Hi Richard, while on the subject. Would you say the 552 is a “Super” 282, 252 or neither?
Thanks for weighing in @Richard.Dane much appreciated! I know if I go for the 552 and like it I would keep it forever as it must be a marvellous preamp and a crown jewel for any Naim Fan which I certainly am. My only concern is whether the character of 552 will further ‘overanalyze’ the sound like the 282 has, or will it bring back the musical excitement and emotion with added detail and prat - traits often associated with olive series epitomized in 52?
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I guess you could say that the NAC552 was really a sort of “super 52”. A great deal was learned during the NAC52s lifespan, hence why it changed so much, and while the late NAC52 was obviously an improvement over the original first release, certain discoveries required a more extensive re-design and meant that a whole new model was needed at a higher level (and commensurate higher cost).
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Well, my musical tastes don’t extend any heavier than Led Zeppelin so I am probably poorly qualified to comment on your needs. The auditions I undertook using an LP12 and my phono amp demonstrated to me that the xv1t was by far the best sounding dv cart on my record player. Not sure why it would fall away with metal.
I think you have a real itch for a 52 and one that deserves a proper scratch! They were great in their day and if you can locate one which has been recently serviced by Naim, then why not give it a listen. Really no point in also auditioning a 552 if the 52 sounds great and fits your budget much better. Go for it - presumably you are not committed to buying blind. Let us know how you get on.
Peter
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I’ve never felt the 552 to be overly analytical. Always exciting and expressive, but as ever the source will be key here. One interesting thing though is that the NAC552 can also be surprisingly forgiving of the source - more so than the 52 or 252. Take a CD player like the CD3 - hugely exciting on the right music, but not terribly refined. You’d think that slight rough edge would be exacerbated by a revealing pre-amp such as the NAC552. But it doesn’t work out that way. The 552 just shows off the player’s strength (which is what I guess you’d call PRAT) and allows you to forgive the player’s weaknesses.
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Thanks!
Richard yes, a friend of mine has a CD555/552/250 and for occasional vinyl use has a Michell Techno deck and it’s surprisingly excellent. Have to say that I’m slightly surprised the OP found the 282 over analytical, I thought the 282 just completely opened the door on the music, compared with the 202.
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I prefer the 52 to the 82/Supercap.
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Well, even till today Naim never say a word about new products until the day the press release is out 
You just don’t develop a bad a** 500 amp in OC casing and think 52 is what will be sold with it. The roadmap includes 552 when 500 was initiated that is my firm belief 
And I will assume it takes more than 2 years developing a 552.
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@Richard.Dane that is actually very reassuring - I was afraid its way more unforgiving than 52 or 252. That along what you wrote in reply to @quad57 question, that 552 shared 52’s turbocharged genome’ makes me lean more toward getting a 552, as if I understand correctly, I will not lose much what 52 has to offer if I just skip it and go straight for 552
@LindsayM oh it absolutely opened the window on music, but that manifested more in the detail and organization of instruments etc, rather than more expressive, lifelike presentation. Also the soundstage is narrower and lower than with 202, which I also found strange. I was expecting more of everything especially with the 500 in the system
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Peter, I think that it boils down to my general preference in sound. I would certainly rank the XV1s and T as top Dynavectors of contemporary line. But I had XX2 and then XV!s and demoed XV1t and they are all very similar in sound signature. Id call them modern sounding carts. You could compare them to Lyras, high Clearaudio models and they all have a similar genotype. Obsessively accurate but not very lively.
On the other hand throughout 25 years of swapping carts I have never encountered another cart which sounded so fast, colourful and vigorous as Karat23R. It probably has to do with the ultra short ruby machined cantilever, different building principles than most of its contemporaries etc, BUT it DOES sound very different from any cart I heard. Theres been some amazing designs which remain classic and exceptionally well designed carts like the said Dynavector Karat family (also 19A and 17 D but 23Ruby has most life to it imho) or Supex 900, which obviously shares a lot of DNA with Koetsus. Such carts stood the test of time and applied in modern systems never fail to sound exciting and with superb musicality. the XV1s and t, as much as I wanted to love them as I dreamt of having one for ages as a fan of the DV brand didnt sound as exciting, and strangely so, since its a perfect match with SME V arm and a state of the art cartridge very honed if audiophile circles.
When I had a 552, albeit with a 300 rather than 500, I found that I could throw anything at it and it would sound great. It just lets you get to the heart of the music, in a way that the 252 that preceded it didn’t come close to. If people feel the need to only listen to well recorded stuff then that’s their issue, rather than anything to do with the amplifier. It’s the old playing music to show off the hifi rather than using the hifi to listen to music. If I were in your shoes, given that you have a 500, I wouldn’t think twice about whether to get a 52 or a 552. Why would you settle for second best just to experience what it’s like? You might get run over by a bus tomorrow, life’s too short to fanny about.
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As you somewhat say Richard, the 552 certainly helps some sources out in sound, but then saying it’s a revealing pre amp certainly contradicts that statement, as if it was a revealing pre amp it would just show every source that you connect to it what that source really sounds like. But as you say it doesn’t really do that.
Its a good pre amp up to a certain level, and then as you say, the way it works can start to get in the way.
Dunc, I’m not great at putting these things into into words, so my apologies. It is a revealing pre-amp is that it allows you to feel the music better than the lesser pre-amps in the range, but it avoids the trap that so many highly revealing high end electronics fall into of becoming too cerebral and losing the feeling of the music. I’ve come across far too much high end kit that does just that, and it just leaves you cold. Is it the most revealing pre-amp out there? No, it isn’t, and comparison against the Statement S1 pre-amp shows this to be the case, but it’s lovely and enjoyable all the same.
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Oh no it should not have sounded like that, in fact the very opposite!
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That is a post that gets to the heart of the matter for me, and not just about the 552 either. Emotional engagement over technical prowess.
Bruce
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Yes, spot on. We can debate stuff that the 52 or 252 might do better and never come to a conclusion, but fact is the 552 is a very considerable step up on the 252. Go for it!
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Further to the above, proof, when I went for a 252 I can recall both Nigels (@HungryHalibut and @Polarbear) telling me “Lindsay, you know a 552 is what you “really really want”” (not quite they said but to the very much same effect!), and although as I’ve said it was unforeseen circumstances that led to the early 552 switch, they were both absolutely spot on.
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