What's my next move from a 52/500 set up?

Hard to know without an idea of your budget, Kevin.

Second hand 552s do appear on the well known auction site and they aren't actually that rare.  They tend to go for under £10K.  That could be an option or funds depending an ex-demo one.  There are ways of getting into a 552 without having to pay £19K.  Given your existing system I would say that is the ideal upgrade.

When I had a 52/Supercap and enquired about a 252 I was told that the improvement really wasn't worth the outlay and that I was better holding on until I could get a 552.  I ended up with an ex-demo one.

Maybe you should wait until you can afford the 552.

Perhaps it might be worthwhile waiting for a few weeks.

Several Forum members are having their NAP500s DR'ed and will no doubt report back on their impressions.

You could always try a Supercap DR on your 52.  I would try one before deciding though, as I preferred the olive SC to the SCDR on my 52.  Others hear it differently.

Otherwise, I would spend the money on more concerts and recorded music.

Best regards, FT 

SH 552s also crop up at some well known dealers. With your system I'd say this would be the optimum match. I bought mine this way and apart from the obvious savings, buying from a dealer brings peace of mind.

Dave

that is a very fine system.... enjoy the music.

If it was me, I'd have the 500 serviced (I seem to remember that the 500 series are recommended for servicing after 15 years?) and possibly DRed. Then I'd keep an eye out for a used 552 for under £10,000. If that's too expensive, just service the amp and enjoy it - I certainly would not bother with a 522, nor would I mix a Supercap DR with the 52. 

Thanks all. This forum is a cool resource with excellent and generous contributors. Really nice to see some telling me to stay put. Refreshing. If such forums have a downside it can often be that they serve as the opposite of a HiFiaholics Anonymous meeting ��

Really good to hear that 552's may be available more sensibly. That I didn't know. I'd had a quick look recently on the well known auction site and hifi for sale and didn't see anything there. I kind of assumed that anyone who owned one would never have a reason to sell it (short of a lottery win and a move to S1! )....

Graham: yes, sorry that I can't be specific on budget but reason is, as with many of us, it's not really a case of having an amount of money, but how badly we are prepared to abuse our (marital!) finances! If I could find a decent 552 around half new price I might be able to sell a limb or worse still, a few guitars to reach for it. If anyone spots anything anywhere or can recommend a particular dealer(s) to try, do please let me know..

cheers, Kevin

I have found that of the two the 500 is better than the 552, so I'd definitely get a 552 when funds allow, rather than improve what is already a strong part of your system. What I mean is that the Pre is the bottleneck to performance, once the source level is good enough and that the 552-500 combo has a synergy that musically works better than the 52-500. Since I have tried the 500 (non-DR) with Statement S1 Pre, I can say it is capable of vastly more, so giving it the 552 to feed it will at least get more of what it is capable of delivering. The 500 also loves working with SL speaker cable, so that is worth trying later too.

A demo will always show just how important getting the very best Pre you can afford will do to a system performance. It seems that first gain stage and volume control have a larger impact on performance than many would like, but a good demo would reveal it.

I've heard what a DR 500 does, it is very worthwhile, but would not do it before you get the 552 in the system. I've heard the demo of 252 vs 552 and the latter is silly better in ways you can't make up for by upgrading other bits of the HiFi.

Also ensure you use Fraim supports to get the best from it all next.

After that I'd Get SL Interconnect and Speaker cable - and finally DR the 500 - in that order.

DB.

Thanks DB. In your opening line you say 500 is better an 552. Did you mean to write that or vice-versa? 

I ask because what you wrote thereafter seemed to suggest maybe the opposite?

Either way, I fully concur that 552 is the right call if I can make finances work.

re Fraim, yes it sounds better than my Hutter- I know because I tried Fraimlite - but ( and sadly it's a big BUT) Wifely approval for what she calls an 'oil rig' in the sitting room was sadly lacking...

I did mean that in the 552-500 combination as good as the 552 is, actually the 500 is the better component, so improving the 500 part even more by getting the DR update done to makes no sense if you don't even have the 552 (DR or non-DR).

I always knew the Pre was a key component in any system and the 552 offers a level of excellence that makes it worth a lot. But even the 552 can be bettered, which shows how important the Pre is in any system.

Many try to suggest you don't need a good Pre and to use some inexpensive built-in Pre stage in some sources is just as good - try it in a good demo and you realise that is a pipe-dream.

The 500 is better than you have yet gotten out of it was what I was attempting to say. A lot of people think the 552 is the better part of the 552-500 combo, but since I have found the 500 (only when it has SL speaker leads) can go into sublime realms of performance with the S1 Pre (silly price I know) I showed the latent performance of the 500. The DR update does get more out of it, but a 252 or 52 with a 500DR will not even be close in performance to a 552 non-DR 500.

When saying these things I do wish more people have demos to verify it themselves, as you should not just take my word on it.

DB.

Cool, thanks DB. I'm also paid up convinced on source first so totally on board and don't worry I'll always dem first, preferably at home over several days for such a big outlay. NDS purchase entailed a full week of NDX , NDS and all possible power supply combos  for both to make the choice (courtesy of Mike at Gullifords in Exeter). NDX is a damn fine machine, but NDS is the nazz, as the great man would say.

Kevin

What you have already is an excellent set-up, but if you have the urge to get more, then the 552, especially if you get it for a good price and get a good trade-in for your 52/SC, will put a smile on your face for a very long time - it is obviously better in the right system, which yours is.

My 552 gave me many years of joy and it took considerable extra cost outlay to better it. The 552 will offer you a more transparent, clearer and dynamic presentation with much better bass control and articulation.

DB.

552 all the way ... the change from my 52 was the biggest upgrade in all my time  with Naim. With the right source it opens up another aural world.