that's not quite what was meant now is it? 

Fuzzy giant, sorry, I meant no insult.  Rather, I consider myself one of "those crazy hobbyists" and use the word "crazy" in endearing terms.  

I use a 555PS DR on my nDAC and hope to trade in my 2 Hicaps for a Supercap DR someday.  I recognize that most sensible people would think this beyond consideration.

Cheers,

Charlie

I'm not going to indulge you anymore in this conservation as I might say something really controversial!!!

Indeed, let it go. 

All is good.  I would like to have a non-offensive term to describe people like myself whose behavior is far afield from the "norm."  Perhaps, "people of obsession?"  

From what Naim did on for the 272 volume control, I'd imagine a similar update for the 552 will be probable and very worthwhile.

The Pre still contributes more than usually imagined, until you get a demo. I did look at the 'alternative' path with a certain other manufacturer with room-correction, etc...not even close to Naim's performance, so happy with my choice to remain with the old-fashioned Pre.

But the 552 should be next for uplift.

DB.

Weird. 

I could not disagree more. Crazy is fine the context used. Whether you worked or work (as I have) in Mental Health is of no bearing. I look forward to the day human mental and emotional states are not conflated with issues of race.

I can fully get the SupercapDR desire, it's having 2 Hicaps that baffles me 

Buy a NAC52 then you can change the name of the inputs with the supplied alternatives. If they don't do it for you then get some more lables made.