Yes, I briefly had both when the 252 finally appeared.
I use the 252 AV input for the TV audio feed. Sounds really great ! The CD555 is a great option as well but youāll be wanting the 2nd 555PS with it so not recommended for nervous wallets !
Iād have to change the phonostage as well to MC as I have an MM which supports high output MC only, which is what I have. But an Ekos 2 is going to better than an upgraded Akito by Audio Origami. That was why I was thinking Radikal 1 and Urika used and Karousel as upgrades. And get a new cart. Get 52 and job done.
IMHO, it is very hard to beat a CDS2. I think that that is probably the least contentious view on this whole thread.
I also reckon that Karousel and Keel were worthwhile upgrades, rather like moving up from a Linto phono stage. I got a s/h SL, but for VFM today I would buy the DV and save a packet.
I also note that some can find s/h Keels, and that a Lingo 4 is a good deal cleaner than a Lingo 1 but a good deal cheaper than a Radikal.
I wouldnāt swap my 52 for a 252, in the same way that I never considered swapping 82 for a 282.
As others have said, 52 & 252 sound similar (how could they not when playing the same music), but there are differences, and the 52 has fractionally more pleasing/ forgivable apparent imperfections than a 252 to my old ears. As the Pink Fairies said: āDonāt forget to boogieā.
Of course, if someone gave me a 552, I wouldnāt be talking about pre-amp imperfections at all, but for what they actually costā¦
Iām very happy with my system as it is - assuming that Naim will eventually be able to service /fix my CDS IIās failed transport mechanism.
I donāt feel any need to change or upgrade anything, but some servicing and re-capping is long overdue.
I am not changing CDS2 by the way. I prefer it to CDS3 and will keep it as is.
The Rad1 appeals with Urika as I said before as it replaces two small boxes with one on the Fraim. Plus lots of advantages. Ekos 2 and new cart with those upgrades and possibly Karousel will take turntable to new level. If I do that then it will be a 52 and not 252 with Supercap DR as its too much funds.
I donāt see point of Lingo 4 when I can get used Radikal 1 for Ā£1600.
Maybe I get the turntable upgrades done in two hits:
Firstly: Radikal 1, MC cart and Urika Ā£4k
Secondly: Ekos 2 and Karousel. Ā£3k
If I am happy at stage 1 then I can leave it for a while.
Get 52, leave Supercap 2, and factor in services for both as Supercap 2 is 2012.
Thoughts please?
Or go Ekos 2 and Karousel first of all. Will be cheaper and could be fun!
If it were me Dan, on the TT in stages idea, Iād follow the Rearsby advice and do Karousel, Rad1 and (if possible) Ekos as my first splurge. Add Urika and MC cart later.
Given the numbers, your reasoning looks dead right - thatās a great Rad 1 price.
I would probably reverse stage 1 and stage 2, and would check you really like Urika for SQ before buying, but there is of course nothing wrong with doing things that way around.
I would vigorously agree that servicing the boxes should be allowed for in the budget unless already done. Note that a 52 with POTS7 upgrade is (if I understand correctly) almost identical to one with the still-available POTS8 upgrade. Paying up for that, or buying cheaply enough to allow for it, would be my suggestion.
Could you be persuaded to take a trip to a shop near Leicester where you could hear quite a few of these LP12 bits in a fair comparison, and talk to a chap (yes itās Peter S again) whose opinion is worth a lot more than mine?
Thanks @KJC. Very thoughtful as I get the advantages of new bearing, Rad 1 and Ekos 2 which will be big improvement. My Dynavector cart has plenty of life and my phonostage is excellent. Cost 4k. And with 52 budget 7k with possible service.
Agree Nick - Dan , go see that certain gent it will be worth it
Even though Iām in Australia I have met him when he visited and along with my dealer here they have both put me on the right track
I could definitely have a chat with Leicester dealer. I have dealt with before on phone and am a customer, albeit I live on South coast in Stone Cross near Eastbourne !
I would definitely keep the Kore but the Karousel is so much better than the Cirkus. It adds on to the definition of the Cirkus deck without losing the āold schoolā fun and musicality of the pre-Cirkus bearing. It also adds more weight and bass. Itās the biggest bang for the buck LP12 upgrade you can do and I would start there before anything else. That and the Rad2 absolutely transform the deck.
And the Rad1 can easily be upgraded to a Rad2 down the road.
Nice looking 52 just put up on PF , just under Ā£2500, serviced by Class A in 2018
Thatās what I am thinking. Get Rad 1 and upgrade later.
If you get a rad 1 then get the Karousel too no point in doing up if the foundation is outdated.
A certain dealer will see you ok just explain.
I hesitate in tossing this comment into the mix as there are plenty of posts suggesting this is considered to be a backward step, and just part of the analogue history of many on the forum. Certainly it is premature for me to take a firm position and I wouldnāt suggest you treat this as any sort of consideration in choosing between 52, 252 or any other preamp, but rather a point of interest if you do decide on a 52.
Iām currently listening to my new turntable via my 52ās internal the 523s MC boards. This was on my dealers suggestion. Not through me indicating any unhappiness with the other options I have right now, which are either a 52 aux powered Superline (I donāt have space for another SC) or Vertere Phono-1, but rather it just sprang up in a conversation as something he recommended I try. He considers this configuration to be a real strength of the 52. Also lot has changed in my turntable since I last used the internal boards, including having a very nice tonearm cable.
The phono boards are effectively newly serviced as I installed them briefly when the 52 was serviced this time last year. I put them back in yesterday and I have to say they are starting to sound very good. Itās too early to say whether they could usurp the other two options, but I have to say its not totally out of the question from what Iām hearing right now.
Thats very good advice and if I can get a 52 with phono boards I can use it without phonostage and just use the Radikal or currently Lingo 1.
Full support here as well. Feel fully with you. I can not even imagine how this might feel and crossed my fingers for you as you mentioned the scan in april.
As a pharmacist (working in a pharmaceutical company for chemotherapeutic products) I can tell that there is always hope and a way! Sorry for off topic - my heart tells me to write this down!
As for hifi. I would stay olive as long as you can. Tweaking lp12 for quality sessions and 52 for overall uplift would be my way. I introduced with nd555 the newer sound spectrum, which is really good, but I do not want to miss the 52@olive magic at all. So I am not so much tempted to go full 500 soon. It is a bit the same s with nait 2ā¦ when I listen to nait 2 in second system it is involving that I even dislike the big boxes when I switch.
You should give the 52 a chance which is 5he pinnacle of olive sound ā¦