A search shows otherwise.
Anyone can put ElMarko 252 into the search box
p.s. I never said you claimed 272 is better than 252. Cling on to it. You consistently rave about 272/555/250 as is your wont.
It’s a recurring theme
And you bought the 252 a very, very long time ago
Maybe you just don’t want to upgrade
Well just for you I’ll be sure to increase the frequency of my criticisms of that lackluster amp so that I indeed approach criticizing it at every possible opportunity.
The 252/SC2/250.2 combo has been known on the forums a while as being a turd combo
Good move. If it were me, I’d also skip the 252 and go for 552 if funds permit. Why settle for 2nd best when it’s so close to the best especially when one can afford it.
However, the experience of Simon in Suffolk also suggests that it may be wise to check on the speakers. In my view, Simon’s preference of the 252 to 552 in his system is very likely a case of speaker amp matching where bright / analytical / cold sounding speakers will often sound better with warmer, more restrained or laid back sounding amps, in this case 252. Perhaps ATC don’t match too well with 552?
Other ears…
As for the suggestion that a 552 may be a poor match for ATC, I get the impression from the ATC thread that that is not a consensus view. Others will doubtless have more informed comment than me.
ATC speakers, especially the Entry range are very good value for money speakers. They produce a sound, which I would expect to hear in a recording studio, when used as monitor speakers. This is after all, where ATC started out. However, i.e. PMC Twenty5 range produce a different sound. A sound that allows you to immerse yourself in the music. You do not feel like your listening to a ‘stunt’ speaker, the sound integrates better rather being pinpoint, like ATC. PMC seems, imho to be a better match to Naim electronics. I think it was Linn that came up with the observation about Linn Sondek’s, that they make you want to tap your foot to the music, rather than other turntables. Well, for me that is how I feel about PMC compared to ATC. As stated, ATC make some fantastic sounding speakers (Entry range), but for me, PMC Twenty5 let me boogie along with the music more. 
Might be but the 252/SC2DR/250.2 is one of the magical Naim combos that have been often mentioned over the years - one of the best out there in my experience. In hindsight I probably preferred that overall to my 552DR/2502.2 combo for its sheer musicality, transparency and ability to embrace all sources and mastering styles. The 552DR is far more fussy on sources, but get the right source and master and it can sing. For example the CDX2 into 252/SC2DR is heaven for may genres. Put the CDX2 into a 552 and it just gets a little too forward a lot of the time and even glarey for my tastes. (That is with and without a seperate PSU)
I do think the tastes fall into two halves. There is the forward bias of 282 and 552 - that a lot enjoy; and there is the 202 and 252 more euphoric and somewhat less forward in the upper mids - that many enjoy. Isn’t it great Naim have both of these evolution trees for you to choose to match preference.
If you really enjoy a 282 - I think you will gel more with a 552 when upgrading, if you found the 282 a little too forward for tastes and were fiddling with PSUs, cables etc to tame then the upgrade to the 252DR possibly might be your ideal upgrade and journey’s end.
The 202 with a DR preamp was significantly improved over the non DR - but I did find the 202 performance quite a bit below the other NACs mentioned here. - all in my experience of course - and I have owned all the devices mentioned.
I agree that is not something I recognise. The room acoustics and personal tastes are probably far more to do with it.
The 552 is a more forward sounding NAC and so more transparent speakers in the upper mids and a not so heavily damped room with the 552 might not gel that well.
I have heard some shocking 552 setups of owners with various speakers of many manufacturers - but the rooms being too bright acoustically or otherwise relatively reverberant. I have also heard some amazing 552 setups in very large and likely critically damped spaces.
And the end of the day ATC speakers tend to be rather transparent and neutral compared to many domestic hifi speakers that let the music do the boogying - rather than the colourations from the speaker!!- and if some electronics generally always sounded bad with ATC speakers - (which even the domestic hifi variants of ATC borrow from their professional recording monitor models) - I suspect that would say something rather negative about the electronics - but as I say I don’t believe that is the case wit the 552 and ATCs at all… there is nothing fundamentally faulty with the 552 design. It’s a great preamp and with revealing speakers like the ATCs in the right listening environment it can sound wonderful.
On a separate but connected matter - it is interesting how you can master to make a track sound like its boogey and timing better - and you can do so by adding frequency specific and frequency triggered compression with some time constants that match the music beat - this is what can be achieved in certain amps and speakers as well through (possibly deliberate or accidental distortion) . But I feel it is better to let the recording and master do this - rather than replay system try and overlay this through modifying the overall replay. An acid test is to use quality headphones… if the recording and master boogeys and times there - then it should on your replay system.
Is 252/200DR much weaker than 252/250DR? If yes, in which area?
Start with very different degrees of bass grip and go up from there?
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
Broken Record Syndrome…
Truth syndrome is more like it.
Well said 
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
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.
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
Indeed sir.