Fifty Two ways...
Posted by: Top Cat on 19 January 2004
Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting NeilW and taking his 2002 52/SC from his possession and into mind. We met down in Berwick (as a kind of half-way point - it being difficult to find a courier who was willing to insure two parcels for £7k so meeting was the best option). Being a fellow Mini fan, I think we were more interested in the cars than the hifi, which was fine by me!
Anyway, Neil has now scaled to the lofty heights of Mount 552, whilst I am comparatively only in the foothills, but hey, what foothills. The 52/SC is now in place and performing well, and really is a big step up from the 82/HC I was using before. Basically there is a rightness about the sound.
I won't say much more right now, as it's early days, but I'll no doubt post more later once it has had a good chance to warm up and once I have a chance to really sit down and listen properly. Hopefully Neil will pop on and talk about his 552 too. And make me feel jealous
With the exception of a few minor setup things - such as relocating the 250 into a cupboard to make its occasional buzzing less distracting, and the move to longer lengths of NAC-A5 cable, I am basically done with this hifi thing and will be scaling back my visits dramatically.
They say that sometimes the journey is better than the destination; well, in this case, I'm glad to have arrived and I intend to buy $hit loads of records and cds and no hifi for a long, long time to come...
It's been fun,
John
Anyway, Neil has now scaled to the lofty heights of Mount 552, whilst I am comparatively only in the foothills, but hey, what foothills. The 52/SC is now in place and performing well, and really is a big step up from the 82/HC I was using before. Basically there is a rightness about the sound.
I won't say much more right now, as it's early days, but I'll no doubt post more later once it has had a good chance to warm up and once I have a chance to really sit down and listen properly. Hopefully Neil will pop on and talk about his 552 too. And make me feel jealous
With the exception of a few minor setup things - such as relocating the 250 into a cupboard to make its occasional buzzing less distracting, and the move to longer lengths of NAC-A5 cable, I am basically done with this hifi thing and will be scaling back my visits dramatically.
They say that sometimes the journey is better than the destination; well, in this case, I'm glad to have arrived and I intend to buy $hit loads of records and cds and no hifi for a long, long time to come...
It's been fun,
John
quote:
Originally posted by Top Cat:
I'd rather save the cash now for the new kitchen & extension...
The budget for an extension and kitchen can vary enourmously. Allocate enough money, then ensure you get a fixed price for both, shop around with a view to having £1500 left over. It will be a small percentage of the overall cost
. If you haven't tried 135's, then you should, and then there will be no going back. 
I wish I had a 52/SC. Better get some plans drawn up..
Still not convinced 
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
I'm using a 250. I sold the DNM, even though I still maintain the PA3^S is the best power amp I've heard. Its biggest drawback, however, is that it doesn't have quite the clout of a bigger amp (being only 23w) and I sold it recently.
No regrets, though, as the 52/SC/250 sounds better than the DNM 3B Primus/PA3^S ever did, though I blame the 3B Primus rather than the PA3^S.
Don't know if it makes sense to use a 52/SC with a no-naim amp, haven't tried it - there was no overlap between DNM departing and 52/SC arriving, and a s/h 250 is a very capable amp for reasonable money (well, at least it drives my speakers as well as I think they need driving).
Don't really want to try 135s. Quite happy where I am thank you very much
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
No regrets, though, as the 52/SC/250 sounds better than the DNM 3B Primus/PA3^S ever did, though I blame the 3B Primus rather than the PA3^S.
Don't know if it makes sense to use a 52/SC with a no-naim amp, haven't tried it - there was no overlap between DNM departing and 52/SC arriving, and a s/h 250 is a very capable amp for reasonable money (well, at least it drives my speakers as well as I think they need driving).
Don't really want to try 135s. Quite happy where I am thank you very much
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."