pondering on whether to upgrade my Kudos S20A speakers OR whether better updating my beloved Nac252 to the new naim 332 box
read a lot of posts on it but was curious now 332 more mature, is it more of a sidewards upgrade over the 252, hence better off doing speakers (i am thinking Sonus faber Olympica Nova range as dealer dropped Kudos subject to demo of course)
end goal originally was having the 552 NAC as the front end but getting a used one of them feels like trying to find a unicorn at the minute
appreciate any views from folk that made the transition 252 to 332 now it is a better trodden path
I can’t comment on a 332 but I have previously described the 282, a very fine pre in itself, as visceral and the 252 as mature, but neither exclusively so. I upgraded from 282 to 252 but circumstances unforeseen very quickly meant I ended up with a 552, and as you acknowledge that is the end game. So if I were you I would hold out for a 552 at the appropriate juncture rather than commit to a 332. In the interim were you to stumble across a pair of 505s or even 606s your NAP300 would be very pleased!
The 332 is Naim’s first ever preamp to have a built in power supply, so a full answer to your question would depend on whether or not you intend to use it with the optional NPX300 power supply upgrade.
@mbj666 I can’t make a direct comparison, but I used the 332 without the NPX300 and then added it a few months later. The 332 was fine without the power supply but became significantly better when I added it. Some of the improvement may have also been due to changing interconnect from Naim to SarumT. Since I added the power supply at the same time as changing to SarumT, I can’t say for sure.
Why not audition some speakers first (with your existing amp) - that will help you decide. Speakers have the biggest effect on sound character, and if you find something significantly better to your ears than your current speakers then rhat to me would be the obvious thing to change.
You will get all sorts of advice and some may even have moved from 252 to the 332 pre. You will need to trial one at home, obvious I know.
The 252 will of course already have a SC, maybe SCDR, so it will take some effort for a bare 332 to beat that. Yes you can add the npx300, but also a cd555dr psu. I’d suggest if you want to take on the 252 this combo may beat it. I did discuss this change with my dealer and his view, FWIW, was to stay where I was, with my (serviced) 252 and SCDR.
My dealer sent me home with the Sarum T IC, and said “just try ‘em’, see what you think”. My mistake was not asking the price before I tried them. Needless to say, they made such a difference that I bought it. And ended up buying another one for the CD transport to the NDX2. Hard to believe a bit of fancy wire can make such a difference.
I went directly from a 252/SCDR to 332/300. With the NPX it is better. As far as without it, I tried it briefly and it was not close according to my ears. Take it with a grain of salt because I didn’t leave it bare long enough to even get it broken in.
What I would love to hear some time is the 332/555DR combo.
I can’t comment on a 252 nor your final destination of a 552, but I did come from a late 52/SC with a 300dr to 332 with via an N50. All fabulous, though I really do like the sound of the new electronics. I run my 332/NC250 without an NPX and I think they’re wonderful. It took a long while for them to the run in, to the point where I was close to moving them on.
The 332, in my view, is sonically superior to the 252. I am unsure if I would move from a 252 to a 332, as I think it is a very expensive change for a small increase in SQ. If you want a 552, I would hold out for one turning up.
Naim produced a list of Burndies and interconnects made to use Classic and New Classic boxes together, but that was after the release of the 200 series (which is in the forum FAQ) but I don’t think they updated it to include 300 series. Maybe @Richard.Dane should pester them for added info?
subject to demo of course)