Upgrade advice 52 or 552 or Radikal 1 Urika upgrade to Lp12

Ok I did say maybe. I kick myself for not taking advantage of a Linn deal with half price on Kore and Karousel a few years ago when karousel came out

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Keep the Lingo 1 with removed mains filter,itĀ“s more fun to listen to than Lingo 4 and Radikal.
Remove the Cirkus and install Pre Cirkus bearing, much more fun to listen to than the Cirkus and Karousel in a Naim systemen my opinion.
Get an Ekos 2 arm a Prefix/SC.
Then Nac552/Nap 500 non DR.
Naim DBL.

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I think making LP12 upgrades are difficult. I like my turntable. It looks great with new lid, Kore upgrade and lovely plinth.

It is an individual decision. I am not sure I need Klimax level. In the same way I am content with NDS vs ND555 because of expense.

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Just update the main bearing and give it a service source first.
Karousel isnā€™t a klimax upgrade thing itā€™s the new basic bearing for the deck the previous ones are obsolete.
Itā€™s the best way to get everything from the Kore etc youā€™ve already done.

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I think the battle here is really to enjoy what we have and to not pick holes in things. Yes itā€™s not perfect but when it comes together it is really fantastic to listen to our favourite music. I get a lot of pleasure listening to solo piano most of the time and when it draws me in like at some of my favourite concerts do, then when it feels good then itā€™s doing its job and is money well spent.

You will not be disappointed by the 52 - there is real magic in it. When it is warmed up and settled in (a week or so) it sings so fine.
Will by a fine uplift. Promise :smiley:

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@Dan_M

Iā€™m with Skeptikal here Dan

52 and Karousel

Live with that for some time you will enjoy it and maybe donā€™t really need to go further , if you decide not to go to the Klimax level then the simple thing to do would be the Lingo 4 and leave it at that

Down the track think about the other improvements , it does get very pricey . Iā€™ve gone the whole hog on both my LP12ā€™s over the years and for me the substantial improvement comes with the Keel followed by phono and PS . Cartridge last

All a bit of fun

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Iā€™d say thatā€™s a solid plan Dan. I found the jump from 82 to 52 to be a big one. A musical improvement more than a HiFi one if that makes sense. The NDS will appreciate it every bit as much as your substantially improved LP12 will.

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I think with the 252 and SC being discontinued there might be an opportunity to get a new pair at a hefty discount, and then you are set up for good. Or a used 552 if one come sup at a good price.

Good luck with the health too.

The other question is how much time do you use the LP12 compared to the NDS? If you donā€™t use it as much then itā€™s not worth upgrading it, unless you plan to give it more time. Also how much quality vinyl do you have. This should also be used to gauge upgrades. For those where it is their primary source then they clearly spent their money there.

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Hi Dan, sorry to hear about your health issues, and I hope all goes well for you.
Canā€™t add anything on the linn upgrades as never been down that road, but i did go from a very late 82 to a very late 52 when i had my olive active system, and the 52 certainly opened things up nicely.

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I think that the NAC52 is one of the best things that Naim ever produced - I have one upstairs, over thirty years old now. I have read that it was replaced by the NAC252 because the NAC52 had to be virtually handbuilt, whereas the 252 could be largely built by clever robots. (Someone will correct me, if this id incorrect!)

If you find it difficult to locate a good one, have a word with the ever-helpful James Allney at TomTom Audio in St Albans - he has great contacts, and is a wizard at tracking down hard-to-find Naim equipment.

(Sorry to hear of your horrible diagnosis, Dan - all the more reason to have fun, though!)

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Graham - I think you have made this 252 robot claim before and @Richard.Dane responded that it wasnā€™t so.

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Hi Dan

We recently tried Armaggedon to Radikal and in the changeover something was lost. The Radikal enhances the top end and more detail but is lighter sounding in comparison. The Armageddon is has more punch and analog sounding. The Radikal is CD like (not a bad thing, but not analog sounding). If you like the sound balance of CDS2 and Naim in general the Aro and Armageddon is first class and would make a wonderful combination with the Naim 52.

Best wishes!

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Yes, itā€™s rubbish - both had boards part-populated by the ROBIN auto-insertion machines. The rest of the components were done by hand on both the 52 and 252, as was all the wiring etcā€¦

It was replaced as the NAC52 was from the Olive era and so for the Classic era Naim wanted to update and improve it - note that Naim were on a fairly steep learning curve during the NAC52 era, hence why it saw so much development - a late 52 is an appreciably better pre-amp than the first version. The NAC52 was so good though that Naim spent a long time working on and refining the NAC252 to the point where they could hand on heart say the 252 was the better pre-amp. This is why it was the last piece of the original Classic line-up to appear.

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Looks liked P/L prices are tumbling. A virtually brand new 552DR was recently sold for < Ā£11k.

And presumably this shift will cascade down to the Olive range too.

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I wish you the very best for the futureā€¦ :slightly_frowning_face:

But to ā€˜answerā€™ your question, having an 82 and a Supercap, to me, going for a pre-loved 52 is the obvious option. Should also get you the most extra ā€˜bangā€™ for your Ā£Ā£Ā£ā€™sā€¦!! (which is always nice)
The process of finding a good one, will add to the fun tooā€¦ :crazy_face:

After that, perhaps look at LP12 optionsā€¦?? The nr. Leicester place might be a good option, perhapsā€¦ :slightly_smiling_face:

Other than that, take care & enjoy your already great system.

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I would have though that the prices of pre-loved 552ā€™s might vary quite a bit - as the supply & demand will be limitedā€¦ ?

I would not read that across to all Naim productsā€¦ but YMMVā€¦ :expressionless:

Trying To Be Agreeable

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As usual- source first. so-52 is the way I will go. And if your bank manager supports it so-552

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Orā€¦ starting looking around (with the help of usual dealers, etc) for both of these (52 &/ 552 - and maybe 252) - and see what serendipity deliversā€¦

What fun could be hadā€¦ :crazy_face:

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