Stupid Question : Why Are There Two Rows of Same Buttons On The Front Panel Of NAC282, NAC252 and NAC552

I have a 252 and only use two inputs - for CD and record player - and no outputs as I no longer make any recordings. In the past when I had a tuner and a cassette player having separate in and out functionality would have been very useful. What I do particularly regret is Naim's decision to remove the phono button, or since that decision marked the end of the internal phono stage, not to replace it with an LP button. It's annoying to have to use aux for a primary source.

Clive

indeed - if the 552 ever gets refreshed - it would be great to have little programmable dot matrix displays built into the button so it could say what ever you wanted - and perhaps be controlled by the streamer automation such as from the NDS. At least the NDS display can display whatever you want when you select the input - its just it can mismatch with what is written on the button.

S

Purely aesthetically, I much prefer the look of a 202 to that of the 282/252. The fewer buttons the better.

Nah, the more the merrier. How am I suppose to connect my r2r, Naka, HL? It's a pain to have to swap those interconnects all the time. Give me a few more, please Naim!

I'd rather buy a pre with more inputs / buttons that I do not use than buy one with less and then regret it.

Having said that there is a suggestion that muting the recording row marginally improves the SQ on a 282 and that the CD input has the shortest (and therefore the best?) signal path.   So, if a re fresh addresses stuff like this, then I'm 'in' rather than just for the aesthetics (which are great IMO).

Jude

I like Simon's idea about user labellable buttons. Probably not practical or desirable in an analog prreamp but the fixed labels of today just don't match current needs. Heck, just labelling them 1-6 would probably be better than the hodge podge of irrelevent source labels we currently have.

Naim used to offer replaceable labels for the NAC52...

I always have the record row on my 282 in the Mute position. I'll be honest though, I can't hear any difference. We had a power cut recently which reset the mute to off. As I also dim the display I didn't notice for a couple of weeks.

Grossly over-complicated! It already appears that having a cable in place to effect volume control from an 'app' (who needs to do this, FFS?) compromises the SQ of an NAC S1. Simple buttons, with appropriate labels (my thread on where is the 'phono' button) is all that is needed. My old 52 at least had user-replaceable labels; sometimes simple is good. Just because something can be done, does not mean it should be done. 

It gives focus to our neuroses...Which 'record' button to select...the furthest away from the main source?....the same as the main source?...should the record section me muted?...or not?...or...

Oh, the joys.

G

Neuroses indeed. I have managed to convince myself that the CD input on my 252 sounds best, I have my record out bank on Mute and I have the display on my 252 and NDS turned off. Well at least I can now sleep at night!

Nick from Suffolk posted:

Grossly over-complicated! It already appears that having a cable in place to effect volume control from an 'app' (who needs to do this, FFS?) compromises the SQ of an NAC S1. Simple buttons, with appropriate labels (my thread on where is the 'phono' button) is all that is needed. My old 52 at least had user-replaceable labels; sometimes simple is good. Just because something can be done, does not mean it should be done. 

The number of times I've had to say this to SWMBO !  

Possibly germane:

https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...64#31133010822114064

Nick from Suffolk posted:

Grossly over-complicated! It already appears that having a cable in place to effect volume control from an 'app' (who needs to do this, FFS?) 

Nick, I was pleased to see your comment because it reminded me of a visitor to our store the other day who after experiencing the far better better sound quality from the Qb of the USB cable connection from his cell phone vs Airplay was then quite upset that he couldn't control the volume from the Music app on his phone and had to use the volume control (or the Naim app).

Couldn't live without the second row, personally.  Very handy for muting Zone 2, or playing a different source there.

I used to use the 2nd row for controlling a separate system in my office when working at home, before multi room systems became the norm

Back in the day when I used to have 2 Ferrograph reel to reel tape recorders and cassete deck etc 6 inputs was about right. These days I only use 3 of the inputs, all digital sources, Sky, DVD and computer audio coming via NDX

A question a have long wondered: Do the second row of buttons require a second set of power supplies in the super cap that most of the time is never used? 

I have wondered this for a long time?

Thanks

   Paul

The final stage of the upgrade path I'm on is to add a 282. I have no plans to use it with anything other than an NDX, so for me, all of the buttons in both rows are unnecessary. If Naim came out with a streamlined version I'd be buying that instead.

Since my SuperNait arrived some time after my last (cassette) tape recorder I've never found a use for the lower row of buttons ... except one ...

... and that's so fundamental I'm not sure how we'll cope if I (we) upgrade to a SN2 or other pre-amp with a single row of buttons:

I leave the "av" button on the lower row permanently lit so that my better-half knows which upper button to press when she wants to watch TV!

Mitch

I use 4 inputs - Vinyl, CD, Tuner, DVD.  In that respect leave well alone please.

As far as the 2nd bank goes very useful for just selecting the source for headphone listening and muting when not in use without having to switch through the monitor button as you have to on the 202.

IMO a good pre-amp offers choice and flexibility.