552 preamp

Quite a few have tried the Allergi+, but very quickly got the itch to move on.

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@Chag has the Allegri with Nd555. Donā€™t remember if he has a 300 or 500.

I absolutely loved my 552 which I used with active Ovator 600s. Dynamic, wonderfully balanced system. I did move up the ladder and bought the S1 (then the problem started and Iā€™ve had to spend a lot of time and money upgrading everything to get the best out of this pre-amp :flushed: and I canā€™t use reel to reel or tape with it :upside_down_face:

The 552 is a game changer in a well balanced system. Worth every penny!

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Is a nxd2/555psdr good enough to upgrade from to a 552 from a 52?
Is it a good enough source?
David

Yes itā€™ll enhance eveything you hear with the 52. I had a 52 with CDS 2 and active SBLs - that was a magical system. The 552 is a superb pre amp and only bettered for me by the S1.

Pete

Hi Peter, Iā€™ve heard a demo of a full statement system and wasnā€™t blown away. My friends full 500 system sounded better to my ears. Now that you point out how you need extra high levels of input to get the best out I get it now, thanksšŸ‘ The shop Manager the used some low level source which was a joke imo at the time, probably did more damage to a sale than good as the guy I was with had the bank account and desire for it. I guess the manager could only use what he had on hand at the time.
Iā€™m a 52/cds2 owner and have always been a junkie about cds2 very very good pRat, 1 years into an older lp12 with Aro, Armageddon, prefix K and a half descent Lyra cart, omg the poor old cds2 doesnā€™t get turn on these days. Canā€™t see me doing any digital into the future Nds555 blah blah just a 552/500 none DR.

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What do you mean ā€œhigh level of inputā€?

Sorry i mean input source, not mv input as it reads.

The 282 is maybe livelier (slightly forced?) but less accurate and doesnā€™t have the scale of the 252 but the latter is closer overall and has more in common with the 552 than the 282 which it should considering the price difference between the 282/252. You can bridge some of the gap using a Supercap to to power the 282 though.

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Perhaps we can summarise as

The 282 (is rubbish compared to) The 252 (is rubbish compared to) The 552.

:sunglasses:

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Or the 282 is Ace, the 252 Acer, the 552 is Acerer! :grinning:

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Indeedā€¦ Though with some of the threads and hyperbole Iā€™ve read over the years, youā€™d be forgiven for thinking my (tongue-in-cheek) sumarisation is true.

For my part, I loved my 282. Now I have a 252 and it is also brilliant.

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Soā€¦next (tongue in cheek) step is either

552

or

SN3

I love this Forum!

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Hi Soundsfaber.

You have a great system there. As I said above the 52 and CDS 2 is a fantastic combination, and thatā€™s the point for me with NAIM you need to find a balance with the components to get the best out of your kit.

The system I had before I introduced the S1 was LP12 (fully tricked out as far as I could take it) Superline s/cap, CD555 with one PS, 552 active with 1x500 & 2 x 300s, Snaxo s/cap running S800ā€™s through NACA 5. All boxes were on powerlines from a dedicated power supply, and everything sat on Fraim. It had great synergy.

Replacing the 552 with the S1 initially was a mistake, and after the buzz of having it and with enduring the appropriate burn in time I was very disappointed. The S1 revealed everything and had thrown my system out of balance.

Iā€™ve spent 18 months trying many different products and combinations out, and Iā€™m pleased to say that Iā€™m now ending my search for my perfect system. Iā€™ve added several HRS isolation bases, added a second 555PS to the CD555, and put the player through a Whest Buffer II, swapped the Superline s/cap for a Whest Titan Pro phono-stage, changed all power cables and interconnects for the LP12, Whest Titan, CD555 and Whest Buffer to Gutwire, replaced the Ortofon A95 with a Lyra Etna SL ā€¦ and itā€™s now back to magical!

To my ears and the few people that have been around and listened, itā€™s a compelling and immersive system that is a joy to listen to for hours on end, and is now better than the 552 combination. Itā€™s been an expensive and time consuming journey but worth it, and shows just how capable and great the 552 is.

To complete and close the book on upgrades Iā€™ve ordered two more 500s to replace the 300s in the active set up.

Cheers Pete

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[=ā€œSoundsfaber, post:46, topic:18809ā€]
eter, Iā€™ve heard a demo of a full statement system and wasnā€™t blown away
[/quote]

Was that with big Focal speakers?

Not a patch on 505s. :wink:

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Haha Iā€™d just love to hear the Statements with a pair of 808s or Neat XL 10s. Or perhaps Magico or Wilson.

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Are you saying that itā€™s not possible to have a balanced system with S1/ 1X 500dr and CD555/ 1X 555 dr?

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Iā€™m talking about my experience but I would say the S1 would be very under powered with just 1 x 500 DR. Active and full Statment would be a much better option - at a bigger price point. I would stick with the 552 and that would stay closer to the balance rather than putting an S1 in.

That would be absurd.