Going to a 552?

You don't want a 552 to move away from your fingers. The 552 is that special that I would recommend to get it without auditioning.

Bert, I am afraid I disagree.. It's only special in the right systems in my experience...its not a magic wand despite what some would have you believe and I naively believed by reading this forum until I discovered otherwise.. but I agree should the worse happen, unlikely but quite possible,  it will not be difficult to move on..

You holding out for the Statement S1 then, Simon?!

Chris

Chris, LOL, no at the moment I am enjoying my music and dramas, no great urge to change anything at the moment (with poss exception of DR modding my 250.2) as it works well and I don't want to risk upsetting  the balance .. however I should say the disappointing 552 auditions have not been with my own system...

You don't fancy adding a used 300 to your 252/SCDR instead of doing a DR on your 250.2? 

Hope the SCDR is treating you well.

Sam

Simon, if we are talking completely black and white I have to agree with you. So of course there are setups in which the 552 will not be able to shine or would not even work. F.i. with extremely sensitive speakers the output can be a problem and would need to be customized (example Verity Audio Lohengrin). And of course with a rather low spec system also the 552 would not shine. But the % of cases in which the 552 will shine is relatively high....

Hi,

As a owner of a nac552 DR I can only say try it  and if  you like what's doing with the rest of your system BUY IT!!!  an offer like this - as  you  described it - I think its very rare.

Best Regards,

Fabian

Hi Sam , I feel embarrassed,  you and your family were so hospitable and we had a lovely evening - your 552 system was sounding clean clear, perhaps a bit bright for me for me initially - but was that not the poweramp settling in?  - but yes we did hear your system evolving and thickening out as the evening went on. Were we not listening to Pink Floyd albums? They sounded good.

But I have heard other 552 setups - and don't get me wrong the 552 is incredible - but if there are issues elsewhere like subjectively bad speaker balancing etc then it cant magically wave that away..

Yes the SCDR is doing sterling business - I very glad we connected over that

Bert - I suspect we do really agree... it is about balance - but with all things being equal I see no reason why the 552 shouldn't shine - but to my point surely its worth auditioning - as you might get better bang for your buck addressing something elsewhere in your system first.

Simon

I think the 300 would be over kill for me - and I really don't want to add to my box count it I can help it. From the comments here the 250DR packs quite a performance - and the 250.2 (2014 version) is no slouch either

Simon

Simon - the 250 DR is another amp altogether, and only shares the name "250" with the older 250.2

It is hugely superior in every way.

Simon makes a pertinent point - the 552 is not a magic bullet or panacea for all Hi-Fi ills. Gilbert Briggs' (the founder of Wharfedale) truism of over fifty years ago still holds true - 'The wider you open the window, the more the muck flies in'.

The open window of the 552 places increased demands upon the rest of the system chain and room acoustics. If things are not copacetic all the way down the line, one's expensive upgrade can sound disappointing.

John.

Agreed 100%.  

Zipp has two fine sources that will benefit from the 552. His table should benefit most, as the Superfine will get a PS upgrade from HiCap to 552PS (perhaps freeing the HC as additional trade-in). DR'ing the 250 is an obvious next step, but of course, a 300DR would be an bigger move.

Mega-deal perhaps? Go right to 552/300? It is no doubt a great stopping place. I say go for it, mostly because it is far easier spending Zipp's money than my own! 

ATB.

Hook

I'm so content at 252/300 that I have zero desire to go further. I would suggest the OP consider whether his passion for music justifies such an expensive preamp. One has to draw an artificial line somewhere and say - yes this level of performance is more than sufficient for my needs - and stop at that. Otherwise this upgrade business could go on forever with no end in sight, to the detriment of other family members who have not gone a well deserved holiday for many months.

So....... your small room has a large tv and massive lp cabinet between speakers. Your system is directly and closely in front of a speaker. Your stands are relatively poor performers. You're stopping at 250.2. The demo units (imo) would not have been particularly looked after. They would have been transported many, many times to customer's houses, left with many owners, constantly switched on/off, hundreds of unplugging/plugging and generally more abused than units that were sold to a careful discerning owner. Are the 552s that rare? No.

Will the 552 sound great? Of course it will. Will it go back within 30 days? I very much doubt it. Will you be happy with your hifi after the £11,000 purchase, without any more purchases? I very much doubt it. Would the £11,000 be better spent elsewhere to give you a more balanced result, that you'd be overall happier with? This is what a good dealer does for you and not a forum full of cheerleaders congratulating your new arrival, as if it's a baby.

Always enjoy a civil thread. 

Wonderful imagery, this is what I keep my bunting for, the royal arrival!

We too were more than content with our 252.300. Delighted, enthralled, set for ever. We then heard a 552. Nothing changed about the excellent 252/300 but the shape of the world it sat in had changed and possibilities became interesting.. But no one held a gun to our heads. 

Stylishly put.

C.

The 250.2 pairs very well with the 552- no worries long term as far as I'm concerned .

Smallish room would not concern me either as long as you like how your speakers sound sitting in it.

The "open window" analogy is a very good one when hearing the 552 compared to lesser preamps- I prefer a big, wide open window.

The 30 day return policy is an option you can always fall back on- I doubt you will.

ATB,

Mark

Zipperheadbanjo,

Discerning comment had nothing to do with you. Merely stated that a 552 owner would be discerning enough to look after it very carefully and that's who you should buy from and not a dealer's demo unit.

Your tv AND huge cabinet WILL have a large effect on the sound. Perhaps a 552 is wasted on a non audiophile geek.

There's been two personal insults on this thread; first, from you stating the word "civil", second, your latest summary post naming me.

There must be a way of putting someone on 'ignore' or blocking their posts here. I never remember who's a bad egg on this forum, so for the first time in the 14 years I've been a member, I'll search the settings list and put you on it. If I can't do that, I'll email Richard for help. Hopefully this will work. After this one, ignore all my posts.

Didn't take long to find, but blocking is rubbish. It just collapses the post and keeps the member's name there.

There must be a better way.