Too Impetuous? Not a bit!

Perhaps a dedicated turntable shelf to liberate rack space?

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It might be an option for the future, but I’m looking to move house a little later this year so don’t want to make any more fixings into the wall. I suspect I’ll have to drop the CD player onto the top of a Kallas cube as a temporary solution.
Once I’ve moved house I will have to address the elephant in the room; the rack itself. The Soundstyle has served me well (built like the proverbial tank and amazing vfm) but another support system could cater for the Arcam CD23 as well as for a Yamaha cassette deck and Mission tuner that I squirreled away a few years ago.

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Well, I’ve now had a bit of a swap around so here’s some Olive porn for the weekend;


(Left - Right, then Top - Bottom: NAC72, HiCap, NAC 52, Supercap, NAP250)
Once the ‘new’ bits have warmed up, and I can find some time, I’ll try a few A-B comparisons although I suspect they might not be needed.

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@Swanny - you’ll love it - auditioned or not.
I bought all of this without hearing first…


Well, part from the Focal Celestees!
No regrets
Enjoy

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Now THAT was impetuous!
Nice rack :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

Ohhh Poo!!
Reconnected the Arcam FMJ CD23 this morning. Unfortunately it’s now gone completely caddywampus and refuses to recognise any CD I insert. It’s a fairly elderly unit but I love the sound and don’t know what else I could change to, so I hope Arcam’s service department are as capable as Naim’s.
It never rains, but it pours eh?

Sorry to drag this old chestnut thread up again but now that I’ve had the NAC52/SCap in place for the last month, I just thought I would just tie off the loose ends (I’ll just pretend that somebody might be interested :laughing:).
I started the thread claiming that my system hadn’t changed much for years. What a load of rubbish! It seemed that way to me until realisation dawned while flicking through my invoices for the more recent changes;
January 2019 - Hana SL. A huge upgrade in every way from an Ortofon Rondo Red.
September 2019 - Radikal A added to LP12. Again a substantial step up from a Lingo 1.
August 2021 - Karousel added to LP12. Another huge leap forward in performance.
Because the improvements from each of these changes were so large, I think I had trouble seeing how a NAC52 could possibly provide an improvement of a similar magnitude.

I have lived happily with the NAC72 for 30 years now so it was never going to be easy to displace such a dear friend. The initial sound from the Nac52/Supercap came as something of a shock. To me it sounded ‘thicker’, softer, less agile with a reduction in dynamics and especially bass ‘slam’ in comparison with the 72. However it was clear from the outset that the 52 was allowing me to hear musical details that I’d never heard before.

For the first 2 weeks there were elements of the 72’s performance that I really missed. Naim amps are famous (infamous?) for their PRaT philosophy, and the 72 provides that in spades. I wasn’t getting it from the 52 at that stage.

I’ve now had the 52/SCap in place for just over a month. Permanently powered-up, I have now played close to 70 hours of vinyl through it. Its performance continues to improve and astonishes on a daily basis (or have my expectations been subverted? :face_with_raised_eyebrow:). The “new record collection” phenomenon is an overused cliche…but I’m going to have to use it because I can’t think of a better one. It’s clear to me now that the 52’s performance level is way above that of the 72. It’s definitely staying!
Both units had been serviced just before receipt, and I was advised that it might take up to 2 months for them to settle. How much more can there be in those grooves for heaven’s sake? :thinking: Can’t wait to find out!

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I loved my 52 which also replaced a 72. I am now waiting for James and Henry to deliver my 552 which was ordered in November (currently using a 282 with HiCap). I am sure I’ll be surprised when it goes in and I hope I’ll enjoy it as much as you’re enjoying your magnificent 52.

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When Peter at Cymbiosis fitted my Karousel last year, he tested my updated deck on his ‘reference’ active system in his main demo room, which at that time (IIRC) was the 552/Snaxo/250 x 3 into Kudos T808’s. Absolutely superb.
Look forward to reading your impressions once your new toy is installed.

I’ve promised myself not to be the type of guy who says - a nice pair of SL2 would really make your system sing.

So I won’t say it then.

.sjb

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The thought has occurred… :roll_eyes:
New stylus/cartridge will have to be next though!

IMHO the 52 is a huge step. I went from 82 to 52, both with super caps, and the 52 is so much more refined. I giant step forward. Interested to hear if a 552 is much better….
Of course, what we all should have is 135s. I have two pairs In different systems. A leap from a 250.

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I’d think the right answer is two pairs in one system. :wink:

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