Naim Product update

The button labels have changed over the years, there never used to be one with hdd on it.

Having owned 202,282 and now 252 in my journey Naim have got it right, you could argue the DR up grades in the PSU’s up lifted the music with out the need to change a successful line up

And having gone through the range with different PSU’s it works right the way through

And for me 252/SC/300 is a absolute classic set up and is a real sweet spot in the range not sure if the ££££ to chance would deliver the musical upgrade, law of diminishing Returns

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I would love to see a new headphone amplifier from Naim in 2020.

It is no secret the headphones market has exploded in the past few years.

Perhaps there would be interest in a Super HeadLine headphone amplifier with balanced output options.

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Yes, i’d like to see this also. The current one isn’t my cup of tea.

You could and people do. But even that was nearly a decade ago.

Still, most of the improvements they could do are so incremental, it’s hard to justify a whole new range. A linear volume pot and synched balance do not a 382 make. At most, people’s wishlist amounts to a 282 mk2 etc.

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so how would you describe the difference between S1 and 552?

I have difficulty explaining things like this…but lets have a go. The timbre of notes is more natural, the shimmer of cymbals, plucking of a guitar string, notes on a piano. There is a much inkier blackness to musical passages, like the Mark Hollis solo album. It just sounds better all round…but to do this you have to pay an extra £30k…a lot of money. And to me the 552 and S1 are too close for the range below to be upgraded…unless there is an S2. Pure opinion and speculation on my part.

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Are you describing the improvements of S1 over 552? Well I’m sure S1 has more of those but unDRed 552/500 does that for me. Piano has become a revelation as the sheer power is revealed even at 8 o’clock on the volume.

I haven’t had to battle with Ethernet Mania though. The PowerLines and MusicWorks mains block has brought the PRAT together.

Phil

Hi Phil…yes i was trying to describe from a Naim demo the 552 vs S1. To me the S1 with active 500,s is a sweet spot…just as @Darkebear has in his system. The statement power amps are very clean sounding to my ears, the nap500 adds something special to my ears. Probably a technically bad thing , but i do not care.

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In context of my Active System the S1 Pre nicely balances the 3x 500 Amps with better weight and gravitas. The presentation is more just ‘there’ and stable - a far larger sound-stage top to bottom.
I feel the 552 is a nice balance with 500 Passive, but Active with 500 Amps, especially DR, you notice that more demand is put on the Pre. It took the home-demo - it was silly-better but you would hope at the price difference it would be. More detail and better grip on deep bass and keeping the whole musical mesh stable which I really like.
Makes the 552 seem like a bargain, but if going Active with 500 - and you can afford it - then the S1 is a lot better in all musical and HiFi terms. Both 552 and S1 Pre are nice products and get music into your room.

DB.

DB.

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Thanks DB…you put it much better than me, but you have a great system and more hours under your belt with these preamps.

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