Yes, Olive arrived in '89 and Naim only changed to Nuvotem after the demise of H&F a few years later.
FWIW the CB 250 used a 400VA transformer until the arrival of the NAP135s in '84 when both used a 500VA uprated Tx.
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There are many threads that compare 82 and 52 of course, but FWIW…
I had olive 82,HC and 250 for years. Sources were and are NDX2+XPSDR, CDS2 and good-spec LP12. Speakers were Shahinian Compasses and then B&W804D3s.
Switching to 82 with 2 Hicaps and then to a Supercap were to my ear upgrades overall, but not amazing. Several others here disagree.
Switching to 52 was a bigger step.
The 82 has more obvious boogie than any of the other even vaguely modern Naim pre-amps. However, fine detail and clean bass and stereo separation and lyric intelligibility all improved with 52. I don’t think a 52 with POTS7 or POTS8 has less PRaT, but (if you enjoy the music) it is less likely to favour Zeppelin or Zappa at the expense of Haydn or Joni Mitchell - it all sounds better imho but not by the same amount.
After 52, I expected to complete my dream amplification with the 135s, but was advised to hear my 52 with 300DR too -and the latter won to my ears.
By contrast, I have compared 82 with 282 and 52 with 252 (though not in a full test). Even with DR power supplies on the 282/252, I preferred the olive kit and by enough I didn’t pursue a full test. Tje olives are not as quiet, but that’s about it for minuses. Some here disagree, but not I think that many.
I kept 82/HC/250 (serviced) and they are now doing great work in Tasmania. There they have ND5XS2 and Core as sources (though I may add an old nDAC at some stage) and Neat Xplorers.
Before we shipped, I got to swap those back into the big system. All 3 are screaming bargains on eBay, and very enjoyable, but the result is a bit less subtle and less well controlled than with 52. That is true whether that is with 250 or 300DR., though I also thought 82/300DR sounded less friendly and no cleaner than 82/250.
Other rooms, other ears, other musical preferences and thus other views are available.
I have yet to hear NCs, but they would need to be remarkable to make me buy.
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There’s bound to be considerable variation between individual pieces of this age, even after they’ve been serviced, so buying something like a 52 will always be a leap of faith unless you have the chance to demo properly.
I don’t see this as a huge problem. You buy it, you demo it at home for as long as you like, and you decide which one to sell.
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Good explanation (better than my brief rambling) and I can only concur, apart from the 300 being better than 135’s 
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Thanks Nick, very interesting to read your insights as somebody who has directly compared both… I certainly agree on the 82 having considerable ‘boogie’ even compared to most other amps in the line.
I have a few other things I want to do first (cartridge, new streamer, sub for movies) before a change of pre-amp but I’m certainly not ruling it out just yet! In the meantime I’m certainly enjoying the NC 300 series - a lot!
JonathanG
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Different ears…
Fwiw, I heard a 300 several times and was never convinced it was better for me than a serviced olive 250. Mind you I also thought the first OC 250 (non-DR) was less enjoyable. In any event, the DR stuff seemed to make a big difference to the 300 - a non-DR 300 would definitely not have stopped me getting the 135s that I had been quietly wanting for nearly 20 years.
In any event, 82 to 52 is a bigger step.
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I had a late model 82 for many years, and I ran it with firstly one Hi Cap then two Hi Caps through a pair of 135’s into a pair of B&W 802 Nautilus speakers
I thought the sound was superb, but had the opportunity of changing to a late, serviced 52 with a late Supercap so went for it
I’m so glad I did!
The sound is, to me anyway, much much improved in every respect and has much more scale, depth PRaT and I’m hearing much more than I ever did before
If you get a chance I would absolutely recommend the change
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I ran an 82/supercap. It was lots of fun. I had it partnered with the 300 amp which was also very nice. Just not as nice as 135s as my Harbeths were and are very demanding of power.
The 52 I had was partnered with 135s. I did replace it temporarily with 250dr which wasn’t to my taste as it didn’t grip the Harbeths anywhere near as well as the 135s. But if my memory serves me right the 52/SUPERCAP is faster, more coherent and just more fun. 52/135s is the real value imho.
I enjoyed digging up these photos. It’s crazy the amount of gear I’ve been through in the last ten years.
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While I haven’t started searching on here, we notice our olive 250 logo started flickering and has now gone dead! Hopefully there is a solution knowing the age of the product.
Martin
Could be the lightbar itself or the current limiting resistor has failed.
Regards
Neil.
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Thanks for your reply Neil, our son noticed the display was about 50% that of the SC above it, they always were exactly the same. Then it got dimmer and flickery, then went off.
Thanks
Martin
Sounds like it could have been the current limiting resistor getting higher in value before failing open.
Regards
Neil.
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Just finished setting up some new imported kit: a ‘95 72 and HC. I just had the HC serviced by Naim North America and, soon, the 72 will be off for a very special service by Mr. West. The fascia’s match perfectly and are actually closer to matching the 250 than appears in the pictures. The 250 is a circa ‘93 example. All three are in absolutely fantastic cosmetic condition. I laid up the 250 for a time while playing with a CB Nait 2. While it was very enjoyable, I really missed my 250. This 250 was also previously mated with my old 52/SC.
Currently driving ATC 19s, though I will switch out with my Tab 10s, for a face-off after the 72 is serviced, I can attest that the synergy between 72/HC/250 is Naim first class. The music is incredibly clear, crisp, tight, and has spades of rhythmic propulsion. Absolutely spellbinding. I echo others that the value proposition of the 72/HC is surely at the top of the Naim hierarchy heap of current possibilities.
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I have just received my Olive NAP250, serviced in 2021, but it took more than a month to be delivered and I am not sure whether previous owner actually listened to it and if it was plugged in prior to selling it. So my question is, how much does it take for NAP250 to fully warm up and sound optimal if it was off for more than a month presumably. Reason why I am asking is there was no dramatic difference in performance between my previous power amp, which was/is a Supernait2 in power amp mode.
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It used to be said that Naim amps would continue to improve for up to six weeks from new (or re-build), and I think that this is still the received wisdom. You must leave it switched on, of course, playing music - an FM tuner is ideal for this.
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Thanks Graham, my question was rather related to a unit that is frequently used, but was switched off for say a month or so.
Probably take several hours with the heating on to get most of the way there. But leaving on 24/7 does improve them a little bit more to my ears.
Phono stages generate very little heat and I’ve found they can take a couple of days to sound right.
Even cold it should sound engaging though, assuming you like the Naim sound.
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I turn my 135’s off after use now (as our leader @Richard.Dane), I reckon it takes 20-30 minutes to ‘come on song’, but that’s probably just me relaxing into the music then!
I agree that pre-amps take a lot longer though.
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As a matter of interest, why do you turn off the NAP135s? (Mine haven’t been switched off in years!)
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