Gents does the 282 balance dial have a recess which can keep it centered ? Looking for another excuse not to do 202 to 282 so please say NO !
Not sure what you mean by a recess?
It has a light which is straight up when centered
Like a notch which fixes the dial in a central position, in order to move it left or right you have to exert a little bit of effort
No, it’s best centred by ear.
@CalumF as @Richard.Dane suggested by ear, another excuse on the 282 - is it only comes in black 
sorry this won’t help 202 is lovely the 282 has just more of that music detail we are searching for, I had mine with HCDR and then SC
I’m curious who and what situations people would use the balance control. I don’t think I’ve ever used it on any of my amps, like ever.
Speaker positioning or hearing issues is where the balance control can help.
Mine is set to 11:30 for the latter reason.
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Some records have mastering issues that require a little balance adjustment. Sometimes when I use the mono switch I adjust balance a little.
There’s a 282 going on a well known auction website and I’m tempted but as I look over at the simplicity of the 202 in low light I know the illuminated balance control of the 282 is going to irritate me. When you move further up, 252 etc. then you expect more controls, god I wish they did a “202 Si”, 202 front/282 innards
You can always turn the display off…
If room position has the TV next to one speaker you might find you use it every day when switching from music to tv to keep dialogue coming from the screen.
It certain can be pretty useful. Especially in open plan rooms. I use it to compensate for the fact that when in the kitchen I’m way off to one side. As it is not an exact science, notches and counters don’t matter. Just like volume, turn it until it sounds about right.
The 282 is closer in price to the 252 than the 202. Its almost a ÂŁ5k pre amp. Remember this is a very high price point for a lot of brands so of course it comes fully featured (for Naim). I would also suggest that the 282 is much closer in performance to the 252 than the 202 also! The 282 is more than double the price of the 202. They are totally different amps and intended for different end users. Maybe you should just stick with the 202 and upgrade in different areas?
I used the 282 with 200 and HCDR very well matched for detail and musicality the 282 has a slightly forward pressence which I loved
then brought in a 300 non DR, again the 282 gave even more, added the SC to 282 took it another level
my journey is now complete now the 252 has joined the system but I found the 282 excellent with 200, 300 then 300DR
my sources LP12 and bare NDX
I even have one vinyl record (off-hand can’t recall which) that includes a list of all the equipment used in the recording and that the left channel should be increased by 1 or 2 db for precise correction of the recording process. So now who doesn’t need a balance control ? I (of course) make the correction when playing that one record (not).
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