S1 Running in, Ups and Downs!!

I feel your pain.

Shortly after I bought my second hand 552 it went for a service. When it returned it sounded fantastic but within days I thought someone had been in and removed the tweeters from my speaker. This went on for weeks and at one point I really thought there was something wrong with it. However, my dealer advised patience, so I persevered.

Then I came in one evening and the system just went into orbit, seting a new musical benchmark for me. I reckon it took at least 3 months to fully settle down but we’ll worth the wait.

I’m reliably informed that there’s a 6 month point where both the 552 and S1 make another noticeable jump in performance.

i hope this helps quell those fears?

Enjoy the music.

Hang-in there - it goes through some bad bumps and will have fits of sounding awful between week 1 and week 3 of run-in with bloated fat bass and some HF nasties - then it all clears and you are happy again.

Been there - know what you mean. It sounds wonderful after a month and you will be happy as it really opens-out. Then after 9 months it goes into hyper-performance when you least expect it and think you already had it all - much more of everything.

Yes, the SL cables all seem to make even more sense with the voicing from the S1 Pre. The bass goes endlessly down deeper and best not to compare it to the 552 unless you own the S1 Pre or are going to.

In context of the Active system you have it should very soon convince that you are getting a lot more out of the other boxes now.

Post some pictures.

DB.

thanks Both. I feel better already!

 Congratulations on the S1 acquisition. Gary (DB) will have lots of good advice and shared experiences. 

Same old, same old with Hi-Fi; open the window wider and everything is magnified. The good stuff and the bad stuff.

Good luck. Keep us posted, and yes; photos please. 

John. 

Another vote for pictures, please,  Richyh. The S1 is the only pre-amp I've heard that bettered the 552DR.  

Oh, how I wish I could advise on the running-in of the S1!

Must be a lovely problem to contend with, I was looking at the S1 at my dealer today, just hoping. Got home with my boxes of Fraim. Look from wife, no hope. Do enjoy, you are one of the lucky ones, how many will Naim ever make.

S1 pre amp and power amps, .............. just that little step too far for most of us, expenditure- wise.

Still, until the day comes, ........ lottery, or kids repaying "bank of dad", my 552 doesn't sound "broken" in the slightest. 

It's not my style to broadcast but I will post some pictures as soon as I get chance.

Also, the S1 makes the 552 look great value. 

RICHYH posted:

Also, the S1 makes the 552 look great value. 

Now that's a sentiment you don't often hear.

It is meant in praise of both!!!!

Yes, I know that was your intention, Richyh, and as a 552 owner who occasionally feels guilty that I've spent so much money on a pre-amp your comment cheered me 

Thanks Mds. I just don't want to sound conceited. I owned a 552 for 15 years and loved it. To improve on it, it is 3x the price. The law of diminishing returns. 

I also had a very long run with my 552 and loved it - never though I'd use anything else...then I heard the S1 Pre. There are diminishing returns and you always have to personally assess what 'value for money' means for you in context of where you are in life with commitments and interests. The S1 Pre is not an improved 552; if you assess the difference of the DR upgrade on the 552 as significant then the S1 is not even discussing those sort of changes but a transformed presentation of the music that puts you at ease and lets the music speak to you in a new and better way - relaxed and engaging, dynamic and soft as required and at the same time.

I'd agree it makes the 552 seem a bargain at what it does for the price. The S1 does so much more - but it is at a very high financial cost. I'm also convinced that the S1 Power amps are significantly better than the NAP500DR, but I also know from various demos that I want to remain Active and can't manage 4x S1 Power amp Monoblocks, which is the minimum needed with the S800. The NAP500DR does a mighty fine job though with the S1 Pre and you should find the system really comes together more solidly once run-in gremlins are done.

You will also find system set-up is very important to get the best from it all - the usual stuff - but if you run Active you already know about these things.

Looking forward to the picture.

DB.

I wonder what it is about expensive hi-fi that results in so much angst, guilt or apology? I've never heard M5 or Ferrari owners speak in the same embarrassed fashion about their acquisitions. There are probably those who just happen to have the requisite amount of disposable cash (hard work, lottery win, inheritance, armed robbery......), those who've mortgaged their soul and kids, it really matters not, does it? Some of my mates are incredulous about the amount I've spent on a 'middling' system, but they've spent 3x as much as I have every year for the last decade on their summer holidays! We all prioritise how we dispose of what we have - why feel guilty about it?

But very expensive Cars, Holidays, new Furniture, new kitchen...etc - all regularly and systematically changed for no good reason, are all 'sensible' ways to dispose of wealth - whilst HiFi is only for the insane!

'Has the world gone mad, or is it me' is a Hawkwind verse that comes to mind - definitely the world and not me.

DB.

Congrats on the S1 purchase.  I had a brief demo in Chicago last year... it was astonishing.  The break-in process is a long one... My 552DR took 4 months to come on song and there were some days when it sounded terrible.  Dark Bear helped me get though those days with his encouragement.  It's worth the wait!  

Thanks Chris. Yes Darke Bear is the high priest or godfather of the forum. Always explains and gives great advice, we go to him when we start to loose faith (in our system). Very well put in your previous post DB, my sentiments exactly.

The thing I can add to this, and I don't feel I need to justify my purchase, is Nam can be an excellent investment as far as  toys go, maybe highend photography also. I started in 1984 and upgraded many times, and rarely have I lost more than half. The 552 being the prime case, hardly anything lost. Its because Naim is a excellent product, mostly retrofittable, and the best servicing bringing products back to as new.

You only get one go at this. Kick the ball as high as you can!!

A DB visit to Richyh for a joint review of system set up with lessons learned from both could make for a very interesting and educational thread!!

Congratulations on your new S1 - understandably a bit of a rarity on the forum.  Hope your burn in journey isn't too testing!

Peter

RICHYH posted:

It's not my style to broadcast but I will post some pictures as soon as I get chance.

Also, the S1 makes the 552 look great value. 

100% disagree. I think the S1 makes the 552 look poor value.

jon honeyball posted:

RICHYH posted:

It's not my style to broadcast but I will post some pictures as soon as I get chance.

Also, the S1 makes the 552 look great value. 

100% disagree. I think the S1 makes the 552 look poor value.

List Price:

S1~ $61,30

552 ~ $19,975

555 ~ $6,530

61,30 vs 26,505

Your Dealer Price:

$55 GBP. vs. $23 GBP

Just Guessing!

I'll never know.

@the OP:

Have fun, you've earned it!

Allante93!

The 552 includes the power supply, so it's £19,975 complete.

Yes congratulations RICHYH on the S1 and I also would love to see photos of the S1 in a domestic setting.

RICHYH did you happen to leave a pair of NBLs with Simon in Reading a few years ago, if so they still sounding wonderful, even in passive mode (I don’t have the space for active).

Hi Yeti42, no sorry sold mine locally.