How much to pay for a 52

Posted by: Wind in ears on 08 March 2002

Guys some advice please.

In the process of procuring a second hand 52. See then advertised at a wide range of prices. Am of the view its best to pay top dollar for a recent example than buy one that needs upgrade.

I understand that at some stage the 52 became RC5 compatible to work flash and that meant a big difference to the sound?

Has the sound quality changed over time? Is there an optimum age price band to aim for?

Posted on: 08 March 2002 by Frank Abela

The 52 has undergone some quite major improvements in its fairly long lifetime. Try to get the newest you can, preferrably less than 4 years old.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

Posted on: 09 March 2002 by Phil Craddock

Frank,

Your comments make sense (as usual). But if an older model is purchased and then sent back to Naim for a service/upgrade, does it come back with the same performance potential as a more recent model?

BTW I am aware that the upgrade from PS to SCap is pricey but very worthwhile. If buying 2ndhand, better then to go for the SCap IMHO.

Phil Craddock

Posted on: 09 March 2002 by Phil Barry

And don't forget the black burndy - 160 UKP?

Posted on: 09 March 2002 by P

A black burndy is currently £240 in the UK ILTB.

Wind in Ears? Your first name's not Gustav by any chance is it?

Posted on: 10 March 2002 by ebirah

Sure, older models probably arent as good as a new, but its still a 52. The older it is, the less you pay; thats why people buy second hand - the unaffordable becomes affordable. I got a 1991 52 and had it modded at the factory. Its probably not got the nth degree of whatever a new one has but it sounds fantastic and pricewise there is no comparison whatsoever. Its all down to what you have in your pocket. If the s/h savings are not very substantial then Im afraid I always buy new.

Steve

Posted on: 11 March 2002 by Martin Payne

quote:
Originally posted by ebirah:
Sure, older models probably arent as good as a new, but its still a 52.
The older it is, the less you pay; thats why people buy second hand - the unaffordable becomes affordable. I got a 1991 52 and had it modded at the factory. Its probably not got the nth degree of whatever a new one has but it sounds fantastic and pricewise there is no comparison whatsoever. Its all down to what you have in your pocket. If the s/h savings are not very substantial then Im afraid I always buy new.

Steve,

This is undoubtedly correct. Mine is 11 years old, and almost completely original - apart from standard cap replacements during service & a new volume pot (motor got very noisy).

Doesn't seem to disgrace iteslf in front of a six-pack & DBLs. I'm sure a new one would be (quite substantially) better, but it still has that 52 'something'. Still I do wonder occaisionally...

I reckon that old ones are a great deal at their price point, but it may be worth paying a bit more for a newer one. Depends how much budget it takes away from other upgrades, and how high up the ladder you want to shoot for. I'd guess it's worth the extra if you're also shooting for a NAP500. Whether it would be worthwhile in a super-front-end-heavy CDSII/52/NAP90/Intros might be another matter. What do you reckon Frank?

cheers, Martin

Posted on: 12 March 2002 by Martin Payne

quote:
Originally posted by Peter Chappell:
The 52 in (i think) revision 3 had a major change to the input switching which is supposed to lift it quite a bit from the earlier ones.

Peter,

agreed, although I'm not sure which revision moved the switching from the front of the unit (long traces snaking back-and-forward across the board) to the back (close to the inputs & outputs).

cheers, Martin

Posted on: 13 March 2002 by Wind in ears

Gents

Is there a way to find out a definitive list of the factory mods made to a product, with dates and serial numbers. I have been told that a major change was made to the 52 in September last year.
True?