NAC 52 and DR SuperCap - anyone upgraded to or have this combination?

Hi Nick

I have a Naim factory serviced, POTS8 52 + olive Supercap.  A year or so ago, I tried a Supercap DR as part of an extended home trial of a Superline.

If you search for a thread called "The perils of a quick Superline demo", started by Foot tapper, you will find several posts about the merits of olive SC versus SCDR on our NAC52.

Hope this helps, FT 

i have in 2nd system a pots8 NAC52 powered by Supercap DR (you cannot DR an old style supercap as far as i know) and driving NAP135s in Linn Kan1s. This is a suprisingly good, if not a bit 'old school' system... and sometimes gets me asking myself some embarrassing questions...

enjoy...

ken

Nick from Suffolk posted:

I am contemplating changes to my system. Currently I run a 52 with a (olive) SuperCap into a 300, which will shortly be DR'd. My SuperLine has a 5/6 year old SuperCap (i.e. non-DR version). The 52 has been upgraded to the latest specification, but the SuperCap has not been touched since the (very late) 1990s.

I know that my next improvement should be to get a 552, but the need for a new knee wiped out that fund. I was wondering whether anyone powers, or powered, their 52 via a DR'd SuperCap? I do have a very helpful local dealer and am going to audition the effect of this anyway, but has anyone any views on this? I am not sure whether an older SuperCap can be DR'd and if not there is a route for disposal to my wife's son, to help out his system.

I could leave the 52/SuperCap alone and 'just' DR the SuperLine's SuperCap (our preferred listening is vinyl).

 

As Ken mentions you can't DR an olive SuperCap.  Given your SC is 15+ years old it would certainly benefit from a service.

For a while I ran a 52 with a SCDR.  It did make an improvement.

As an alternative to SCDR you could consider servicing your olive SC and then also adding some Super Lumina cable to your set up.

Thanks for the replies. I had not realised the SuperCap design had changed so as to preclude a DR upgrade.

I will look for that thread Mr FT.

I have made my choice of cables and to SL my whole system (with PowerLines as well) would cost much much more than a new SCap DR.

the DR upgrade on the power amps is quite significant (to my ears more than the DR on the preamp).

I think once you get the 300 DR, you will enjoy it so much that you will be quite happy with the 52 and olive SC.

Found your thread, Mr FT. Did you keep the SuperLine, your profile suggests otherwise? But you have upgraded to the new Vertere TT. I guess from your reference in that other thread you were a member of the Roksan forum. Would have been interesting to see/read what you think of the Vertere.

I think the 52s SCap has either to be replaced or serviced. To summarise FT's view, get the police SCap serviced and get the SLine SCap DR'd. Along with the 300 DR upgrade that might keep my old ears going for a few more years! I will have to get back to my favourite dealer for an experiment.

I run a POTS8 serviced 52 with Supercap DR and it works superbly to my ears.   I've put two DR Supercaps in the system (see profile), one on a SNAXO242 which was a huge change and one on the pre, which was probably 70% as good a bang for the money but well worth it so I suggest an audition.   

I recently had my 18 year old supercap DR'd along with servicing the the 52, the results were nothing short of spectacular, I'm also using a NAP300. I would recommend it highly, I couldn't  afford a new 252 so this was a good upgrade. I was amazed at the new level of detail, this was one of the best upgrades I've ever done.

i wonder how supercap DR works compared to 52PS? 52PS is clearly better than supercap, partly due to the larger number of supply caps (and that was the view of service department a few years ago when my 52/52ps was rebuilt -- I was offered SC crossgrade but recommended against it). But 52PS is fixed function whereas supercap is universal function which for many might be a big deal. I suspect SCDR has overtaken 52PS, and significantly so. 

I changed to SCDR for my late 52 and put my olive SC on snaxo duties. It kicked everything up a gear, positively impacting both LP and CD play of course.

Like you Nick, I use a Superline. Unlike you, I power it from the 52 rail directly, since I have too many boxes as it is with an active system. The SCDR helped the Superline as well as the pre-amp for that reason.

So I would have no hesitation in recommending SCDR as an upgrade for you, especially if you are going to DR your 300. 

And then you can fiddle about and decide whether to plonk it on the 52, or on the Superline, which will be fun. In my view it will better serve the 52, but it will be down to taste.

Enjoy!

Regards, David

Dammit, people, you are confusing me! 

I really am going to have to do some in-home auditioning!

With my current inability to kneel, it will be a feat to remove and replace S'Caps in the rack.

Nick from Suffolk posted:

Found your thread, Mr FT. Did you keep the SuperLine, your profile suggests otherwise? But you have upgraded to the new Vertere TT.

 

Hi Nick

The improvement of the Superline over the humble Dynavector P75 mk II, even with the optimal Naim Z foil resistor value,  was not sufficient to convince me to buy one if the SL was to be powered off the pre-amp.  

I found the SL + SCDR to be an utterly convincing music maker.  However, it would be a £7k phono stage, not a £2-3k one in this configuration.

In the end, the funds went into improving the turntable from the Xerxes 20+ to the Vertere MG-1.  The improvement with the MG-1 has been such that I am content to wait a while before revisiting phono stages again. Touraj does seem to know what he is doing.

Best regards, FT

Nick from Suffolk posted:

Dammit, people, you are confusing me! 

I really am going to have to do some in-home auditioning!

With my current inability to kneel, it will be a feat to remove and replace S'Caps in the rack.

 

 

unfortunately that is the reality on the naim forum.

I've heard many rigs upto 552/500 now, and my advice is to proceed slowly, no need to rush into anything.

Once you get the 300 DR upgrade, you may feel nothing else is needed. It is a major upgrade that makes the most of all upstream components.

Thanks for that, Mr FT. I had already gone to the S'Line with the Xerxes 20 and even powered from the 52 the S'Line (plus silly price resistors) was streets ahead of the Artaxerxes (but I had long changed from the Shiraz to a Lyra, so the Artaxerxes, even with the dipswitches, was possibly non-optimal). When the opportunity came to buy an ex-dem (black) S'Cap arose it was a bit of a no-brainer. And then I got the TMS3, which was a huge improvement over the 20. I may need to hear a Vertere, but that would be a very significant change.

The S'Cap DR is now in the system powering the 52. Again it is an ex-dem one and has lain unpowered for a week or so and is therefore cold, but run-in. First impressions are a better delineation in vocals and a louder sound, which seems to be a function of general improvements in sound quality.

I may just take the plunge and get the S'Line S'Cap DR's when the 300 is done.

And it looks like my wife's son may be the beneficiary of a (to be serviced) Olive S'Cap.

Sounds like a top result all round Nick. Very good.

Fozz posted:

I run a POTS8 serviced 52 with Supercap DR and it works superbly to my ears.   I've put two DR Supercaps in the system (see profile), one on a SNAXO242 which was a huge change and one on the pre, which was probably 70% as good a bang for the money but well worth it so I suggest an audition.   

Was interesting to read this.  I am exchanging my Olive SC on my SNAXO362 for a new SCDR and I am very much looking forward to hearing the result.  It will be my only DR component, but as I think about next possible moves, I wonder if I would be better to follow on with a 552 DR upgrade, or start on the Super Lumina trail?

It seems to me that the Super Lumina trail initially involves a lot of ups and downs and may still ultimately end up with a U turn - happy travels if you take that route. 

Now the NAC552/552PS DR on the other hand is a sublime journey 

Excellent result Nick.

Supercap DRing a snaxo seems to bring universal, unqualified praise from all who have tried it, just as it rightly does on a Superline. Lovely music makers, both!

Best regards, FT