This forum, first and foremost, is about sharing opinions and experiences, so I hope you will forgive me for having shared mine.
The assertion that the difference should be obvious, given the price differential, is, indeed, an ideal. But Iām not convinced that its always the case.
The 252 seems to divide opinion on this forum. Some love it from the start. Others donāt. Some have purchased only to find, after some period of time, they couldnt live with it - and moved it on.
In my case, my initial experience was to have my dealers 252 at home for a couple of hours, at the end of which It was clear it sounded different. But not clear (to me) that it was preferable over the 282 (for many of the reasons that have been discussed at length on this forum).
I didnt make a decision on that first occasion. Instead, a couple of months later, I arranged with my dealer to have the 252 on loan for a longer period of time, in order to get used to it and have the opportunity to listen to a much wider range of music. This co-incided with the post xmas lockdown so, fortuitously, I was able to have my dealers 252 for an extended period.
In the end, when I did put my 282 back in, the benefits of the 252 were very apparent.
So this was my experience and perspective - which may, or may not, be wrong. It depends on the individual.
But I stand by my view that if you have the luxury of time, when demoāing a 252, its worth taking advantage of it in order to avoid what may prove to be a rash decision either way.