X demo and 2012, not a chance, more like his own personal unit, or trade in, as no dealer I know would keep it that long and lose that amount off money on it and just leave it in the box.
But as you are getting both units serviced then what does it really matters anyway
From what I can gather itâs been sat in another branch and pretty much forgotten about. Their Naim specialist who Iâve been dealing with sounded pretty exasperated by it. His words on unpacking it were âit looks like itâs never been out of the boxâ. Iâve dealt with them before and they were excellent. Itâll be serviced and theyâre providing their own five year warranty so Iâm happy with that.
Guessing itâll be well into the New Year now before it arrivesâŚ
2 Likes
Does beg ( from me at least) why would a dealer sell an ex demo device? Surely they just have to go and buy another? And as we know right now, costs have just gone up. Would they not keep hold of a dem device for a long time?
I wondered that, particularly given the burn in time and the extent to which Naim holds its value. I put it down in my mind to a means of shifting volume, and maybe buffering end of month sales or during quieter periods. Financially, it has to make more sense keeping a unit for many years surely? Or maybe the Naim discount on a demo unit is too good.
Exactly. Itâs not as if this yearâs 552/252/282 is any different than one from 8 plus years ago. And good point about burn-in.
Hi Stu, also being a DR it must have been back to HQ around 2015 for that upgrade. ATB Peter
2 Likes
Iâm fairly certain, taking account of their margin, the discount Naim give them etc they donât lose out when they rotate demo stock every year or two. If the item in question brings in just two or three sales at full price of something like a 552 it will have more than paid for itself.
In reality, they probably lose much more by holding onto a demo unit for an extended period.
1 Like
Hi Peter, I did look into that because itâs sold as an original DR and I thought it was early. I found a 552 DR review from Hi-Fi Critic from 2012 so it must be one of the first.
1 Like
I seem to remember that the store had a dem 552 up for sale in March this year. May be it was sold early this year and returned a few weeks ago?
Oops, doesnât time fly! 
Enjoy Peter
2 Likes
Well that really would be stretching the definition of ex-dem! Thanks for that 
2 Likes
Just to share. I got my pre loved 552dr in early Nov 2021.
Since I moved to my new place in 2015, I have never been truly satisfied with my system in my room which is really small and acoustically challenging. Changing my 10 year old 250 to a 250dr helped but not that much. Having a klimax lp12 helped but I ended up not listening much to my nds/555dr. I tried but I guess I just didnât manage to optimise the nds. So I ended up getting a cds3 and that helped with the digital end. But still I wasnât as happy with the system as in my old place. Which is why I ended up with both s400 and sl2. Each of the 2 speakers gave me something I like but not everything that I want.
But this is not about the nds or s400 or SL2.
Now⌠I am truly happy with my system on both the analog and digital end with the 552dr in place. It has been transformational for me, particularly in this room. I really canât point to any particular aspect of the 552, but the music just sounds right.
9 Likes
The 552 is just wonderful. Iâve had my newly serviced 552DR exactly a month. Maybe still a bit of running in to do but it sounds sublime paired with my 300DR. The 552 gives you more of everything. I am no longer listening for imperfections as there arenât any. My front room has become a concert hall!
4 Likes
Still waiting for my 300DR to partner my 552âŚFebruary I hope.
G
7 Likes
@GraemeH you will enjoy it. I have a new 552 that I got two months ago. Unfortunately it got a relay broken and now needs repair. See here. My dealer provided a spare 552 so I can enjoy listening to music. In the same âfactory-repairâ I gave my 300Dr with the dealer so it could get a service. They gave me a spare 250Dr. Now listening to a 552/ND555/250 system I notice how incredibly much the 300Dr always gave me. Donât get me wrong, the current is very good, but it lacks a lot of weight comparing to the 300Dr. Hope to get it back in a good week or so. Cheers, Iver
3 Likes
Thank IverâŚanticipation!
G
2 Likes
I have the same feedback, I was blown away when I first turned my 552 (it was a move from 282), the body of the music sounded drastically better, I expected an improvement but I was truly surprised how much of an improvement it really offers⌠Stunning systemâŚ
It will though highly depend on your front end, you need to have a decent front for 552 to show itâs true valueâŚ
A gemâŚ
Funny enough, I also had a broken relay in my first 552, hats of to Naim and my reseller, they replaced the unit⌠I am a happy manâŚ
2 Likes
And robbing banks. That last part is the most important bit. 
2 Likes
Donât demo a 500DR then. Ignorance is bliss in these situations. 
6 Likes