Predictably enough everyone is saying used 552. It is no doubt the better preamp. However, the 252 was once the top preamp and you should not underestimate how good it is. I would try and have a dem and see if the improvement is worth the extra money. I believe a 252 and upgrading the LP12 will give you a better system. IMHO of course…
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Hi Stuart and thanks for your comments. My original intention was to buy a 252 but the thought was, by the time I had also bought a supercap to go with it, for the same money I could buy a used 552. There would be no extra money involved. Unless, of course, I bought the 252 and supercap used! Decisions, decisions.
Not sure what to do about the LP12 to be honest. It still has a Grace arm from the days of the magic trio of Linn / Grace / Supex. It would need a fair bit spending on it and although it’s probably sacrilege to say it here, but I’m not sure I can be bothered with Vinyl again. I might upgrade the cd player and explore the streaming route when I eventually get the basic system in place.
I think you’ll find you are not alone there… I found keeping on top of vinyl replay so as to sound it’s best kind of became an obsessive ritual… it got in the way of music in the end. I sold all my record replay equipment, but have kept onto my favourite records…
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I agree, I liked the sound of vinyl enough to stick with it in preference to CD but that was entirely down to having a nice LP12 that sounded good. I never enjoyed the ‘ritual’ of it, and was glad to move on and sell it to help fund a streamer purchase.
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Fair enough. What is true though is that both the 252 and 552 will need the very best sources. Anything less would be a bit of a waste. I would certainly sort out my front end before buying either of them. Exciting if expensive time ahead!
Stu
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