on the last lap to my keeper system ...

I love the idea of being 'on a roll' and ordering a £6k preamp  - I made a change to cartridge and phono stage last week and am enjoying the revisiting phase. congratulations and enjoy the music.

Hi Fueller,

"... on a roll" - well when you commit to the PS what's another £6k

I'm retired and have no future income but luckily have some pension investments. With Brexit and a finite personal timescale, I decided it wasn't worth waiting and I want to have time to enjoy my keeper system.

Enjoy life while you can, you never know what is around the corner!

Allan

Have to agree with you there and we're certainly all on a finite personal timescale! Many here will also always be on the last lap to a keeper system - me included. Next stop my turntable for life for 50th in a few years.

Looking forward to hearing how you get on with the 252..

Hi Allan

Well done - you will like 252. I certainly do like it.

When ordering a streamer in the future - do remember about a power supply for it. But first order it ‘saute’, enjoy for few month and only then try a PSU.

All the best,

Adam

I recently went from hc 202 to hc 282 and was amazed at the improvement. Like you,I'm retired with limited income, so each change is important. I'm sure the move to sc 252 will be more than enough to satisfy your long term desires. I don't have/do any streaming but like you would probably go for a ndx2 someday. Hope your 252 arrives soon and that you enjoy it for many years.

Congratulations, I’m sure you are going to be very happy with the results of your purchase....

I have just changed from hi-capdr to SCdr on a 282.... and I have been very impressed... so I’m sure the 252 will be exceptionally good..... enjoy 

Allan, that sounds really exciting and I’m sure you’ll love it. The 252 will get you a lot closer to the music. We pensioners deserve a little luxury from time to time. 

Enjoy it Allan.  

Thanks all for the supportive comments.

I've just had a morning listening to the 202/SC and it has been wonderful

I had an insightful moment where I've identified what it is I listen to … yes I know its about the music but I've now clarified that what I enjoy most is that the music is played by *people*; i.e. it is about the performance of the music by the players.

The 202/SC/250 is now allowing me to hear the individual performers; not only this but also *how* they are playing.

Listening to 'The Pious Bird of Good Omen' by Fleetwood Mac I could hear the different bass lines, drum hits, piano background and, of course, the guitar riffs. All that music was there before but the SC seems to have given them all more clarity and space (especially the bass) allowing them to shine through as individual musical lines.

I have versions of my favourite Bach Goldberg variations by Murray Perahia and Angela Hewitt; I love both but I tend towards the Perahia version for some reason I've never quite been able to grasp. I don't know if it is the significant reason but I have just been able to hear that the left hand of the Hewitt version is more staccato than the Perahia version, something I've not noticed before and which, I presume, now only hear with the added clarity of the SC.

… so maybe the SC is a valid upgrade option for the 202 - no different in monetary balance than the much lauded NDAC/555 pairing?

… if the 252 is as good as many people have posted then what on earth am I in for because what I'm hearing now is bloody good !

… I don't want to restart the source first debate again but simply note that this amazing sound is coming from a CD rip on a UnitiServe through the "humble" DAC V1, not exactly a match for the SC, 250 DR and B&W 803D3.

Of course this is all IMO and maybe I have cloth ears or haven't listened carefully enough in the past

I'll let you know what I think of the 252 in due course, can't wait,

Allan

Allan Milne posted:

 

... but I was on a roll tonight so I've pulled the trigger and ordered a NAC 252, should see this in a couple of weeks.

I'll hopefully post my impressions of the 202/hicap to 252/supercap in due course.

 

Happy to hear this!  Stopping at NAC202/SupercapDR sounded more than odd to me.  I've had my 252/SCDR for just a couple of weeks now, and its control over the music vs. my prior SN2 is stunning.  I look forward to hearing of your impressions.

The 250DR is one reason the 202 is sounding lovely. The 202/250DR may not be endorsed by many here and the system just shows the quality that the 250DR possesses. It is interesting that you used a Supercap DR on the 202. The difference between the Supercap DR and Hicap non-DR is not huge because the 202 is limiting its full potential.

I think you would be happy with the 252 especially when the Supercap Burndy connection is used which fully optimise the Supercap's potential. I just recently switched from the 202/200 to 282/250DR but didn't attempt to switch one by one as I have done the tedious comparisons previously and do not wish to do it all over again. I'm not going into detail on the differences here but what I can say is music surely sounds better on the 282/250DR than 202/200, and I am quite convinced the 252 will be a pretty large step up over the 202 with the Supercap on board.

Enjoy~

Congrats on the 252. I have had mine since 2003 so obviously a fan. It has a lovely natural and unforced nature, very refined compared to the lower preamps. It is at its best with impeccable sources, and very good with vinyl. Enjoy!

Stu

Congratulations on the new system I hope it brings you much joy on the subject of SC/202 I used a SC non DR on my 202 when I had it and it was a big lift in everything unfortunately I had to sell the SC to fund another buy but it was great while it lasted.

stuart.ashen posted:

Congrats on the 252. I have had mine since 2003 so obviously a fan. It has a lovely natural and unforced nature, very refined compared to the lower preamps. It is at its best with impeccable sources, and very good with vinyl. Enjoy!

Stu

Absolutely agree with Stuart on the virtues of the 252 with vinyl. Having run my RP8 / Aria through the 272 - where it never quite sounded like I felt it should - the uplift with the 252 has been nothing short of astonishing. 

well hello all again … been a little while since I last posted but now I have everything in place and given the 252 a couple of weeks to run in, so here goes ...

Lets get things straight from the get go, I am not sure about my aural memory so all comparisons are "IMO" with what I think I remember; I think this might underestimate improvements since, when one hears something, one remembers that it was maybe always there in the first place but, then again, that previous experience had obviously not brought that impression to the fore; the 252/SC certainly brings it all out.

I'm slightly disappointed in some regards in that there has not been a wow moment as there was with my speakers and the 250DR; rather it has been a quiet, evolving satisfaction that I'm hearing quality in the playing, detail, clarity and the presentation.

As I reported in a previous reply, the SupercapDR on the 202 was a real uplift and the 252 has just continued this trajectory. All the instruments and voices appear more distinct and easier to follow as individual lines.

Bass and percussion have much more clarity, detail and seem to go lower; I can hear bass lines more distinctly and with a bit more information as to how they are being played. Drums can be heard with the variations of the player's technique being clear with the details of the "hit". The individual notes of an organ's bass manual can be heard as a tune, rather than just a low rumble. In general, each note and pluck/hit are distinct.

Voices are, somewhat surprisingly to my expectations, often heard a little further back in the mix but are clearer and nuances of the singer's voice can be heard distinctly. Multiple voices in a choir or backup vocals can be clearly identified - sometimes surprising when you hear the lead vocal has actually been double-tracked!

I think that violins are a little "sweeter" without the harshness that sometimes appears and piano keyboard technique can be clearly heard. More modern instruments have a little more "character", particularly electric guitar solos where the player's technique and intonation come through and add more interest.

subtlety might be a good word as to what I can hear more clearly, and it is often these subtleties that make a piece of music or a particular performance "great" and which I can now enjoy to the full.

As reported by other posters, vinyl replay is particularly improved in all these respects.

All in all, there is a much more realistic soundstage presented which I greatly enjoy. In some cases, I can see that some listeners may not appreciate this more detailed presentation since I sometimes find I'm listening to a specific instrument or line and have to make a little effort to put the whole together as a single piece of music.

It is often reported that a certain setup is more revealing of a better source but I think this may rather be that they are more revealing of a better mix/production, I've never felt that my humble DAC V1 is limiting the experience. In some mixes, a certain instrument becomes a bit too prominent and sometimes needs a bit of effort on my part to focus on the music as a whole or the singer's message but in other mixes the music just flows as a whole.

so where am I now? … well this might just be what heaven sounds like

(well it would if I didn't have earache in my left ear and I could hear out of it … but it will come back soon)

Allan

Fantastic Allan! Enjoy the music.

Adam

'the why' the other Allan would have said.

Allan - Excellent.     I recognise so much of what you say but in particular how voices seem to take perhaps a slightly less prominent but more appropriate place.  

Best regards,

Lindsay

Obviously you have spent your money well, you have a great system...... as has been said ‘enjoy the music ‘