Hmmm. I bought a CDS2/XPS in 2001 after having been assured during a factory visit by a senior sales rep that there was nothing in the works. I think the CDS3/XPS2 came out the very next year.
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Nice and clever thread title Roosterš
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Just incorporating the statement volume control and a balanced circuit design, would easily bring improvements.
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Why not Bryston 28 B sst 3 , 1000 W in 8 ohm? Around the same price as the 350 , but with more power.
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Thanks 
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Would it be possible to upgrade the 552 with the new volume control? A 552i as it were?
I realise that could mean changing out a lot of internal components but Naim were happy to do this with the DR upgrade.
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They will leave the 552 alone i am sure and just bring the better components into the new one.
As completely no point in doing it to the 552
My saying the 350 is an amp Iād like to hear is because on paper it is the most interesting Naim amp to me, and I have an interest in hearing a Naim amp, never having done so. If I were to try the 350 I would indeed want to compare with a bigger Bryston, whether 7B3 (cheaper) or 28B3 (more expensive), and maybe one or two other amps. But buying anothe amp is only likely to happen if my present amp dies, or if I win the lotteryā¦
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Not with you on the 552 - yes the pot is not a ladder - but itās mighty good. The boards are all spring isolated and the circuit and component selection is excellent. Then we have the power supply which is a tour de forceā¦ It is a proven design which I think has some idio-syncratic design choices regarding signal cable runs back to the psuā¦which might be the holding things backā¦but on the otherhand the earthing has been well thought outā¦for me its about as good as it getsā¦appart from having an S1ā¦ I have experimented with very suble changes regarding sources and each and every time the 552 is able to immediately illuminate the changesā¦so its incredibly revealing.
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I recall posters saying Naim staff have confirmed they donāt have anything better than the 552 right now so presumably it will be some time before the series is replaced.
That said everyone says the NC volume is a significant improvement, so if it could be retrofitted then why not? Of course Iām guessing thereās a very high probability that it simply isnāt compatible, but itās a nice thought for us 552 owners.
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I did and the 252 is gone replaced with a 332.
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Really? What about the S1 pre-amp?
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Any at your home?
S1 aside of course!
In my experience the system in oneās own home almost always sounds better than a system in a dealerās listening room.
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The pot might be as good as a pot gets, but a pot design isnāt that great these dayās thatās why you donāt see them in the newer gear or higher range models.
We all know the pot isnāt great at its low end scale and you get un even output volume.
Plus they tend to be noisy and add flavour to the single.
They wonāt fit it in the 552 as it will be the main big gain off the newer model in sound quality do it to the out gping 552 is just plain silly as far as business sense goes.
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Please donāt speak for everyone when making this kind of statement to try to validate your own opinion.
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I am under the impression from this forum that the majority find the older model NACsā volume control to be imperfectly balanced between channels at the bottom end of its range.
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Without everyone who visits the forum confirming this (or anything else for that matter) you also should not make sweeping statements for those who do not hold that view. An impression is not a fact.
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The 272 pot is the only one I liked in the OC range. I spent some time with the 552 at the dealer but donāt recall if it had the shortcomings of the 252 pot or not. Iād expect it to be a better version.