If you plug both cables in and let them run their natural course, they are automatically parallel and close without touching anyway. They have to be, as they are the same lengths and their sockets are next to each other. Just don’t artificially separate them
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The digital cable runs below the Burndy and is much thinner and more flexible, and I’ve found that it often hangs lower, opening up a gap of several cm in the middle of the run. My solution is just to wrap them with a single small, light elastic band, narrowing the gap to something close to the 1cm or so at either end.
Some recommend wrapping the cables around each other one or more times, but I’m averse to the idea of them even touching, so I just try to keep them as close to parallel as is feasible.
That’s unlikely to be a problem… or noticeable.
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Maybe not, but that ~4 - 5cm gap appears to be the default configuration - the way the cables naturally fall if you don’t take care with how they’re dressed.
I’ve never tested this particular one by ear, but I’ve heard the benefits of cable dressing in a more general sense, and I’m willing to defer to those who are more obsessive than I am, especially when it’s something that involves only a small amount of extra effort.
I trust Naim that if this small gap were a problem, they would adjust the cable lengths to avoid this gap. The idea of keeping them close is to keep electrical potential differences small in electromagnetic fields. In a domestic environment you probably don’t have fields so strong that 2 cms makes a difference. In addition, forcing them closer with foam or a rubber band couples them mechanically, which the “no touch” rule is intending to avoid. Trade-offs as always 
Just playing DSOTM on vinyl through the 252, and it is seriously delightful 
I’m also finding I need to adjust the balance a bit between recordings and volume. I’m not sure whether this is a room thing, the recording, my ears, or the 252. But given it has a balance control, I figure it’s there to enable the balance to be adjusted.
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I’ve noticed I’m using the balance a lot more with my 252. I’m thinking maybe the accuracy (for want of a better word) of the presentation necessitates it? I find it’s very obvious when it’s off-centre but a quick tweak puts it dead right… until the next album! That said the sound is streets ahead of anything I’ve heard before.
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I’m wondering if the balance thing is down to speaker/room and/or listening position?
I’ve certainly found slightly shifting my listening position helps centralise ‘imaging’ on some albums. Never really thought of it as a 252 effect.
Seconded the sound quality!
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I fundamentally disagree. I think that it just what the SC does, opens up the middles, better definition in the bass, and smoother treble. Just how close to a 252 is a matter of subjective judgement.
Regards,
Lindsay
I never have to use the balance (and do not have to as it is never off) except to adjust for the common unbalance at low volume
Ahhh…
I listen a lot at low volume. That could explain it. Now you mention it I haven’t noticed it at higher vols (8 o’clock plus). Is this fairly common then?
Indeed it is something that the chosen Alps pot tends to do, though not all are the same. I had to send my new one back for fixing. My dealer’s demo does not exhibit this at all and is dead center down to essentially zero volume. See here:
In my case, the unbalance up to 8 was not bearable as this is normal background listening volume for me.
Seems my 252 (2021 model) has the exact same issue. I’ve been going mad thinking it’s interconnects, speakers, even my Supercap 
How did you get it fixed? Did it go back to Naim or was it a dealer fix?
I talked to my dealer, who talked to the distributor in Germany. Sent it to them and they put in a hand-selected pot, they said the best from the ones they had available. They were very helpful and it was back within a week.
Now it is balanced starting at 7:30 (my speakers have 89 dB sensitivity and the room is 50 qm but I sit rather close, 2.6 m to each speaker). 7:30 is ok for me and I rarely go lower, just occasionally late nights.
I didn’t intend to make a big issue out of it, but when new it was unbalanced to 8 or slightly above, so I had to adjust it all the time at background volume (and adjusting balance changes the volume, which changes the balance again - quite some hassle).
In the linked thread, someone was offered a -6 dB attenuation by Naim for the SN3 as well. I wasn’t, but maybe not an option on the 252.
As mentioned, I could not even have known about the behavior based on my dealer’s demo because it does not do it. If it bothers you in everyday listening, I suggest you inquire with dealer/Naim. I appreciate Naim choosing the pot based on sound, but on a > 10,000 euro pre (incl. the SC), I believe it is OK not wanting this issue
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Really appreciate that info it’s been driving me nuts. Still not 100% sure it’s the pot (or just it) but it certainly could be. I can probably live with it now I know what it is.
Did you find the imbalance was always the same or could change for the same listening level at different times and with different tracks?
I never had inconsistent changes at the same listening level, it was always the same: below 8:00, the right channel started to disappear, the more the lower the volume went, but always in the same way. Though the loudness of the recording probably has an influence, as a louder recording may make you turn down the pot more than a less loud recording would, so you’d be deeper into the problematic pot range.
I should add that the mentioned volume levels are with the NDX2 as source. It was quite similar with the Rega Aria, apparently it has quite high output for a phono stage. With the Superline, the output is lower and it would never have been an issue even with the original pot, as I add approx :30-45 on the volume dial compared to NDX2.
It sounds very familiar, my right channel is the one that goes quiet too. This could explain why I’ve noticed it coming and going cos my listening level changes a lot depending on my mood and time of day or night. I’ll do some testing to verify or otherwise.
Sounds like same issue to me. Thinking about it, it probably depended on the music after all because of the pot position. E.g., listening to a guitar and voice, without bass, I am more comfortable with higher volume even at night, but if there is bass I certainly turn it down more. This certainly has an effect as the issue is not caused by the actual audible volume, but by the pot moving into the low end of its range.
Yep just down a few tests. definite bias to left speaker at lowest level. dialling up the volume one press at a time on the remote and it gradually improves until it’s dead centre. And when I check the pot it’s 8 o’clock.
Same thing definitely. It would be nice if dealers and/or manual mentioned this, as it is indeed confusing (in particular if it did not happen at all with the demo unit, like it was in my case) and comes up on the forum pretty regularly. For customers who listen a lot on lower volumes and/or with more sensitive speakers, it would be nice if they were informed that it can happen with individual units and a remedy is possible. (Or if Naim found it in testing before ok’ing a pot or a finished unit for delivery to customer. 8 is not that low)
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