New 252, maybe the firmware

Thanks, where are you from for a late UK answer?

Qobuz land - time seems to disappear here!
UK, in my comfy chair, with headphones so I can listen late. (And now early)

Well not reallyā€¦ going back before the digital era line levels were often higher than we have today. The 252 and 552 from memory are fine upto 5 volts input if they need tooā€¦ they are designed to be wide range and generic with sensitivity starting at 75mV for flexibility ā€¦ part of the quality you pay for a Naim NAC. However Naim NACs are clearly optimum with Naim source output levels and impedance responses whether it be a ND555 or NAT01. I believe many Naim sources are at 2.1V RMS, which is approx 3 volts pk to pkā€¦ do not connect a Naim source to high gain input if used by a different manufacturer as damage might occur.

The 252 and 552 were designed when CD players were almost universal, so yes does assume you have a Naim CDP connected for ground earthingā€¦ otherwise you need to elect another device to be ground earthed instead for optimum performance.

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There is no real differenceā€¦ although you might find an ever so slight sonic presentation between source inputs.
I usually ensure the secondary NAC selection is another input to the one I am listening to unless I need them to be the same.

so the 252 is super clean. maybe a bit too much. I feel like Iā€™m in a studio. absolutely nailed on crisp. but Iā€™ve lost some magic that I had with 272/250.

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Stay with it. You will get used to hearing what you havenā€™t been able to hear.

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thanks, the 252 was too close to the supercap. I didnā€™t realise it was that sensitive. cooking on gas now!

252
NDX2
SC
250

also, my system is open plan with the kitchen. big fridge buzz.
any improvement available apart from turning the fridge off or moving it?

If itā€™s the fridge itself that is buzzing then first check that itā€™s all square on its feet and that any drip tray or pan is not the cause. Then try turning it off and leaving it switched off for a few minutes. Then turn it back on again. Sometimes this does the trick (Just, whatever you do, remember to turn it back on). If buzzing persists it could be down to the fan or the compressor - the fan may be a straightforward fix to replace, but the compressor is a job for the pros.

I was in exactly the same situation ā€¦
Went from 272/XPSdr/250dr to NDS/252/SCdr/250

The magic just vanishedā€¦so eventually the 252 had to vanish to ā€¦to restore order

Good luck with your journeyā€¦took me over a year to get to a situation where I was happy I had an improvement

thanks,
pulled the 272 out to compare. naked itā€™s not that far away from the 252. seems to have a bit more oomph and knee tapping. thinner in general but not always.
will be experimenting this weekend.
can you hook the supercap up to the 272?

the main ā€œdowngradeā€ is the dreamy 272 volume control. missed that.

The Supercap cannot work with a 272.

thanks, back to the drawing board.

if I can ask. what are your thoughts on the 252? blew the 282 away in the demo but not sure now.

The 252 is a good amplifier but I found it a bit unengaging so swapped to a 552, which is lovely.

I suspect a part of your problem is that you are using a bare NDX2 with a 252/Supercap. If you added a power supply to the NDX2 it would even up the system balance.

Itā€™s a lot of money and you need to decide whether you want to go that far. As you still have the 272 you could borrow an XPSDR or 555DR and try them on both the NDX2 and the 272. Clearly NDX2, PS, 252, SC is a better system than a 272/PS but it may be enough for your needs.

I have a 272/555DR and would not swap it for a NDX2/252.

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Wise words, thanks.
after listening to the 272 again itā€™s like going from 2d to 3d with the 252. just not sure which one I prefer.
you have to put new ears on.
power supply next up!

it has made me realise how good the 252 is though!

thanks Richard, tried a few tweaks but still persists. probably the cheapest upgrade on the Naim treeā€¦

should the supercap sit below the 250DR at the bottom of the fraim?
. I saw a big performance lift moving it away from the 252. so another step away?
252
ndx2
250
SC
Saturday job?

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Just to mention I did get slightly more balanced SQ by putting the SC on the bottom level, just below a 300 PSU. Read somewhere it might be because it caries the signal and earth and benefits from only getting RF interference from one side. In my case it also helped sorting out the cables.