Hi
I’m looking to add a supercap DR to my Superline. Probably second hand. Reading on the forum I don’t think I really have seen any reservations on this move, part from considering the cost. So how happy are naim people with this move, any second thoughts or special aspects to consider?
You know the drill, convince me or make me doubt this move, as your experiences might differ!
Is the alternative powering it from your pre-amp Aux2 socket or from the Hicap DR listed?
If you can afford it, go for it!
I strongly preferred the SCDR over our serviced olive SC on the Superline, let alone feeding it from the pre amp Aux2 socket.
It’s really special with the SCDR.
Best regards, BF
I don’t think its likely that someone who has a Supercap powering a Superline will give a really honest answer. But… YMMV…
Confirmation Bias.
My answer was honest. We auditioned one in our system at home.
Confirmation bias? We didn’t buy one. How does the confirmation bias work in our case?
Best regards, BF
If you’re not happy you can always move the supercap to the 282 or upgrade to 252. It gives possibilities.
The Superline is on a HiCap DR at the moment.
True! My plan was to run two HiCap DR to the 282. But as you say, it gives the option to try it on the 282 as well. Or move from a 282 to 252….
Probably true in many ways, but one could also hope to hear if someone prefered to move the supercap dr to alternative duty in the system, or tought it to be in right place with the turntable as the source.
I can’t answer as directly and unequivocally as @Bluesfan but I think @Ardbeg10y is on the right track and my own experience is not entirely unconnected…
I had an olive Supercap (not SCDR) and 2 Hicaps and a Superline all briefly attached to my old 82. I got the Supercap because I was sure I’d get a 52 one day. To my deaf odd ears, the Supercap made only a modest difference to the 82 (others disagree), and the best phono option appeared to be using SC for SL and leaving 2 HCs on the 82.
However, I then got a 52. That needed the SC for power and I ‘only’ had one. I tried HC for the SL instead of the 52’s Aux 2 socket. As predicted by people on this site, the 52’s Aux 2 was considerably better at powering the SL, at least once I had sorted out the SL’s airplug.
The reason for mentioning all that is the cost of SCDR. A 282 looks to be worth close to £3K second hand, while a 252 costs under £6K. That means you could swap your 282 for a 252 for a net cost no larger than the cost of a SCDR.
Given that, it may be worth garnering opinions on how 252 and 282 compare. My understanding is that a 252 powers a SL just as well as my 52 does, and considerably better than a 282 (or HCDR) can.
If that is right, going down this route would markedly improve the power for your SL versus what you have today, and would also improve the pre-amp significantly (both for phono and for your NDX2).
If my maths and understanding of s/h costs is right, I would suggest exploring that option (by hearing 252 versus 282) before buying a SCDR.
Thanks! Yes this gives food for thought. Well explained. I guess much also comes down to what is available here in Sweden as well. Not to happy with buying and shipping stuff, but from a good dealer it might be ok.
Perhaps I missed an oppotunity as my dealer recently sold the demo 252 with a supercap DR. But I did not find the price quite right as the pair was older units and soon due for service. (Unless serviced, of course)
You are very right to keep an eye on costs, and to include service costs on anything more than very roughly 10 years old - those costs are large and rising.
There are good deals on 252s and SCDRs now, and the numbers may well increase now that some people will be going for the new models.
I personally like my old 52 (fed by a serviced olive Supercap) as much as a 252 - if the latter is a bit better it seems to be when it is driven by a SCDR rather than a SC, but even then I am not sure there is much of a difference.
Some have stuck with a 52 and paired it with SCDR, but others dislike that mix on purely visual grounds.
Can you hear a 252 versus a 282? It would be brave to buy without hearing, though I appreciate it may be tricky in Sweden. Mind you, there are 20+ Naim dealers in Sweden, some selling s/h or ex-dem kit and you can take along your own 282, so it is not impossible.
I went from powering a Superline directly off my 252 to adding a Supercap DR with a HiLine IC. That was a very significant upgrade and improved everything about the Superline. I’m really glad I did that to because I recently upgraded my cartridge to a Lyra Atlas Sl and it especially benefits from the improvements.
There is absolutely no downside to this move, other than the cost of SCDR and the two necessary cables you probably don’t have.
I have had now 2 superlines, powered by various different power supplies.
The last superline was new along with a new supercap dr. This is obviously the best way to run it, but being 100% honest, its not the best value for money way to have it.
Running it from a pre amp like a 252 / supercap dr, is the best performance per pound.
Whether or not it’s best value for money might depend on the level of TT/arm/cart you are using. If it’s a Rega P3 with a Rega cart then I might agree with you. I have a Clearaudio TT and arm with a top end Lyra. In my case, I think the expense of the SCDR is very well justified.
I don’t think you can express whether or not it’s good value or best performance per pound without considering the source driving it.
Go for it
I initially had the superline/hicapdr combination
It was pretty good
But to get the best out of the superline, of course the next step was to acquire the supercapDR which I did about 12 months ago
Forget the negative doubter comments posted
It’s the ultimate - you will not regret it 
I have an superline which I power from my 52, which to me sounds great. I would love to power it with a SCDR and would definitely try if I had the rack space. Unfortunately (or fortunately from my partners point of view) rack space is a hard constraint for me. I also have a Vertere Phono 1 which I got for a very nice second hand price, which I’ve been using for the last year or so and on balance is my preference over the SL (or at least how I’ve managed to configure it) powered by the 52, though it’s not a strong preference. I’ll be taking delivery of a Vertere MG1 in late April, so I’ll continue to run with the Phono 1 for a good while to keep the electronics stable. However I think I’ll have to give the superline another outing and maybe try the airplugs that people seem to rate.
Didn’t you already have a 252 when you got the SCDR?
That’s on my other vinyl system in another location 100kms south of Sydney
252/SCDR/250DR
This SCDR running the Superline with SN3/HICAPDR combo here in Sydney
Heavens help me if I have to live in one location down the line Nick 
Hello, Porphyr. You may have heard of TomTom Audio in St Albans, who specialise in fully serviced, second hand Naim equipment. (James Allney, the owner, is a class act, and he’s extremely helpful.)
Their site is showing three or four SuperCaps, with and without the DR upgrade.
In my experience, TomTom are not the cheapest, but their equipment is always ‘as fresh as it was when it left the Factory’, to quote their own website.
Highly recommended.