All,
I am sending my circa 2002 vintage 252 off to Naim for a reccap this month. I am considering sending the supercap at the same time for either a recap or a recap/DR mod.
Searching the forum in earnest, there are really very few description of the extent that upgrading a Supercap to a DR version improves the 252. it's a quite expensive upgrade, so I am seeking comments from those who have done this upgrade if they felt if there was VFM ( if that even makes sense in the context of this hobby). I.e, modest improvement or significant?
The 252 is sometimes considered to be laid-back in character. Is there more of the PRAT exhibited by, for example, a 282 or 552, with a Supercap DR in the mix?
BritishSea
Posted on: 03 January 2018 by MDS
A while back I had a 282/SC/250.2 and demoed at home a 252 and a SCDR. The 252 didn't do for me but that's another story. More relevant to your question was that I also used the demo to determine whether I should get my SC DR'ed. Comparing the standard SC to the SCDR there was enough of a difference to persuade me to have the DR upgrade (and a service as doing both at the same time saves money - and if your SC is the same age as your 252 it will be due a service).
Although I didn't go for a 252 I felt the performance benefit of the DR on the SC was more obvious and greater when it was powering the 252 than the 282.
Posted on: 03 January 2018 by fathings cat
I found the DR version of the 252 / Supercap to be a decent step up v the non DR version. There seems a natural synergy so in my experience it was well worthwhile.
Not very good at describing hi fi improvements per se but suffice to say post the DR upgrade the TV was hardly used!
That said the cost is significant so worth checking the used 552 market first.
Gary
Posted on: 03 January 2018 by BritishSea
MDS and Gary
thanks for your reply. That is exactly the kind of personal experience I was seeking to help guide the value of the upgrade. Sounds like you both felt it was good value for money.
I have not DRed my 250.2 either yet - but I also thought that source first was the way to approach the upgrade path...
Britishsea
Posted on: 04 January 2018 by Gavin B
BS, I'm in a similar position to you - my Supercap's age suggests it's ready for servicing, and I assumed I'd do the DR upgrade too (and the same for the 555PS). I hadn't thought about servicing the 252 itself - is this really necessary?
Good to hear positive experiences above. What is the cost for service+DR for the Supercap?
Posted on: 04 January 2018 by stuart.ashen
Gavin, I had my 2003 252 serviced last year partly because of a noisy volume pot. Well worth it in my opinion. It also gives you peace of mind that all is well. The service was all inclusive including a new pot. Many caps were replaced and there was also a software update.
Stu
