Thanks @Blackbird, didn’t know that. I’ve never heard or used a 272.
That’s one of the reasons why it doesn’t sound as good as the real Naim Preamps.
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Or the 272 volume is (s)pot on
It only sounds better than every other Naim preamp I’ve owned. The 252 is pretty meh for me. The 72 was good. 102/202 were disappointing.
The Nac 252 is very sensitive to how it is set up.I agree that the 102/202 are disappointing.
I added a 252/SC into my 272/555DR/300 system and the 252 blew the 272’s pre amp out of the water. It was streets ahead. So much more control, detail, finesse, expression.
That was my experience anyway…
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Yeah, it clearly requires more fussing than sitting on a Naim Fraim with dedicated line in a dedicated listening room. It didn’t sound awful but I found myself wishing I had my 72 back.
How would you know it was only the amp? I dunno, I’ve btdt and the 252 is forgettable for me. Tried it with a 200 and that was an epic mismatch. Added the 250.2 and it got better but never really stood out. For the $$ it’s a let down for me. I suspect the 552 would be more to my liking. When I’m too old to ride motorcycles and want to settle in one place I’ll probably go back to separates and give the 552 a try. I’m more interested in the 272 replacement at this point. It shouldn’t sound as good as it does but it does and I hope they keep the magic with the new one.
How I detest that phrase and how glad I am that I have never heard what is apparently described.
My 552 blew my Bluetooth speaker out of the water but not my 282/SC.
.sjb
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I never had an issue with the 252 set up on top of a Fraim Lite, it’s an excellent amp and was well ahead of the 72 I’ve heard.
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You call her “SWMBO” … reckon it’s you with work to do 
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Mike these are like 15 plus years old, sorry I’m a bit confused. I was under the impression this is for the New Zealand house and not the English ring mains setup? you’re saying using 50 mm squared earth wire wouldn’t help? I’ve had a much larger brass buss installed as well, . Direct wired switchless wall socket directionally wired to its own fuse. To better it you would need to buy another phase into a property at another monthly charge. From what I understand you can’t get a better setup without wiring directly off the mains switch, which is highly illegal.
Are you aware of a better legal set up?
Cheers
I’m confused to. Yes, they are the NZ instructions. What I was trying to say is that here in NZ we don’t have radial circuits, so I wonder if there is less likelihood of mains pollution from within the house anyway compared to the UK. Also, as you say, we can only take a direct feed from within the fuse box, whereas in the UK they can run parallel feeds of the incoming main. Here now you also have to have an RCD on the direct feed. So, I’m just not entirely convinced that doing something is worth the hassle, but I could be over thinking it. Has it worked for you?
Probably the biggest impact is a lower noise floor. It’s worth it imo. Is recommended by RMC back in the day for Naim users. From what know (2 grahams, this Graham is a Yorkshire man who went back to the UK and lived on a houseboat on a canal, didn’t work out for his lp12. Now he’s back here in Christchurch, one of the old school salesman for Chris‘s company. So that post is what Is recommended by the people who know more about naim audio in NZ than most. Im converted.
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Yes very important that the Snaic 5 touches the Burndy in one place .
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Did that and all the other nonsense required to get that amp to function properly. I wanted to like that amp and expected it to be my resting place for years. But it wasn’t. The 272 has been a much better amp in SQ and enjoyment. But like I said, it could’ve been the lack of powerlines, or shortcomings with CD playback, or the 250.2 which I’m less inclined to blame.
I had the 272/555ps and Nap500…I compared it to a dealers 252/sc Nap300… mine seemed far better…I think they were driving the 252 with an NDX2…the 252 sounded duller and more lifeless…
The Nac 252 is clearly not to everyone’s taste. I have heard it frequently said on this forum that they wish they skipped the 252 in their journey from 282 to 552. I heard the 252 with 500 and NDX2 with 555PS and Linn LP12 Klimax. The LP12 sounded fantastic. When I got home I found that my NDS with 555PS and 82 Supercap 2 and 2 x 135s sounded better than the NDX2. I haven’t lived with the 252 so I only had initial impressions. A lot of forumites are big fans of the 272 and hanker after a replacement with the new streaming platform.
I must admit I am more inclined to go 52 or 552 when I change out my 82. Possibly because of feedback on the forum.
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I’ve had a 272 with a 555DR.
The 252/SC was in another stratosphere to my ears with same source (272) and 300.
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How’s it moving along with your 500? I just closed a deal on a 500 too (non DR) to replace my 300DR. Exiting times ahead 
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