NAC 252

RICHARD DANE ADMINISTRATOR

"The NAC252 asks more of the source and the overall setup of the system too. By comparison the NAC282 is far more forgiving here. When you move to a better pre-amp and it's a double-edged sword; you hear more going on but it's also not unusual to suddenly hear a problem somewhere in the source or setup that was previously masked."

So be careful, or just rock the 282!

Allante93! 

I have a 282 and would not buy a 252 on the basis it is over 15 years old and must be replaced very soon. when the 252 is replaced then I will upgrade.

jonnaim posted:

I have a 282 and would not buy a 252 on the basis it is over 15 years old and must be replaced very soon. when the 252 is replaced then I will upgrade.

 

Nobody said you have to buy it new

There's always some explanation trotted out for not liking the 252. System setup, source not good enough, Burndy not facing Salisbury etc. It is just possible that you don't like what the 252 does in your particular system and so it shouldn't always been considered (unlike the 552) the next step to audio nirvana. As with any upgrade, listening over an extended period, in your own system is advised. The chap i sold my 252 on to loved it 

james n posted:

There's always some sort of excuse trotted out for not liking the 252. System setup, source not good enough, Burndy not facing Salisbury etc but it is just possible that you don't like what the 252 does and so it shouldn't always been considered (unlike the 552) the next step to audio nirvana. As with any upgrade, listening over an extended period, in your own system is advised. The chap i sold my 252 on to loved it 

Gasp!!! Dissing the holy 252! How dare you Sir.

BTW, I have listened for inky blackness between passages on my 252 but frankly I can't hear a thing. Is that supposed to be good or bad?

Confused, of Chesham.

nigelb posted:

james n posted:

There's always some sort of excuse trotted out for not liking the 252. System setup, source not good enough, Burndy not facing Salisbury etc but it is just possible that you don't like what the 252 does and so it shouldn't always been considered (unlike the 552) the next step to audio nirvana. As with any upgrade, listening over an extended period, in your own system is advised. The chap i sold my 252 on to loved it 

Gasp!!! Dissing the holy 252! How dare you Sir.

BTW, I have listened for inky blackness between passages on my 252 but frankly I can't hear a thing. Is that supposed to be good or bad?

Confused, of Chesham.

You have to use black ink Nigel.

I could tell you what inky blackness sounds like when a band plays live and what we hear in headsets between the songs, whilst on stage.... 

I owned a 252/supercap for ten years. If it hadn't been for an offer I couldn't refuse on a 552 came along a year ago I would still have the 252. Superb pre-amp

All this makes me want to dem a 252, just so I can have an opinion and join the debate 

I was happy with my 202 sans napsc until someone offered me a 282 at a price I couldn't resist. 

Plus sa change la meme chose plume demartante silence encre noir sil'vous plait!

cheeselet posted:

I was happy with my 202 sans napsc until someone offered me a 282 at a price I couldn't resist. 

Plus sa change la meme chose plume demartante silence encre noir sil'vous plait!

I have just done the same.  My 202/200 combination ticked all the boxes, but the a local dealer got a used 282 in.  Well, it seemed rude not to try it.  So, I am now wondering why I was happy with the 202 for all those years.  I am now firmly on the 282 bandwagon.  No point trying to describe the improvements as I do not have a negative, and my 200 sounds really good with it.  Source next?  Still using a Mojo, and it seems to be holding its own.  

james n posted:

There's always some explanation trotted out for not liking the 252. System setup, source not good enough, Burndy not facing Salisbury etc. It is just possible that you don't like what the 252 does in your particular system and so it shouldn't always been considered (unlike the 552) the next step to audio nirvana. As with any upgrade, listening over an extended period, in your own system is advised. The chap i sold my 252 on to loved it 

Good point, James. In my case, the 252 was set-up by my dealer and the source is the same one I use today, which has proven even better than it used to sound when enjoying a 552DR/300DR downstream. So I'm completely convinced that my conclusions on the 252 were not due to sub-optimal set-up or revealing weaknesses in the source that the 282 didn't. It simply didn't excite me in the way that the 282 did.  

Hungryhalibut posted:

Malaka is an interesting Forum name. It means wanker in Greek. A friend of mine had a cat named Malaka and took endless pleasure in hollering it out of the back door. 

I've owned a (boring) 252 and there's no way I'd swap a 272 for one. 552 or don't bother would be my, undoubtedly unwanted, advice. 

Not in the least bit boring especially with a Supercap DR feeding a 300DR with a full SL loom. Perchance you didn't audition before purchasing?

I remember MDS conducting two thorough home demos of the 252 and he gave it every opportunity to impress but it didn't. IIRC it was the 252's performance of high energy rock that was the killer blow. Too cool, too laid back I believe.

I am listening to Yello right now on my 252 and it is bonkers good. All the energy and verve I could possibly want, and some!

I guess this one will remain a mystery!

nigelb posted:

I guess this one will remain a mystery!

With all respect to Mike (MDS) who posted extensively about this at the time, different sources maybe.

Ravenswood10 posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

Malaka is an interesting Forum name. It means wanker in Greek. A friend of mine had a cat named Malaka and took endless pleasure in hollering it out of the back door. 

I've owned a (boring) 252 and there's no way I'd swap a 272 for one. 552 or don't bother would be my, undoubtedly unwanted, advice. 

Not in the least bit boring especially with a Supercap DR feeding a 300DR with a full SL loom. Perchance you didn't audition before purchasing?

It bored me and that was with 300dr, NDS and 555ps. There was no sparkle to it.

nigelb posted:

I remember MDS conducting two thorough home demos of the 252 and he gave it every opportunity to impress but it didn't. IIRC it was the 252's performance of high energy rock that was the killer blow. Too cool, too laid back I believe.

I am listening to Yello right now on my 252 and it is bonkers good. All the energy and verve I could possibly want, and some!

I guess this one will remain a mystery!

 

Your memory is perfect, Nigel, but I'm pleased that the 252 is pushing your buttons.  This is a funny old game and we often hear things differently. 

MDS posted:

nigelb posted:

I remember MDS conducting two thorough home demos of the 252 and he gave it every opportunity to impress but it didn't. IIRC it was the 252's performance of high energy rock that was the killer blow. Too cool, too laid back I believe.

I am listening to Yello right now on my 252 and it is bonkers good. All the energy and verve I could possibly want, and some!

I guess this one will remain a mystery!

 

Your memory is perfect, Nigel, but I'm pleased that the 252 is pushing your buttons.  This is a funny old game and we often hear things differently. 

Indeed Mike.

I am just glad my ears don't crave a 552 (yet) as I might have to trade them in for a less decerning set. 

The pre amp debate is interesting, but the most important thing is that we enjoy the music with the kit we have and swerve the hype.

I enjoy your feedback but my budget is s 252/SC and NDS source, I never liked the fact the 282 uses a NAPSC

Drewy posted:

Ravenswood10 posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

Malaka is an interesting Forum name. It means wanker in Greek. A friend of mine had a cat named Malaka and took endless pleasure in hollering it out of the back door. 

I've owned a (boring) 252 and there's no way I'd swap a 272 for one. 552 or don't bother would be my, undoubtedly unwanted, advice. 

Not in the least bit boring especially with a Supercap DR feeding a 300DR with a full SL loom. Perchance you didn't audition before purchasing?

It bored me and that was with 300dr, NDS and 555ps. There was no sparkle to it.

I have the same front end and not bored in the least....mind you I don't listen to rock at ear-splittingly high volumes or own cats with strange names - strange place this forum.

Malaka posted:

I enjoy your feedback but my budget is s 252/SC and NDS source, I never liked the fact the 282 uses a NAPSC

That, may I say, is a very strange reason for not considering a 282. Unless you take the time to listen to both pre amps (preferably in your own system at home) you will never know which you prefer. As you will see from the above 'debate' there are some who prefer the 282 over the 252. I have used both preamps with a NDS and the 282 is certainly not shamed by the NDS, quite the reverse. I just preferred the 252, but this, as you have seen, is far from a unanimous finding. If you are one of those who prefer the 282, you could save yourself a slug of cash. But you can't know if you don't demo.

Just a thought.

Malaka posted:

I enjoy your feedback but my budget is s 252/SC and NDS source, I never liked the fact the 282 uses a NAPSC

Don't have any hands on experience, but the quote from Mr. Richard Dane should have got your attention. 

But the one that sold me was from Mr. X:

"I've had 282 with HC and SC, 252 and 552. Clearly, 552 is the best - there is just a certain "rightness" to it that it is instantly recognizable.If I had to do it all over, I would have gone straight to a 282 with supercap and stayed with it until a secondhand 552 became available.

A 282 with supercap won't resolve absolutely everything from the recording, but it will be close enough that you never care, IMO." 

Furthermore, way back in 2007, Naim Debuted it's Reference CDP! 

CD555>282>2x SC>3 x 250.2>DBLs 

Well, if the 282 was worthy of the above hookup, I figured it would work fine for me! 

Enjoy your Music, the Why! 

Allante93! 

Allante93 posted:

 

Furthermore, way back in 2007, Naim Debuted it's Reference CDP! 

CD555>282>2x SC>3 x 250.2>DBLs 

Well, if the 282 was worthy of the above hookup, I figured it would work fine for me!  

TWO Supercaps! The poor thing must have been bouncing off the bloody ceiling!!!

nigelb posted:

Malaka posted:

I enjoy your feedback but my budget is s 252/SC and NDS source, I never liked the fact the 282 uses a NAPSC

That, may I say, is a very strange reason for not considering a 282. Unless you take the time to listen to both pre amps (preferably in your own system at home) you will never know which you prefer. As you will see from the above 'debate' there are some who prefer the 282 over the 252. I have used both preamps with a NDS and the 282 is certainly not shamed by the NDS, quite the reverse. I just preferred the 252, but this, as you have seen, is far from a unanimous finding. If you are one of those who prefer the 282, you could save yourself a slug of cash. But you can't know if you don't demo.

Just a thought.

I agree, the 282 is very good, and I can why some might like it.. the 252 is less Hi-Fi than the 282 and has a certain naturalness to it which gets so much closer to your music that gets you grinning or shaking your head in slight disbelief on certain tracks... However in my experience to get the best from the 252 you need revealing accurate speakers, I use ATCCs that do just that.. the 552 goes further but at the lower  levels I listen at I don't find the difference between 252 and 552 as great as I otherwise would.. crank the listening level up and the 552 does seem to pull away... all subjective of course

The 252 clicks beautifully with the 300 and sounds nothing like a 282 - which is a big part of its appeal for me.

Had one. Loved it. It was the first solid state preamp (partnered, in my case with a 300) which made a strong enough case to get me off valves.  We would still have it now had the opportunity to go 552 not unexpectedly presented itself.

Hungryhalibut posted:

Malaka is an interesting Forum name. It means wanker in Greek. A friend of mine had a cat named Malaka and took endless pleasure in hollering it out of the back door. 

I've owned a (boring) 252 and there's no way I'd swap a 272 for one. 552 or don't bother would be my, undoubtedly unwanted, advice. 

not sure what that means but you believe a N272/555PS is better than a N252/SC-DR/NDS