Naim 252 v 282 - best for LP12 vinyl source

For the price of a 252/Supercap you could get a used 552. That's what I'd get, and it would be ideal with the LP12. As to the 252 or 282 debate, that's down to personal preference. Living where you do, Cymbiosis are on your doorstep and can demonstrate the options. 

HH is right - go and have a listen at Cymbiosis.   I love the 282 with my Xerxes and if I were upgrading would go straight for a 552.   But the 252 is a special thing as well.  Go listen and enjoy the music.  

Regards,

Lindsay

For me it rather depends on what music you like.  I found the 252 excels at subtlety and the 282 at boogie; the former I found a bit laid back and the latter tries to get your attention.  These characteristics seemed most noticeable for me on rock music when I felt the 252 sucked the passion and drive out of the performance. But others on here prefer the 252 to the 282 (tried 282/SCDR v 252/SCDR into 250.2, twice).  As HH says, it's down to personal preference which really means you need to try both in your system to see which you prefer.  

Thank you very much for your responses. I fear that my amp budget will not stretch to new kit, so the 552 not really achievable at present  - but a great long term goal for my future journey. Particularly taken by the appeal and boogie factor of the Naim 282 that MDS kindly mentioned, so will investigate and grab a listen with a Hi Cap DR and 250 DR. 

If you are going to dem with the Hi-Cap, I would suggest you ask to listen to a SCDR hooked up too, as the gain in using the SC is material to many ears (there have been various threads about this) - and may clarify a future upgrade path?

I have had a 282 and now have a 252 both used with a 250.2 then 250DR. As others have said, it is all down to personal preference, and, may I suggest, how well the amplification (and source) have been set up. With such a revealing source/amp combo, attention to supports (racks), cables, positioning and even cable dressing all make a real difference to SQ, not to mention speaker selection.

The 282 is a superb piece of kit and possibly the best VFM pre in the range IMO. But be under no illusion, correctly set up the 252 can boogie with the best of them. It is a fussy bu**ger though and very sensitive to set up. So if you do some home demos, I would suggest you get the dealer to set it up to give it a fair chance to shine. You won't go wrong with Cymbiosis, especially as they are both a Naim and LP12 specialist.

yes but 552 which also has a Burndy cable isn't that fussy to set up.

I heard 252 a number of times and it just doesn't boogie like 282 and 552.

Personally I'm not even that motivated for a 552, 282 does all that I need in terms of playing Metallica and AC/DC with the energy of the bands intact.

I recall for MDS when going from 282/Supercap to 552, it wasn't an instant decision, took him a few weeks to decide on it.

after demo got my 282 from Cymbiosis which works stunnigly well with my LP12 which also came from the boys

you mention box count and then say 252/SCDR - in my system have 282/HCDR/300, you mention the difference on 252/282 - don't forget the 250 /300 are not the same either - again get a demo -on all fronts - match the front end and see where it takes you - a good day spent IMO

I've had both. The 282 is a damn fine pre amp and I think is forgiving to sources.

The 252 will dig the best, and the worst out of recordings so doesn't flaunt itself as well.

The 252 is a way way better pre providing the rest of the chain is up to the job whether that's mains supply racks cable dressing, source etc etc. 

When I moved from 282 to 252 I was slightly underwhelmed. However, now I have cough cough dressed correctly and added an xps2 to my ndx I would not swap back. 

Just saving for the Dr upgrade of the supercap now. 

So to summarise. The 282 can mask some bad recordings and sound great with good recordings. 

The 252 will not let you hide a shite source. But when you get it right oh my. 

Yes but then 552 is quite like 282 in terms of making the best of any source, so I don't agree that 252 is a better preamp just because is very ruthless with the source.

I have owned both. I like the 282 especially with Supercap DR, but I much prefer the 252/Supercap DR. 

But I agree with HH that getting to a 552 by the used route would be better still and probably more cost effective in the long run.

Also with a full Linn front end I suspect that I would find the boisterousness of the 282 rather overwhelming. Having said that I would want to run the 252 with 300/300PS DR if possible as I find the combination much better balanced. 

But if that were accessible I would revert back to the second hand 552 instead

Bye ek lad, for vinyl, the NAC72 is the best Naim pre by far........ 

Wugged Woy posted:

Bye ek lad, for vinyl, the NAC72 is the best Naim pre by far........ 

Well it was until the 52 came along...

antony d posted:

after demo got my 282 from Cymbiosis which works stunnigly well with my LP12 which also came from the boys

you mention box count and then say 252/SCDR - in my system have 282/HCDR/300, you mention the difference on 252/282 - don't forget the 250 /300 are not the same either - again get a demo -on all fronts - match the front end and see where it takes you - a good day spent IMO

 

May I know what photo stage do you use with your 282 ?

engjoo posted:

antony d posted:

after demo got my 282 from Cymbiosis which works stunnigly well with my LP12 which also came from the boys

you mention box count and then say 252/SCDR - in my system have 282/HCDR/300, you mention the difference on 252/282 - don't forget the 250 /300 are not the same either - again get a demo -on all fronts - match the front end and see where it takes you - a good day spent IMO

 

May I know what photo stage do you use with your 282 ?

Yes quite simple stageline, might upgrade in future but works beautifully well

nigelb posted:

I have had a 282 and now have a 252 both used with a 250.2 then 250DR. As others have said, it is all down to personal preference, and, may I suggest, how well the amplification (and source) have been set up. With such a revealing source/amp combo, attention to supports (racks), cables, positioning and even cable dressing all make a real difference to SQ, not to mention speaker selection.

The 282 is a superb piece of kit and possibly the best VFM pre in the range IMO. But be under no illusion, correctly set up the 252 can boogie with the best of them. It is a fussy bu**ger though and very sensitive to set up. So if you do some home demos, I would suggest you get the dealer to set it up to give it a fair chance to shine. You won't go wrong with Cymbiosis, especially as they are both a Naim and LP12 specialist.

Agreed.

Opting for a 52 instead of a 252 would give you a substantial upgrade and cut your box count by one, if you use the internal phono cards. Worth a listen.

The OP uses a Urika so that consideration does not apply to them. 

The Nac 82 has more boogie factor than the Nac282 and 252.

I have just added a super cap dr to my 282 (px my HCDR)

rest of my system NDS with 555ps and unity core and B&W 804D3

first impression after 2 hours Wow.

tonycurran1 posted:

I have just added a super cap dr to my 282 (px my HCDR)

rest of my system NDS with 555ps and unity core and B&W 804D3

first impression after 2 hours Wow.

Yes. Putting a SuperCap on a 282 took me about 10 seconds to decide it was a 'must have'. 'Wow' sums it up nicely. 

Thank you for all the great advice. Picking up on your thoughts, the 552 appears to me a wonderful piece of kit. Given that I am restricted to three levels for the amplification would an older model 552 combined with a 250 DR be a good option for my LP12 vinyl source or would it be too much of an imbalance within the Naim hierarchy?

Balance is best - unless you are ready to constantly upgrade. I'm guessing that no matter how good your proposed set up sounds you will get the urge to see what a 300 or 500 can do. They'll be better - of course they will be. I took my black boxes to CDX2/XPSDR/252/SCDR/250DR and for me the balance felt right - but more importantly it sounded great. I decided that £1500 speakers were then the bottleneck - so purchased some Kef Reference 1's. At £5000 they are in balance, cost wise, with the boxes. They have been a fantastic upgrade - allowing the boxes to really show what they are capable of. I no longer have any urge to upgrade further - spending my cash on music.

When I was auditioning speakers I heard the 552 with 250Dr and let me say here and now I'd have that combo - right this very minute

SS250 posted:

...... would an older model 552 combined with a 250 DR be a good option for my LP12 vinyl source

Definitely. Getting the 552 would be a wonderful acquisition. 

I have run mine with a NAP250 and also recently with an early 80s NAP110 and sounded sublime. The 552 is revealing but not in a nasty way, so will make most sources sound better. 

You know you want one. Buying anything else would be an interim step that would add to the cost