That was exactly what thought about 72 vs 82 vs 52
2 Likes
Iām with Stuart. I thought that the LP-12 should be improvedāa lotābefore worrying about electronics, but thatās not what heās interested in doing.
Source first!
1 Like
I lived with 82 with one hicap then two hicaps with 250. Then got the 2 x 135s. Then Supercap 2. TBF this is the sweetspot. An 82 Supercap 2 x 135s.
Got the 52 and slightly better. Yes, very nice indeed. But I had a great 82.
And then came 500DR Wow! WOW! WOWW!
And then came 552DR! OMG!
So, rewind. Best buck for money 82 Supercap 2 x 135s. Done. Brilliant. You wonāt need anything else. Trust me. Done it all.
Donāt gwt me wrong, I have the money and got full 500DR system but an 82 Supercap 2 x 135s isnāt that far off and is better value on budget. Used it with NDS and 555PS and lovely LP12. Top notch system. NACA5 cables.
Now everything is top end Superlumina cables all round full loom.
52 is a fair bit better than 82 but on a budget I would say an 82 takes you close. And some prefer it.
The source thing comes in here with LP12. Best value tonearm is Ekos 2 used and a Dynavector XX2 cart. Whatever the latest cart version is. The tonearm and cart make massive difference.
I had an Ekos 2 with Dynavector XX2 Mk11. Now surpassed I believe. Lingo 1 very good. Get a nice MC phonostage and good to go!
Itās hitting sweet spot for funds.
Look, I have it all now and it sounds unreal. But do things gradually and speak to your dealer about LP12 upgrades.
If it was me I would go 2 x 135s over a 52. And have an 82 rather than 52 and 250.
7 Likes
Hey Dan. Hope you are well. Again wonderful insight. I am now looking at 82/Supercap/135. Hopefully in the next couple of months, I feel that I will probably be fine at the 82 and thatās that. But the 52 could be a possibility. The 82 could be all i need when used with the Supercap and 135s. Just on the hunt for them now, so not in a hurry and will get the best I can find. So excitedā¦.
4 Likes
I had the 82 Supercap 2 2 x 135s set up for about 4 years or more. Excellent value. Yeah 52 is nice also, depends on funds.
Have now had 500DR for over 2 years and 552DR coming up for 2 years.
For the money absolute best I had was 82 Supercap 2 2 x 135s.
If you can Rob get the 135s first. Should be cracking with your 72. I believe you can use a Supercap with 72 as well. It maybe overkill but will prepare you for 82 or 52.
I am a believer in getting what you really want. Have no regrets in life! System building has been my salvation with cancer journey! And the full 500DR system has been amazing.
But letās not get ahead of ourselves! The 135s and 82 Supercap would be an awesome purchase.
7 Likes
Iām not against upgrading my LP12 or any other part of the system for that matter. Itās not about which is the best thing to upgrade next which I appreciate is not necessarily the best way to do things. Itās more about what comes along at the right price at the right time. I recently bought a second Hicap ready for the purchase of an 82, but then a Supercap became available so purchased that as it left 2 options open regarding the amp section. I could purchase a used Linn Krane/Ittok etc and happy to do so if itās the right price/condition. I recently bid on a pair of 135ās but went for way more than I have, but, if Iād won them then they would have been at a good price and fit in with the end goal.
3 Likes
Iāve had them all. The 52 is pure music in a way that only the Nait 2 compares with. And yes, I believe the 52 is clearly better than the 82 to the point I would not bother going above 72 unless you go directly to the 52.
10 Likes
If you have an end goal in mind, then buying each item used when good deals come up makes perfect sense rather than fixating on the order.
6 Likes
I also fully agree with your view, but it is possible that other peopleās views may differ depending on their sensibilities and the context.
1 Like
For sure. In the grand scheme of things the 82 is a great preamp. Some people may prefer it based on how they hear things.
1 Like
People hear things differently I think. I had an 82/Hicap/2*135 amp for 25 years, I loved listening to music through it for that time. Slightly light-heartedly I bought my 82 an olive Supercap for its 25th birthday and it improved it quite a bit, same signature but more open. A year or so later I decided to get the 52, and unlike others here I found it a huge difference. For me it kept nearly all of the excitement of the 82 while adding tonal enrichment, more depth in all the ranges. I keep looking at upgrades through the levels to Statement and then realise I love the music though my current amps and donāt bother.
16 Likes
I found the same thing as Eoink above, I had 82 (POTS 8) / 2 hi Caps and NAP 250 all Olive, I then changed to Supercap and there was a noticeable improvement. I bit the bullet a few months ago and changed to a late POTS 8 52, the 52 has more of everything, detail and definition and a slightly wider and deeper soundstage, the 82 is more punchier in its presentation but for my system and in my room which is quite small (5.5m wide by 3.3m deep) I prefer the sound of the 52. But I know some on here prefer the 82 sound, so its not so clear cut it seems.
3 Likes
an alternative is to downsize - try an XS 2 and a really good CD player. I use the XS2 and a CD5XS.
I downsized from active 250s SBLs / LP12/archiv for about 15 years.
the MANA stand for the LP12 is a must.
1 Like
Vastly outperformed by Naim Fraim, when I have tried.
3 Likes
+1
1 Like
My Mana stand was a jaw-dropping improvementāso great, in fact, that I donāt mind it being ugly. I havenāt tried Fraim because there isnāt a dealer within hours of the DC area.
The first reviewer of the Mana stand said that the improvement in the sound of an LP-12 was so great that the people in the room just started laughing.
2 Likes
They handāt heard it on a Fraim, though! Beyond laughably good!
1 Like
A Fraim is on the cards at some point but have other priorities before I get around to that. Unless of course one comes up at a good price and I have the funds available.
1 Like
I went from the 82/SC to the 52/SC back in the 1990s. From the very first note, the 52 was in an entirely different league to the 82, even with the SC.
A friend of mine had an 82 and many times we put my 52 in and out or his system. The 52 has so much more pace, dynamics and pitch accuracy than the 82 even hints at.
He ended up getting a 52 as well.
We also tried replacing the 2x250 in his Tukan Active system with 1x250 and 2x135, and then 4x135.
In the active system the 135s had much better drive and headroom, but the difference was nowhere as large as the the 82-52 jump.
8 Likes