And I say absolute rubbish
Iāll 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 
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 weāre all capable of using extreme descriptions to make a point. Iāve heard a 252DR several times both in a friends system and at a dealer and my personal view is that it doesnāt 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. Iām 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 wasnāt an easy decision but I donāt regret it. If I did go back to Naim Iād be tempted by a 252/SCDR/250.3 in a second system.
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Obviously preferring to be lulled off to sleep 
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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 Simonās 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 wouldnāt suggest warmer, I am not keen on overly warm sounds, though a slight prominence around 200 to 600 Hz does flatter many recordingsā¦ as many vinyl lovers also experience ā¦ 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 
. 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 Iām coming down on Simonās 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 wasnāt 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 wasnāt aware of home demos at that point and wasnāt offered one either.
I find the 552 to be a contradiction. Iāve heard it sound sublime yet it can also present as being too forward sometimes. Iām struggling with how to best phrase my next observation but think I can sum it up by saying while Iāve never heard the 252 sound as good as the 552 (at itās best) Iāve never heard the 252 sound as bad as the 552 (at itās worst). Iām happy to get a little less occasionally in order to be happy more often.
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Exactly - that chimes with me - hence why I used the term āoverallā in many of my descriptions. But I do think the environment/room and tastes plays a big part in this.
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Lol, youāre probably right, tho maybe tempted by the new 250.3 amp.
Iād be interested to hear how well the new 250 pairs with the 252 as compared to the 250DRā¦
No, I understood euphoric, but euphonic seemed more consistent with many experiences Iāve read of the 252. Not a criticism. Iāve been in and around this and the previous Naim forum for well over fifteen years and my overriding impression is that many have often had cause to question the 252ās sonic qualities. Rarely have I seen such feedback on the 552. Maybe DR tech has changed that a little. Of course, other peopleās ears are not our own. But a lot of why weāre here is to hear from others about their own listening experiences, so they do count for a lot.
ok - I had to look up euphonic - so I understand pleasing to the earā¦ so it fits with the 252, 552 and many others, but I was trying to describe the feeling I got when I listened to favourite pieces of music - which triggered an emotional reaction - which is I believe more about being euphoric.
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Less users less complains?
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As a long time Naim user, one would have thought youād be aware the problem likely wasnāt the 252, the problem would be the SC2 & then the 250.2 that was attached to it. All the 252 was doing was revealing what was attached to it.
When paired with a SCDR & DR amp, the 252 is excellent. As someone who moved up the Naim pre line, sonically I wouldnāt say the 282 & 252 are massively different sounding in how forward they are, when paired with DR gear. The 252 is just the more refined version & takes a bit of that harsh edge off that can be fatiguing on less then audiophile recordings (& a bit less coloured vs the 282). 252 will likely be end game Naim for me, no desire for the 552.
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The cost of a 552 is likely prohibitive for most, and looks poor value at the moment what with inflation, living/energy costs.
However, range change offers opportunity for others. On an auction site - mint condition, 4 year old 252 from dealer with warranty went for 3250 recently. Add in a used supercap and hifi nirvana for 6Kā¦.
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You may well be right, and Iām certainly of the view that the 250.2 is on the slow and lardy side. I swapped the 250.2 for a 300, which was much better, and then the 252 for a 552, which was probably the biggest transformation I heard in many years of Naim ownership. To me, the 552 is just so much better than the 252, and I still find it strange that some express a preference for the latter. I could throw any crappy recording at the 552 and it would still sound great, something I didnāt find with the 252. The 552 is just so musical, a wonderful preamp.
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If I can believe my not great ears and audio memory, the CB250 was great, but not an easy listen, so the olive 250 was (net) better. The next actual improvement for anyone who didnāt stretch to 135s didnāt arrive until the DRs came along imho.
āLardyā might be harsh, and I am with you in thinking a 252 can be beaten (I am not the only person here to stick with an old 52 in preference to a 252), but Iād guess that the 252+SC would have sounded a good deal more involving with 250DR or 300DR or 500 - and maybe with an olive 250 too.
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