Evening all
I currently have an Olive Nap 250 , Nac 82 2x Hicap’s with Nac A5 & SBL Mk2 speakers.
My current source is ND5XS2, Naim DAC , XPS2 with dedicated mains supply.
I am happy with the sound , but I’m interested keeping in an eye out for an olive supercap.
Does this sound like a upgrade ? or should i look towards the source ,for a bigger overall detailed sound improvement?
What do you guys think?
Regards
Pieman
Yes, it’s a big upgrade. I did it myself many years ago. Go for it.
For an 82, upgrade from 1xHC to 2xHC is a big upgrade. 2xHC to SC is not on the same scale, but still worthwhile. (Been there, done that)
With SBLs you may wish to look at going active. (Been there, done that)
I did a single HC to a SC - huge upgrade. Also gets you ready for the 52 
Yeah, that was my plan….and probably still could/should be…or maybe a new lens for the camera. 
No if you are even thinking about a 52 just buy it - I can’t even remember what I paid for mine, it didn’t matter from the moment I heard it.
There’s a lot of threads discussing the 2xHC to Scap and what it brings, a search will give you plenty to read. I think fair to say that opinion is a bit divided on the degree of uplift or otherwise however I have never owned an 82 so hard for me to comment.
I have owned a 52, and a good one is a special thing. That would be my next step.
Budget permitting how about trying to track down some SL2s? Or 2 x 135 even. I think your source would not be shown up in those systems.
Bruce
When I was building my system (82/SC-SNAXO/SC-2x250/SBL) about 10-15 years ago the 52 was definitely the goal. At that time they were going for around £2K, but by the time I was ready to move they were up to £3K+. At which point I gave up and went back to buying L Series lenses for my other hobby.
C’est la vie!
Welcome, what you have is very good, has your kit been serviced recently, (last 10 years) a service will improve SQ.
The 250 & 82 have been serviced in the last three years, the two hicap’s are about 20 years old so are overdue.
I would be considering a non-DR 555PS for the NDAC as a real upgrade over the XPS. A Supercap probably makes sense too, given the age of your Hicaps. Your preference for 1 or 2 Hicaps or a Supercap is something you’ll have to assess for yourself, as you’ll never find a consensus here!
I have a PS555DR on my nDAC/ND5xs2 which feeds into my 72/HC/250.
I must say the PS555DR was such a magnificent musical upgrade - it sounds like every component in my system was upgraded to their optimum capability.
Hi, I would say best to stick with what you have now as it’s very much the sweet spot, or prepare the budget for 1-2 more upgrades incoming. 
I personally think it’s more worthwhile to take CD555 non-dr as priority as others have said, if you really an upgrade for now. But then you need a better preamp to really enjoy all the improvements it brings along.
And when you hear a 52/Supercap you know it’s the olive end game and why not jump to it earlier. But it also takes pair of 135 to let the 52 really shines – a 250 limits the performance of 52.
Hi
Thanks for all your comments.
I will have a think about the next upgrade, as a few ideas have been mentioned.
Regards
Pieman
As others have said a better power supply for your nDAC would be the best choice. A 555PSDR will really move things up a gear or two!
Then a Supercap.
Yes that’s the more coherent step!
It depends too what’s the future project.
If the project is to give more efficiency to the SBL it could be more interesting to get a SC.
Sell the HiCaps and invest the proceeds and necessary servicing monies in a Supercap: huge difference. Totally disagree with the naysayers.
82 is a very fun preamp. I paired it with the olive Supercap and thoroughly enjoyed it with nap 300. However, I’ve only recently heard the Naim SBL and I think I preferred the sound to the SL2. I say think as I didn’t do side by side comparison and I owned the SL2 about 6 years ago.
I would seriously be thinking about activating the SBL.
I have been through this myself, went from 102/HC to serviced Olive 82 with POTS 8 upgrade from Darren at Class A, with my HC which was a big improvement, soon added a second HC serviced by Darren again which for me gave a smaller improvement. Went to SC after a year or two, again recently serviced and this was a great improvement again for me, though this does then lead you onto the path for a 52 and more expense. I was going along happily for 2 years but then a very late Olive POTS 8 52 came up that had factory service in 2021 and I couldn’t resist the itch. It sounds different to an 82 and some people on here prefer the 82 which is more upfront and punchy where the 52 has more detail and soundstage but a refined sound. I personally prefer the 52, I play all types of music from Rock to Jazz, Funk, House, Soul, Classical etc and for me it covers it all well. The 52 cost me £2100 last year and I recovered some cost from selling the 82 and one of the HC’s, and I feel it was worth it.
I had been initially using a NAP 180 with the 102 but changed to a NAP 250 a little while after getting the 82, my speakers are NEAT Iota Alpha’s with Witch Hat Phantom cables. It all depends on you system and especially your room acoustics as to whether going to a 52 over the 82 is right for you but in answer to your initial question, going to a Supercap with your 82 is a positive move, but try and get one that is recently serviced or send it off to Darren at Class A.