Somewhat fortunately for me, gently used 552’s don’t show up very often in the States. But if one did, I know I’d have a listen, especially as I’ve got all the Fraim levels I need and it would be a “simple” 2 for 2 box swap. I’d sacrifice something else (like eating for 3 years . . . )
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As @Clive says it takes about 8 days to recover to near its best after being turned off.
The 552 for me has the ability to play my music as it must have sounded when recorded. It’s exciting and creates the best soundstage I’ve ever had.
I will have to listen to my music with the 252 when it goes back and see if I can live without it. What it has proved is that the rest of my system is delivering as well.
Phil
If you have a good source then it is usually the Pre that is the weak spot next in my experience.
Once you get to a very good source you need the Pre to deal with all the extra info it stuffs out or it can become a mess I’ve found.
The Pre seems to give the foundation and perspectives to everything playing.
It will be interesting if you can go back. 
DB.
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Thanks for your good advice DB. I will soon put the 252 back but I will enjoy a while longer the 552 sounding wonderful. I think even @Clive who visited on Monday though it sounded nice by 552DR standards. He also correctly predicted that a 552 needed 8 days to recover from a power down.
I am intrigued that you think a poor preamp with good sources can sound a mess. That is certainly what drove me to this demo. With the 552 in the system it has just got better and better.
So is there something wrong with my 252+Supercap DR? I found the SQ so variable that I was driven to try tweaks. If it continues that way should I consider having it checked by Naim as I do at least have a 1 year dealer guarantee on an ex Demo box. It has sounded good but in December it became a mess.
Could it be the Burndy? @Richard.Dane can I use the 552 Burndy and SNAIC? Generally the 252 sound became unexciting. It wasn’t hard or tiring just dull on some, ok on others and muddled on early Genesis and others.
Richard, for some reason all my notifications have got set to watching. I set them back to normal and have set my profile to that default.
Phil
Phil, no the NAC552 Burndy cannot be used on a NAC252. The SNAIC5 can though - a SNAIC is a SNAIC…
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@Richard.Dane What about notifications - see previous post. I seem to get them from lots of threads I just look at.
Phil
Phil, have you tried switching off in your profile preferences?
Yes. It is set to Normal. Phil
I also found Categories showed HiFi as watched which I have removed.
So you just get lot of little notification pop ups in the top right hand corner? You can disable notifications by going to notifications and then Live notifications and then disabling notifications.
Hi Richard the Live notification option to turn off is disabled. I got emails as well which was annoying. It maybe tge Categories thing unbeknown to me got set for HiFi Corner, but is now off.
Thanks anyway.
Phil
I’d not use ‘a mess’ but with digital sources especially the better Pre seems to handle the wider-bandwidth signal better with better HF and LF rendering IMO. It will to an extent be system dependent as with larger speakers that present more LF you do notice when that cleans-up, as it is not just a loss of bass but the harmonic distortion products seem to ping-up into the mid-band and you get a cleaner mid when all the bass presented is properly handled. Also digital can have a lot more HF energy in higher harmonics that also need to be handled by the next stage from the source putting them out - the Pre.
There is some filtering done in a good source but IMO not enough to properly condition the signal for sending further. Also many have noticed how a good Pre gives better bass-handling and that was so in my 252 to 552 demo and again but even more from 552 to S1 Pre demo.
But it is best to confirm for yourself and not be overly swayed by what I or others say, but just keep and open mind and listen.
I think music has a ‘window’ effect where if at certain points along the replay chain the signal clips the window edge you hear it and either it is done well or not so well. Systems tend to sound ‘happy’ when they contain well-matched components and an over zealous ‘source-first’ approach does not always give satisfaction. The opposite ‘speakers-first’ also spectacularly fails even worse and personally I feel the Pre and Power Amp make a huge difference in giving the system balance and stability.
DB.
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I’ve certainly experienced this. While I continued to hear improvements as I moved up the source ladder with my Supernait2, all the way to NDS (and I loved what the NDS brought), replacing the SN2 with a 252/250DR combo made a HUGE difference. Let’s just say that I didn’t know what I was missing with the trusty SN2.
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Interesting Bart,makes you wonder if the folks using an NDX2 into SN2 are really hearing all that the NDX has?
From my experience living with the SN2 for many years, and now not…the SN2 makes wonderful music but the 252 makes way more wonderful music. I’m sure it doesn’t do ALL that the NDX2 can provide.
The reason I mention this Bart,fellow member here (Spurrier Sucks) is thinking about switching from a 272/XPSDR/250DR to an NDX2/XPSDR/SN2,and I am trying to convince him that it is a sideways move.I have owned the combo he has now,and once owned the SN2/High cap DR,so I am familiar with both combo’s.
Sideways I can deal with but I don’t want to go backwards. I like the idea of having my source separate unlike with my current 272 and former Uniti 2.
It’s a tricky one. Clearly the NDX2 is quite a bit more capable streamer than the 272 … and ultimately more accomplished performance due to the new Naim learning on digital and noise management and low EM emissions… not to mention next gen streaming capability offering robust Tidal replay, Airplay, Chromecast, local UPnP media server, and Roon… However the 250DR is an accomplished power amp… and I suspect the preamps in both are pretty equal. It’s a shame SS can’t keep their 250DR and some how stretch to a 282 HiCapDR or higher…
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Getting back to the 552 I’m demoing, and perhaps @Darkebear can help again.
Yesterday (day 8) heralded a distinct ‘improvement’ in SQ, but in the afternoon I listened to Pink Floyd DSOTM. There were some very intense HF guitar notes intermittently which were almost painful. The volume control has been around 8 o’clock and in general 20-30 mins lower than the 252 which was lower than the 282. Later in the day after the Brexit votes the sound of tv and music was more mellow and not right. This morning some ear discomfort.
So the question is whether the 552 burn-in process can include abnormally intense HF response (obviously requires the music to contain sharpe HF notes in the first place).
Alternatively is this normal for DSOTM and the 252 was not good enough?
Finally a request for descriptions of the sound produced by the 552 at its worse during the burn in cycling. I do believe that in the last 4 days there have been variations in SQ, but yesterday may have been the biggest.
Feedback much appreciated. I think I need to let my ears recover a bit.
Phil
You can get some HF ‘zing’ when some items like 552 are not positioned on Fraim glass shelf correctly - usually they are placed too far into the middle of the glass and need to be moved closer to the front of the glass shelf. I’m here assuming you have it on Fraim.
As the resolution improves then you hear set-up issues. The items with internal suspended sub-chassis have solid hard external feel on the box to prevent coupled-oscillations with the external box mass and squishy-feel normally used and the internal sub-chassis decoupling self-resonant frequency.
The issue is that the Fraim suspends the glass on 3 feet and the rear of the shelf can flex and ‘zing’ against the box which with the rubber feet is prevented but with 552 is not - you need to carefully re-position and it goes; near the front of Fraim about 1mm from glass front - also check the glass is level with the wood of the fraim and symmetrical each side with the balls. The latter impact SQ but the glass position causes the ring.
The 552 and other items higher-up the range resolve more power into the harmonic structure of music and the rule ‘if it can ring it will’ applies with everything. Before that was not a problem but the extra clarity of resolution just means you need to chase-down the installation.
But it may be something else! Just make sure the above is not it as it is easy to fix and two other Forum friends had the same problem as me when I discovered it. I also had it with my then CD555 after I used DR supplies as it got brighter until I re-positioned on the glass.
Some boxes with the normal rubber feet can sound a bit better not at the glass front, but in general I have mine nearly aligned with the glass front.
Until you experience it you won’t believe it is important.
DB.
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Phil, I have never had the HF shrill signature you describe with my 552, even during the warm up process.
It could be a number of things and DB refers to the sensitivity of set up relating to positioning the 552 on the Fraim glass shelf. This reminds me that you have HiFi Racks with glass cups and balls added. The 552 could now, having really warmed up, be exposing the shortcomings of the HiFi Racks support compared to a proper full fat Fraim.
In addition it would be wrong to criticise the 552 on one album (and one master version of that album) alone. I have a CD copy of DSOTM and it is terrible. Not sure what version yours is, but try some other albums that sounded good previously with the 552.
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