True, but comparing relative extremes of pre/power combos, a 282/HCDR/500DR will cost more than a 552DR/250DR and I am pretty sure which will sound best, making the latter excellent VFM for that spend.
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Indeed, I wasn’t suggesting a mullet was a good idea.
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Even the most balanced system will have a component that, if improved, will lift the sound of the entire system. In my case, that component is probably the power amp (though some might argue it’s the speakers). But I’m using the term bottleneck to describe a component that is clearly not up to the standard of the rest of the system, and is audibly holding it back. So, though I may be tempted to upgrade my power amp at some point in the future (and I greatly doubt that, for reasons of cost, complexity, and space), I don’t find the 250 to throttling the abilities of my source and pre.
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Fantastic!
Exactly my feeling now. My system is well balanced and I’m loving it.
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At the end of the day it’s music - not life and death. Just enjoy it. We’re all lucky to be able to own such great gear.
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The 552 demo unit arrived today. Wow! Quite a step up from the 282. I’ve heard it described as holographic sound which seems spot on. There is just so much more revealed and so much depth it actually sounds a bit artificial - like watching a 3d movie.
Appears on first listening to be well matched with the 250.
Will report back on further thoughts once it’s warmed up over the next few days. Early impressions are very positive however.
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Thanks, not sure my wallet wants to hear your report back. 
Scott
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Scott you already own one hell of a pre amp, tweak and perfect what you have and enjoy.
One would expect the 552 to produce a more realistic tune but its 4x times the price but its not 4x times better.
Also how do you know the tune from the 552 is what the artist intended.
I am very happy with my kit, and it was a tongue in cheek response. I keep reading here how the jump to 252 then to 552 can be really nice but some don’t see the VFM. Just adding a supercap to my system was a nice result. I won’t be adding any kit anytime soon. My 282 is an older model but has been recapped. The main case has some not so nice scratches and marks from component stacking etc, while the face is in excellent condition.
I reached out to Naim North America, and they are special ordering a new powder coated from the factory main body case for me at a reasonable cost. So everything will be looking as brand new. Maybe some new din cables or an XLR from SC to 250 will be the next step instead of 552. 
Scott
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Hi to All, a question related to 282/250. Is possible to connect an headphone amp (headline) in order to maintain the volume function thru preamp remote?
No, the Headline has its own volume control. It runs from line level out on one of the tape loops.
You would need a headphone power amp (not sure one exists) running from a spare pre-out from the power supply.
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I just added a 282 to my SN2 and it sounds fantastic but also lost the capability of the SN Headphone amp. My dealer had a used Headline w/NAPSC PS which I have at home for a demo. I usually only use my headphones (Grado GS1000e) when my wife retires early and I want to continue on with music. I thought that losing the remote volume control may be a deterrent from going with the Headline. So far the music has been sounding wonderful and getting up to adjust volume has not been an issue. …going back in time, living ‘old school.’
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If you have the RCA version of the Headline then you can run it off your NDX2 and switch outputs through the Naim app, set volume control to variable with system automation set to off, then you can use the app or NDX2 remote to control the volume through the Headline.
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