52 to 552DR

500?

Phenomenal, in all respects

I guess you’re probably right 

i will start listening for them all from Tuesday 

lyndon 

Don 

i know you’re absolutely right but having a final session with the 52 tonight I’m left bewildered on how this can really be improved 

although I’ve had this feeling a lot

32.5 to 52 nearly knocked me off my feet 

active was similar 

briks to dibbles was a big one

lyndon

Are you picking it up to home dem? 

No

picking them up from the seller 

they were DRed in 2014 and serviced in 2015

lyndon

What differences? Massive - literally, in all respects, especially mass!

Sound like you are on the same path as me. I went from Briks to DBL's, then 135's to 500 with a 52. I was perfectly happy with the 52 until I saw a 552 at a good price and couldn't resist it. As expected I can happily report that the 552 is better in just about every respect.

It's been said before but it just makes more sense of the music. Hard to explain but very easy to hear. By comparison the 52 sounds noticeably blurred in low frequency bass and a bit sloppy with layering and image placement. The 552 adds this beautiful sense of realism that, at times, is quite disturbing.

i recently had a DR'd 552 power supply on loan, which just pushes it up another notch by adding more naturalness and realism, plus an extra spoonful of excitement.

If there's a downside it the normal Naim burn in and set-up caveats that need to be applied (Fraim is standard and SL is a must) but once you get past these you'll have some amazing musical experiences.

lyndon posted:

No

picking them up from the seller  

I see - which implies that you have bought them unheard or at least not compared directly to your 52. So unless you have a Jon Honeyball experience I suspect that you will be shocked at how good they are. 

Be careful when you lift the power supply. Also make sure that all of the transit bolts are in the 552 pre section and that you can remove them all easily. 

Have fun - you will love it. 

Lyndon and Geko. Do you have images of your set?  Still remeber the first audience of a 552 and finally the arival of my 552 quite short after  

Having lived with my trusty old 52/52PS/CAPS8 pre for fifteen years or so, moving to the 552 was quite a shock, good though the former was. No matter how excellent you think your system sounds there'll always be something that'll make it sound even betterer. Oh, and you certainly don't need Fraim or SL cabling to appreciate the 552 - the SL didn't work in my system. Other cables are available.

Congratulations, Lyndon. I think you're going to have a wonderful time. The 552DR doesn't disappoint and it continues to give new insights into familiar music long after you think you've got used to it. 

Yes 

I hope so, when I first got the 52 home back in 2004 it literally blew my socks off (was using 32.5 hicap )

chris

no, not had a Jon Honeyball experience, the best I’ve ever heard is a 52 and I must say it sounds pretty damn good, the seller however has gone up to the statement 

lyndon

I went from a 152xs to a 52/supercap which is my current setup. Wow! That was an ear opener. I’ve never heard a 552 but I can’t afford one anyway so I’m avoiding that.

Congratulations on your 552 if it’s as big a difference as people say then you are in for a wonderful time rediscovering  your music collection.

Chris Dolan posted:

lyndon posted:

No

picking them up from the seller  

I see - which implies that you have bought them unheard or at least not compared directly to your 52. So unless you have a Jon Honeyball experience I suspect that you will be shocked at how good they are. 

 

whats one of those?

Hungryhalibut posted:

500?

and a D and R 

I recently acquired a second hand Naim 552 DR and I have to say it is spell binding. I have no experience in the move from the 52 preamp as my route was the Supernait 2 and Hi Cap DR. Suffice to say that I look forward to hearing every album I have not yet had the pleasure of listening to in my collection. So imho I would say it is a significant purchase, but the results are beguiling accentuating everything I love about the Naim sound. 

I went from 52/S'Cap (which was not the best PSU for the pre-amp, apparently) to a 552 a couple of years ago. It was a slightly fraught experience as I had to make a number of cable changes to bring out the best in the 552 (and even the 52). Indeed. somewhere along the way I had managed o apply a severe stranglehold on my system which meant that the 52 to 552 change was somewhat less than magical. 

Once the 552 was accommodated as well as I could afford the superiority of it over the 52 was clearly audible.

It just took me a little longer than others to get to that point.

Had a little play with it tonight and so far so good 

there is a much greater insight to the recordings 

and a far greater sense of naturalness less Hi-Fi much much more music

i know there’s a lot more to come once it’s had a chance to warm up properly, won’t be painting the hall then this weekend !

lyndon

lyndon posted:

i know there’s a lot more to come once it’s had a chance to warm up properly, 

lyndon

 

When I had a demo at home, my dealer suggested to me that even a run-in 552DR would take up to five days to properly warm-up from cold before it performed optimally. He was right. So, Lyndon, there's more to come.