Ok so I tried a 252 and I'm not sure what to make of it.

Drewy posted:

Hi guys.  A quick update. 

Dealer has kindly obtained a 552 from Naim for me to try at home. This will be happening this weekend. 

Might treat myself to a new pair of socks and a bottle of fine whisky for the week ahead. 

Drewy posted:

Hi guys.  A quick update. 

Dealer has kindly obtained a 552 from Naim for me to try at home. This will be happening this weekend. 

Might treat myself to a new pair of socks and a bottle of fine whisky for the week ahead. 

You're thinking about a very expensive bit of kit.  You may want to save money and not purchase new socks at this time.  Just wash the old ones.

Still go for the bottle of booze though yeah?

552 s connected up and running.

I cained the 252 for a week and it been blown away by this 552 from cold. 

Please tell us more, tell us more how the 552 blew the 252 away. 

Chag -

Not really a surprise given it's a 20K + preamp and double the cost of the 252

Chag... posted:

Please tell us more, tell us more how the 552 blew the 252 away. 

Chag -

Everything. Makes the 252 sound dull. Absolutely everything is up front and in your face with more detail without being annoying. Sorry I'm not too good at the hifi garble. 

IanG posted:

Not really a surprise given it's a 20K + preamp and double the cost of the 252

Yes I agree but I'd rather buy this than a 252. I'm just glad I bought a second hand NDS and 555psdr or I probably would have bought the 252 thinking the later addition of the NDS would have lifted it to my expectations. 

Drewy posted:

Chag... posted:

Please tell us more, tell us more how the 552 blew the 252 away. 

Chag -

Everything. Makes the 252 sound dull. Absolutely everything is up front and in your face with more detail without being annoying. Sorry I'm not too good at the hifi garble. 

I have a new NDS and 555DR but am mortified to learn that my 252 is DULL ......perhaps it's the way I like my music! 

Not giving the NAC 282 a chance? It is a rather lively sounding preamp. I would be interested on the comparison between the 282 and 552.

Drewy posted:

Chag... posted:

Please tell us more, tell us more how the 552 blew the 252 away. 

Chag -

Everything. Makes the 252 sound dull. Absolutely everything is up front and in your face with more detail without being annoying. Sorry I'm not too good at the hifi garble. 

That's spot on. When I got a 552, back in the day, I thought it was the hifi equivalent of a Tetley tea bag - it lets the music flow out. It's just so much more engaging than the 252. The 252 is fine in itself, but next to the 552 dull is a very apt description. But what a shame you have to spend £20,000 to get that exuberance - something that preamps like the 42 were very capable of all those years ago. The 252 seems almost too grown up for its own good. 

ryder. posted:

Not giving the NAC 282 a chance? It is a rather lively sounding preamp. I would be interested on the comparison between the 282 and 552.

Borrow a 552 and you'll know within thirty seconds. It's really hard to explain. The 552 is so much more than lively - it just makes music sound so much more real. 

Hungryhalibut posted

Borrow a 552 and you'll know within thirty seconds. It's really hard to explain. The 552 is so much more than lively - it just makes music sound so much more real. 

Thanks for that. May I ask why did you let the NAC 552 go? Because it is too much money?

I usually won't listen to gear which I don't intend to purchase. £20,000 is surely a lot of money. 

It's a long story and I don't want to divert Drewy's thread. If you want to trawl back through the Forum it's all there. 

Ravenswood10 posted:

Drewy posted:

Chag... posted:

Please tell us more, tell us more how the 552 blew the 252 away. 

Chag -

Everything. Makes the 252 sound dull. Absolutely everything is up front and in your face with more detail without being annoying. Sorry I'm not too good at the hifi garble. 

I have a new NDS and 555DR but am mortified to learn that my 252 is DULL ......perhaps it's the way I like my music! 

Sorry. Thinking back my comment will upset a few people. Just to be clear the 552 makes the 252 seem dull. I'm not saying the 252 actually is dull, it's a matter of opinion. If you are happy with the 252 just don't try a 552 unless you are happy to spend the money. The only reason I am trying is I don't like the 252. 

oh well.... here we go again....

ho hum.

I have listened to 552/500 many times and then back to 282/250DR.

Yes the 552/500 is better....

But I enjoy music just fine on my 282/HCDR/250DR.... 

Right, just read your post on the first page of the thread. Makes a lot of sense! I'm going to give that post a Like right now.

Hungryhalibut posted:

It's a long story and I don't want to divert Drewy's thread. If you want to trawl back through the Forum it's all there. 

Don't worry, from what I've read it's to do with having all that money sat there in your lounge which I can fully understand and is the reason it's taken me a month of head scratching to get this rather expensive amp in my house. 

Sort of. To be blunt, it was financed by an enormous debt that I took out while on SSRIs. When I came off I realised what I'd done and remedied the situation by dropping to a Nait 5i. I now don't owe a penny to anyone and feel a thousand times happier for it. 

The 552 is great, but I don't miss it for a second, and having one won't change your life. As others have said, because the 552 is better than the others doesn't make the others any worse. And of course, the S1 is better still. 

Sorry - I've only put this here as you said you didn't mind, and Ryder asked. 

I owned a 252 for 10 years and was very happy. Never wanted to hear a 552 due to the comments on this forum as to how much better it was. The cost was also an issue.

Back in June last year my dealers ex-dem 552 came up for sale. After a discussion with the CEO I arranged a home listen. After negotiation with my dealer it didn't go back.

My motto with HiFi is  "if you can't afford it don't listen to it"

Hungryhalibut posted:

. But what a shame you have to spend £20,000 to get that exuberance - something that preamps like the 42 were very capable of all those years ago. 

HH, does your 272 have that exuberance?

Iron Cobra posted:

I owned a 252 for 10 years and was very happy. Never wanted to hear a 552 due to the comments on this forum as to how much better it was. The cost was also an issue.

Back in June last year my dealers ex-dem 552 came up for sale. After a discussion with the CEO I arranged a home listen. After negotiation with my dealer it didn't go back.

My motto with HiFi is  "if you can't afford it don't listen to it"

maybe, but sometimes you need to listen to satisfy the curiosity....

I got 282/250 DR in one room with Dynaudio F260 and 202/200 in the other with Dynadio bookshelves (X16)

Could live with 202/200 if I had to... But of course 282/250DR is much better.

You get what you pay for with Naim.

Yes 552 makes every preamp below it sound compromised, in direct comparison (side by side)..... So don't listen if not affordable, I do agree with that.... but source also matters a LOT.

Drewy posted:

552 s connected up and running.

I cained the 252 for a week and it been blown away by this 552 from cold. 

 

You were warned 

MDS posted:

Drewy posted:

552 s connected up and running.

I cained the 252 for a week and it been blown away by this 552 from cold. 

 

You were warned 

 Yes I was

When my dealer loaned me a 552DR for home demo he told me it would take 5 days to properly settle and warm-up after which I would hear it perform at its optimum. I thought to myself '5 days? really?'. But, as usual, he was right.

So if you think its good now, wait until next Weds!