I went from a NAC 282 to a NAC 252 then to a NAC 552. The 252 was a waste of time. The 552 is THE end-game 500 level device. I thought that about the ND555 but it turns out it’s the 552.
I have never listening to a 552. Beyond my humble 282, I only had a chance to hear a 252 and Statement pre-amp. The 252 was partnered with Kudos’s 707 (an active set-up — awesome!) and the Statement had be done combined with some large Focal speakers. The latter wasn’t really tempting — not that I could afford it… But taking the gist of this thread, I better don’t listen to the 552 with the right speakers…
I am pretty sure it would sound terrific as well – Kudos, in hifi shows (when these were still done pre-Covid…) have been using an SN3 in an active set-up (606, I think), and a few folks reported that it sounded rather good. So, surely, our beloved 282s would cope with active.
I don’t know. Probably best for Naim to advise. I doubt it though - there are certain functions you can only do or adjust with a Narcom so it wouldn’t be very sensible not to supply it.
The first time I heard Kudos Titans (they were 505s) they were driven by a 272 and a 300. Don’t know for sure if had a 555ps in the 272, but they sounded absolutely bloomin marvellous
To be honest, the plastic remote (narcom?) is more user friendly than the cast one (R-com?) anyway. I tend to use the lightweight plastic one most of the time, while the heavier one sits on the end of the sofa, largely unused (same as the ND555 remote).