Nac 552 or 252?

At greater than $20k usd turd is not a characteristic I would expect. I was so ready to love that setup. Biggest let down in my Naim journey. Like a jilted lover as they say. That experience is a big reason I won’t be jumping head first into the NSC range.

One of the few wrong turns by Naim. Part of the problem was the 52 was so good.

The DR updates transformed the 252 and 250.2

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Broken Record Syndrome…

Truth syndrome is more like it.

Well said :+1:

Well just to contribute here, I’m going to say that the 252 + Supercap (non DR) is a very good pre-amp. Had mine recently serviced in 2021 and it sounds great with the rest of the system of course

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Do we mean ‘euphonic’. Warmer sounding - like an early LP12?

We probably do mean euphonic. The 252 is certainly not euphoric. I made the mistake of buying a 252, Supercap 2 and 250.2 and it was dull as ditchwater. To me, neither euphoric nor euphonic. How anyone could prefer a 252 to the truly wonderful 552 is beyond me, but maybe some prefer to be lulled off to sleep.

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Nigel,
No one said (at least not me), that the 252 is preferred to a 552. It is undeniably better, but to say a 252+Supercap is as dull as ditch water is plain wrong IMHO. You are of course entitled to yours

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Indeed sir.

And I say absolute rubbish

I’ll take both: euphoric and euphonic.

Much as the 282 was a great pre and brought much pleasure, after awhile at times I found it too in yer face for me (ears, speakers, sources, room et :yawning_face: cetera), so I was and remain entranced by the 252/SCDR/300DR (the 300DR replaced 250DR: still wowed by it).

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Yes, I think we’re all capable of using extreme descriptions to make a point. I’ve heard a 252DR several times both in a friends system and at a dealer and my personal view is that it doesn’t bring the music to life in the way a 552 does. Every system and room is different of course, but that applies to every post on this forum. The 552 has never been bettered by a 252 in my own experience. Just MHO.

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Fair point and I have heard a 552 in a couple of systems years ago, but to come out with statements like

it was dull as ditchwater.

How anyone could prefer a 252 to the truly wonderful 552 is beyond me, but maybe some prefer to be lulled off to sleep.

Is absolute rubbish.

We should also keep in mind that at the time I bought my system (2004), the 552 was close to double in price of the 252+Supercap.

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Interesting thread. I’m also a former 552 owner.

I used mine with 300DR and ATC SCM 19s before moving onto Marten Duke 2 speakers. I found the ATCs a good match with Naim, but not so the Martens. I no longer have Naim amps but much prefer the Class A sound now in my system.

I concur with others here that the 552 is an amazing pre amp. Ultimately I found it to be too forward in presentation, very revealing on source material and fussy about setup.

Selling it wasn’t an easy decision but I don’t regret it. If I did go back to Naim I’d be tempted by a 252/SCDR/250.3 in a second system.

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Obviously preferring to be lulled off to sleep :rofl:

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Good to know. If there are other ATC owners who have compared the 252 to 552 and settled with the latter as the superior sounding pre, then perhaps that rules out the 552 being a poor match to the ATC, and other factors such as the room and personal taste or preference might have contributed to Simon’s personal experience on the 252 being a better match to the ATC than 552.

No, euphoric, the words mean excitement and happiness, good feeling; that is the feeling I got when listening to favourite pieces of music on the 252DR. (The DR adds the excitement that otherwise was subtly absent on the non DR)
I certainly wouldn’t suggest warmer, I am not keen on overly warm sounds, though a slight prominence around 200 to 600 Hz does flatter many recordings… as many vinyl lovers also experience … but yes perhaps more vibrant. Where as the 552 was more insightful and revealing. In my setup I would not describe the 552 as euphoric.

I have always found the 252 a lovely pre, both pre and post DR. Refuse to listen to a 552 as divorce would cost more than the amp :flushed:. I have never understood the mixed feedback in this place that the 252 gets which just goes to show how differently we all listen. I upgraded from an 82 2003/4 for reference.

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Of these quotes I’m coming down on Simon’s side.
I had a 282/250.2 and struggled to live with it as it was a little too forward and aggressive for my taste, but upgrading to 252 made me content. The later addition of a 300 made the system sing. Seventeen years now with a 252 and no urge to change the system sound-wise. The 252/250.2 combo was in no way a turd. The 282/250.2 wasn’t a turd either, just not quite to my tastes. I did at one point briefly have a 112/150 - now that WAS a turd. How I could audition that and bring it home still baffles me. In my defence though I bought it on the basis of what I heard at the dealers and wasn’t aware of home demos at that point and wasn’t offered one either.

I find the 552 to be a contradiction. I’ve heard it sound sublime yet it can also present as being too forward sometimes. I’m struggling with how to best phrase my next observation but think I can sum it up by saying while I’ve never heard the 252 sound as good as the 552 (at it’s best) I’ve never heard the 252 sound as bad as the 552 (at it’s worst). I’m happy to get a little less occasionally in order to be happy more often.

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