552DR/300DR incoming…

Congratulations Mike! I will try very hard to ignore your enthusiasm once it’s set up and singing… :wink:

PS - am I the only one who had to look up ‘credenza’? :laughing:

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Does anyone know which way to connect the NAC552 signal outputs (2 and 3) to the Ch1 and Ch2 inputs on the NAP 300 - I can’t find that in the manual. @JonoB ?

The Naim Connection Guide provides instructions - channel 2 goes from the 552PS to the left-hand connector on the 300 (when looking at the 300 from the rear), and channel 3 goes to the right hand side - it’s the same configuration as the NAP500.

If you’re not getting any output through the speakers, the next spot to look at is input channel assignments on the 552 (which you do through holding buttons down and using the remote). After a bit of confusion when I was setting mine up, I found the instructions in the Pre-amplifier reference guide

(the references to the guides above are both links - the forum software doesn’t make that obvious)

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OMG, my eyes almost popped out of head!

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Good enough upgrade then, huh? It’s definitely a keeper of a setup :ok_hand:

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Thanks everyone for your great support and advice on setting up. After much wrestling on a hot humid day, and much sweat, this is what I came up with. 552 on the Crezenda on a glass base. On the Fraim Lite, from top: NDX2, 300, 552 PS, 555 PS, 300 PS, all on glass shelves except for the 300 head unit. I might be able to Jimmie a full Fraim base under the 552 on the Crezenda :flushed:

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Congrats Mike…do you have music playing?
Time to buy more Fraim and upgrade the speakers now.:grin:

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Yes, maybe (the base I mentioned) and no (the speakers are right for the room and up for the job - well as far as I tested so far, but have heard them in other top systems).

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No pockets in a shroud. Enjoy!

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Mike, that’s quite an upgrade, I’m sure you will be delighted and will spend many hours over Christmas rediscovering your music collection.

Do you use the sub for music? I ask as if you do you may find with the NAP300 you don’t need to any more. When I upgraded from a 250 to 300 my speakers appeared to double in size. 3 years on I still marvel at what the 300 brings to my system. I’m still slumming it with a 252 though.

With such a system I would be looking to ‘sacrifice’ the cabinet and go all out Fraim. Can the cabinet be moved elsewhere?

If not you can get such a system to fit on one stack of Fraim. Whilst a compromise vs 2 stacks it still works well and this is what I have. I found I have been able to get the cables dressed properly with free hanging Burndies etc. The final stack may be slightly taller than the speakers as you can see in my photos, my speakers are 1cm taller than yours but you have the Fraimlite base which will lower it a bit. If it looks too high you could move the electronics to the corner but then you will have a problem with speaker cable length :frowning:

My stacking from the top is

252
NDS
300
Supercap
300PS
555PS

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Wow that’s it then Mike? At least when it comes to amplifier. Of course there is the 500 to top things off. Lovely system I would guess (most likely not a bad guess😁). My long term goal is 52 and 300DR. How does the 552 compare to the 252 in your system Mike?

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Fantastic honey! I didn’t thought you would go so far as you said many times it was precedently your end game system. You are a victim of the forum. I feel sad for you :laughing:
And the sound? I can’t wait.

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It all looks rather nice. How do the Totems sound with the sub?

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The question of the sub is an interesting one. I originally bought this for watching movies and giving a bit more oomph for the low frequency effects. I’ve since noticed that when dialled quite low it benefits music by just giving more weight across the frequency range. I’ve run it on the Nova, a SN2, the 252/250 and now the 552/300. The benefit is more subtle as I have moved up the amplification range.

I’ll need to spend some time trying with and without the sub now. The Forests are rated down to 28Hz and the Storm sub to 26Hz, though in theory the sub will fill in the lower range when it rolls off from the Forests. The sub probably needs a larger room now to be off much benefit. The 300 can drive the Forests with ease down right low, so I may end up moving the sub on. Mrs Mike doesn’t want it back in the lounge with the Nova, where it would probably be more at home.

The 300 DR drives the Forest effortlessly and isn’t too much for the room. But, I wouldn’t want any bigger speakers, that would be overwhelming. And would fortunelty also rule out any need for a 500 DR :sunglasses:

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Yes, that’s very helpful and I’ve followed your comments on your setup thanks. I don’t sense anything missing with my current set up. Any improvements at this stage would be an additional full Fraim level on the stack, or a better isolation platform on the crezenda. There seems to be several objectives, isolation of the 552 from the digital source, air around it, and isolation from vibration. The current set up gives the separation from the source and air. I wonder with the glass shelving and the floating chassis, whether further isolation from vibration is required? I’ve ruled out suspending it free hanging from the ceiling :sunglasses:

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Firstly, the 252 is a class act and more than enough for a hi-end end game system. The 252/250 was where I felt I had achieved a top flight Naim system, that was musical presentation…

So, I’ve added the 552 and the 300 at the same time, so can’t entirely put down changes to the individual 552 or 300. I’ll start with the 300 DR. With my speakers it has effortless control of my speakers (Totem Forest Signatures) across the full frequency range. The cliche “speakers doubling in size” and large sound stage apply, as does the low volume control.

With the 552, the lift in sound quality is quite dramatic. The level of detail retrieval is much higher, and I’m running the NDX2/555 PS), but yes - all that extra detail is revealed. It’s not analytical though, very natural and musical. Full of nuance and refinement that just draws you deep into the music. The music is just “there with you”, very life like. Quite delightful really. Combined with the 300 DR, the soundstage is both wide and deep, giving a breathing 3-D presentation.

Well, obviously I love it! No going back from here,

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Do I spy an ND555 sized elephant in the room? :joy:

G

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It would have to be a great pre-loved deal, and I’d need to be able to afford it. I guess the door is slightly ajar with having the 555 PS and I’ve eaten enough humble pie to rule things out verbatim.

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I sold my 555 to afford my 552 and NDX2 but hope to find a 555 Q1 next year again. Do you have any feedback with/without 555 on your NDX2? :slight_smile:

The NDX2 is better with either power supply: lower noise floor - more detail and openness/soundstage. What interconnect are you using?

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