Since the 252 is no longer offered from Naim the actual market value hhas dropt over the last weeks. Anyway this does not change the sq of the 252 only the price you have to pay for it.
Claus
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Hi @IanRobertM
That’s OK, I apologise for my passionate defence of the NAC 332 - it is very good indeed even without an external power supply. Then again, naim have always made excellent preamplifiers.
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Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t you run your 252 with a non DR supercap & 250.2? To be polite, that it a dud combo & you heard nothing remotely close to what a 252 is capable of. I get that your really happy with the new kit, but leaving out some important details has a rather large impact on your statement.
To the OP, only way to know for sure is to take a demo yourself. For eg. we have what appears to be an over zealous dealer on here that puts the 222 above all previous Naim pre’s, including up to the 252 (if you use his special magic he will only share if you purchase from him). I find it interesting that it now performs better then every piece of kit he can no longer sell. While we have another actual owner on here that says it’s just a bit better then the Atom HE. I’ve followed along all the NC threads & I don’t recall one previous owner swapping his 282 or 252 for the 222, so that seems to tell me something. As shown, opinions vary greatly, so the only way to know for sure is to hear it in your own listening space.
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Yes, I owned that combo but later demoed the DR kit when deciding what I wanted next. I passed on the DR versions and opted for the 272/555 which I found to be close at moderate listening levels and certainly not justifying the significant price difference. The OC has a different sound than the NC. I and others find the NC to be better. I will take the 222/555/250 all day every day over the OC separates. It’s just the way it is. If you prefer the OC then there’s lots of deals for you out there.
I added a 252/SC to my 272/555DR/300 system, relegating the 272 to streaming duties only.
The 252/SC was a massive improvement over the 272 pre amp to my ears. I just can’t fathom how a 272 would be preferred.
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252 is awesome but you do have to set it up right, not everyone will have the space etc to do it. i think the new classic series is way less fussy and just works
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It was preferred b/c it wasn’t that much better and the marginal cost was significant. I owned a 252 on a Fraim with a CDS2 then CDS3. It was okay. But nowhere near as good as the outlay it required.
you might wanna have a look at the cable dressing post thats currently going on, as a 252, 300 owner i can confirm some of this. (as bonkers as it sounds) i do think in your defence the new stuff is very much easier to set up to sound good
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There was nothing wrong with the burndies and cables and it was on a Fraim. There’s just some serious diminishing returns at that level with the OC. The value wasn’t there like with the olives and the 52. I’m not the first one to point this out. I’m just happy I decided to go with the 272/555 which is a steal at that price point. And Naim really surprised me with the 222, I wasn’t expecting a replacement for the 272 and I wasn’t expecting it to be this good. Partnered with the 555 it really is exceptional and I’m happy to move on from the OC.
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272 is really good but its nothing like a 252, i have owned both for an extended period of time.
When i purchased a nap300 it was so hard to set up right on a single fraim, i went two stacks which made a lot of sense at the level of my system with all separate psu’s. i think if you want to hear a 252/552 etc then this is how to do it but like i say not everyone can do this
Mate i bet you r 222 is awesome, especially with a 555 powering it (when i had a 272 i had the same psu, was really good) other than the setup, the only other issue with a 252 is the volume control. if im being honest i think the new stuff has addressed both issues.
My only experience with the 252 is with 250.2 and 250DR. Maybe it needs yet another box to sound good, seems crazy. I didn’t like the volume control on the 252 either but that was minor compared to the SQ for me. It matters not, It’s all in the rear view mirror now.
I had a 250.2 with my 252 at one point aswel, then a dr.
I think its why the designs etc have changed, 252 level and up is not plug and play really, doesnt need another box but it does need to be set up right
Did you have a look at the twin burndy? i know its quite a new option, dont know what the cost is but i bet that will be really good
I’m 3 weeks in with my 332/300.
it has had its ups and downs but It has significantly more weight, depth and verve than the 252/SCDR.
It’s also much quieter which was a bit alarming at first.
It was sounding fantastic with the LP12 last evening.
To be continued.
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I’m currently running the 1 into 2 legacy to NC burndy so I’m only using the digital side of the 555. I’m getting ready to order two more burndies, a separate analogue and digital for the 555 so that should take things up a bit.
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yea thats the one im talking about, should take it up a notch or two
Wow, why would anyone think it was.
We had a 272/XPSDR/250DR.
We wanted to upgrade. At a dealer demo 272/XPSDR was easily beaten by ND5XS2/282/HCDR and absolutely smashed by changing ND5XS2 for NDX2. (Changing 272 PSU for a 555PSDR closed gap slightly but separates blew 272 away).
NDX2 (no PSU) into 282/HCDR absolutely blew away a 272 with any PSU. Adding a PSU to NDX2 just widened the gap.
It’s why we ended up with a 252.
No wonder 272 to 222 sounds like a massive jump - it is! Next generation of naim knowledge on streaming boards (gen1 vs gen2) plus all the NC upgrades.
Comparing a 272 to anything new is quite silly.
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Just completed my second week with the NAC 332 in the system. Getting more frequent wow moments from unfamiliar music and equally good surprises from familiar recordings!
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To be clear, that’s not what I’m doing, it’s what you’re doing.
Where have I compared 272 to NC?
Please post references