NAC52 revisited...

There is no correlation between greater accuracy or resolution and increased enjoyability, at least beyond a certain point that is well within the performance envelope of the 52. Once I got a 52, I stopped looking for more of anything except music.

When the 552 was first released, I heard one at my dealers. I certainly never felt it was so much more enjoyable than my 52 that I had to have one. There are people who can't live with themselves unless they have the latest greatest gizmo. I guess I'm lucky to not be like that.

Enjoy your 52. Buy more music.

BB

Nice write up Ken. I am sure the 52 is at today's second hand prices an absolute bargain and is particularly attractive to Olive users.

Ray

What would be important to look for when purchasing today a used nac 52.

Hi Ken,

i am using a Nac52/Supercap/LP12/Nap300 and it is very enjoyable. Not heard a 552 but I couldn't afford one anyway!! Does the Supercap DR make a big difference over olive Supercap?

To be honest for the second hand price of Nac52/Supercap I think it is extremely good value.

Prem.

Premmyboy posted:

Hi Ken,

i am using a Nac52/Supercap/LP12/Nap300 and it is very enjoyable. Not heard a 552 but I couldn't afford one anyway!! Does the Supercap DR make a big difference over olive Supercap?

To be honest for the second hand price of Nac52/Supercap I think it is extremely good value.

Prem.

Emphatically yes!!!

enjoy...

ken

I would love to try an SC DR, I'm sure it's great but it wouldn't match the 52/250 then.  Now if an Olive SC DR could be arranged!  

Hi Prem, BigH,

I tried a Supercap DR on my 52 when also trying out a Superline phono stage. 

For the SC DR vs olive SC comparison on the 52, I used the CDS3/555PS as the source in order to take out any effects due to phono stages etc. that would be inevitable when using the turntable.  The rest of the system was the same 135s and ART speakers that I use today.

The 52 with SC DR made notes start & stop much more clearly and distinctly than the 52 with my recently serviced olive SC.  So much better resolution hifi with the lower noice floor that might reasonably be expected.  However, there was a downside.  Something went a bit "off" with the timing, so my feet stopped tapping and I enjoyed the music less.  Why?  I don't know and this came as a surprise.  Putting the olive SC back in made the music slightly fuzzy round the edges in comparison, yet much more enjoyable & engaging to listen to.  So the olive SC has stayed.  Others may value the lower noise floor more highly, or not notice the slightly different sense of musical timing.

Best regards, FT

Thats interesting FT. To be honest my supercap won't need servicing for a few years so I will probably let sleeping dogs lie so to speak for a bit. Maybe when the time comes I will try the supercap DR and see how I feel about it. I don't mind mixing olive and black. I was looking for a pair of nap135's but gave up waiting and went for a nap300 instead. I'm enjoying it anyway and thats the main thing.

Prem.

Hi Prem.,
There are a number of NAC52 owners who have adopted a Supercap DR and are delighted with it.  Hence my experience is only the experience of one owner with a particular olive SC and black SC DR on a particular day.  It does not represent a universal truth shared by all.  But at least I did give it a good try before making a decision.  The result came as a surprise.

As for olive rules or black is better, well I'm in a dreadful position to express a view on that one:

• The CD power supply is 500 series
• The CD player is classic black
• The pre-amp is olive
• The power amps are chrome bumper...

A right Naim mongrel of a system then!

Best regards, FT

A quick look in any fine greengrocer serves as a reminder that olives come in both green and black. They look rather lovely mixed together in a bowl.

Never seen a chrome olive though, I must admit. Be a bit genetically modified that would.

Oh yes, and incidentally I too put a SCDR on my 52. It stayed for me but I do recognise and concur with FT that it wasn't a complete one way street run away success - although I didn't want to give up the positives FT mentioned.

There is something very 'right' about an olive SC partnering the 52. 

Very interesting stuff. I too am a proud owner of a 52. My power supply is a 52PS as opposed to the Supercap. Can't offer a comparison as I've only ever had the 52PS hooked up to it. I did once have a 252/300, and this never really worked for me. So I sold everything and started again, hence the use of a 52 with 135s.

I love this combination and I doubt I will ever change it. Just experiencing an issue with buzzing on my phono input per thread recently started.

Peter

In terms of other things to look for I believe there was significant update to the pots in later models that is worth doing.

I sent mine for service and upgrade a few years back and it made a bit of difference, nothing striking. Richard once posted that there was a fair bit of manufacturer variability in 52's and maybe some not as good as others. A sale or return home dem would seem sensible.

Mine is a very fine pre-amp though. I think I'd have to pay crazy money (552) to better it. A 282 I borrowed once to loan a mate my 52 was not even close. The only problem mine has is the LEDS on the display are fading because they are always set to the same!

Bruce

Been reading this post plus the SL2 one with interest as my Nac 52/52PS feeds my SL2s via 135s. My 52 is due a service this year or next & hopefully POTS8 upgrade too but it's still fantastic and I'm lucky as a house move just over year ago has given me a great listening room to really push sources, amps and speakers to sound their best

Interesting thread.  I currently use a 202, but have an old 62 in the attic.  It makes me wonder if it is worth a run out.  I bet somebody out there has tried some cross-series mixing.  I am saving up for a 282, but how would the 62 compare.....

overprint posted:

Been reading this post plus the SL2 one with interest as my Nac 52/52PS feeds my SL2s via 135s. My 52 is due a service this year or next & hopefully POTS8 upgrade too but it's still fantastic and I'm lucky as a house move just over year ago has given me a great listening room to really push sources, amps and speakers to sound their best

Good for you overprint...!  the Pots-8 upgrade is a good move from experience with mine. I am listening to radio (NAT01) right now on 52 into NAP500s driving the SL2s and oh boy...!

enjoy

ken

NJB posted:

Interesting thread.  I currently use a 202, but have an old 62 in the attic.  It makes me wonder if it is worth a run out.  I bet somebody out there has tried some cross-series mixing.  I am saving up for a 282, but how would the 62 compare.....

i believe its worth the run out - and then you can tell us how you got on. i have heard good things about the NAC62... i have never heard it myself.

enjoy

ken

I'm also a mixer, using a 52 with Olive SuperCap and NAP300(Just DR'D!), I love this combination.  Pre/PS were recently serviced and capped with all updates.   I've thought for a while about a SC DR but Chris West(Naim service) kind of talked me out of it, he felt there wasn't much to gain.  The DR upgrade for the 300 and Black Burndy for the 52 he was adamant I do.  He also said a 252 upgrade would be lateral at best.  Would consider a 52PS as I liked the fact it has more discrete rails.  The toe tapping factor is very important to me, as the "hifi" stuff can get old after a while.  That being said a big and defined soundstage is present and very important to me.  Basically I am living with my dream system now, couldn't be happier.  Until a 552 shows up that I can afford.

Jeff

"Would consider a 52PS as I liked the fact it has more discrete rails...."

i didnt know about this -- but whats the advantage of 'more discrete rails'?

enjoy...

ken

Jeff - all that sounds like wisdom. Makes perfect sense. and I bet your system is cracking good.

Ken,

My thought was the more components that got there own separate  power line the cleaner and more noise free the signal.  Like when you add a dedicated 20amp power line from the fuse box to power your system(US).  A Naim example would be a hicap powering both channels of a NAC82 then a huge step up in sound with a supercap and a dedicated snaic for each channel.  Then taken to a Supercap and a 252/52 where you have the burndy and even more discrete "powerlines"

Jeff

mrclick posted:

Jeff - all that sounds like wisdom. Makes perfect sense. and I bet your system is cracking good.

Thanks.  I also sprung for the SL XLR and speaker cable quite nice, it's all still breaking in, including a recap on the 300 and the DR's.  All analog with a  VPI classic 3/Dynavector XV1T in a Ypsillon MC16/Lamm LP2(NOS WE's).  I switch between Revel Gems and Joseph Audio Perspectives.  Pretty much everything was second hand, even the cart had 10-15 hours.  Still breaking in but I get hints of magic quite often.  Its funny sometimes the bass is deep with a black background, othertimes it seem that record noise is somehow more pronounced.  I used to laugh at reviewers when they noted crap like that, but with a revealing system it shocking how subtle the change one can notice.  A dream come true sincerely.