Perhaps it's one of these no-brainers but here are the questions mulling around my brain.

present pre 202/Hi/napsc

CDX2/XPS>> Rega p3 /Rega FONO>> olive 250>>> Spendor s8e


The 282 if purchased will be new the 52/sc from the turn of the century (sc 1999, 52 2000).


My Concerns

1. the Fraim issue: I want the Rega atop the Fraim as I don't have room for a wall bracket, and as I have a HiLine I wont be able to use the standard dins. Would not using dins 2 and 3 have a huge effect? (I would not have the ability to drill a nice round hole in my fraim)
   
   
2. The compatibility issue: When I added the 202 to replace my 112x I ended up replacing everything else in the system except the speakers. Would the 282 be a better "fit" in my system as good as the 52 is or will the 52 just make everything before and after it sing even more sweetly?
   
   
3. The 282 I can home demo, the 52/sc will be bought blind. has anyone bought a 52 and wished they hadn't?
   
   
4. The asking price is c £3500; is this fair , reasonable, bizarre, excessive or a steal?

Thanks


SJB

I'd go for the 282 if I was you.

A six year old 52 might present more problems than benefits - eg the Hi-line issue.

In my opinion, the new-style kit is much better sounding and looking - model for model - than the olive-series stuff.

Enjoy your music,

Rob

I would say that £3500 was a little optomistically priced for a 6 year old 52/supercap. Its not outlandish but I would expect closer to 3k.

I would also expect a 52 supercap to outperform a 282/hi-cap comfortably, however I would still prefer the newer equipment. A 282 Supercap would be very close to a 52 Supercap, and would be a lot less hassle.

My 52 was serviced and upgraded (pots,supercap) four years ago. I bought it after the service and no regrets at all. I am not replacing it with a 252 or 552 even though I (and please excuse me for saying this ;=)) have the finances to do so. At times I have had amps at home for both upgrading and downgrading but nothing has come close to the 52/SC.

This is of course my very personal view on things and I admit having only listened to a 552 for a couple of hours (and not at home). Just so you know where I come from I am no longer looking for the perfect "hifi", been there done that. I just want to enjoy my music and I happen to prefer the old-school Naim presentation. And I cannot advice you which preamp is best in general or you in particular, I just know what I prefer.

That price do seem a bit high, but my 52 was older so its hard to compare.

I would pretend like 282 doesn't exist and would buy 52 blind.

I've had 82 and I am very dissapointed.

Oz

Listened to both at length and without ANY doubt the 52/super is leagues infront of the 282 in pure sonic terms, it has a totaly different presentation. But if your hankering is for style etc go for 282.
THe 52/super is still one of the best pre-amps around and for 3k represents a bargin. The 282 however I demoed was very dissapointing - bordering on benign in its presentation. Had none of the fun of an 82 or none of the finese of the 52
Phil

You see 52's going for £3k upwards, but most of these are early 90's, so I'd say the price reflects that it is one of the later ones with all the mods along the way and isn't due a service. Maybe you could get it down £150, but I wouldn't miss out for that difference personally.
I'm pretty sure that a 282 is 95% straight reboxed 82, and a 252 is 95% straight reboxed 52. The 52 is one of Naims greatest achievements. My 52 is all the pre-amp I'll ever need. In 6 months time, they'll both be secondhand anyway but the 52 will be in a different class. That's what I'd do anyway.

John

Another option would be to find a used Supercap2 for your 202, and then get a used 252 later. Of the 282 or 52, I'd get the 52.

Nigel

I missed your other point. I have three friends with 52's, and although I use input 3, two of my buddies use other inputs - just because they do. There might be very slight advantages to using input 3 (so they say) , but the effect of how thick your jumper is that your wearing is likely to make more difference in reality, or which way you have your legs crossed. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

quote:

has anyone bought a 52 and wished they hadn't?

Totally agree with Rasher.

One of the best upgrades I ever did (from 72), the 52/250 is a great combo. I recently compared my 52 with a 252 which does some things better - but the difference was not enough to tempt me.

I did the 52 v 282 comparison and found the 52 clearly better (it was a landmark product after all), so unless you want the new look that badly.........I bought my 52 & SC for under £3k but allowed more so that I could get them serviced by Naim.

You make a good point about changing the rest of the system - the 52 really likes a CDS2/3.

Steve.

love my 52....

I went from 82/2xHC to 52/SC 4 years ago and have not regretted it for a second. The best upgrade I ever made.

Sloop that was a great question. I really enjoy my 82-2Hcaps which presents the music in those great juicy guitar licks. I know the aspect is going to change when I switch to an Scap and eventually the 52/252. I've yet to hear a 52 but am sure it's really stunning and if it were my decision I'd get that 52 and not look back.

But I have time as not many 52s come up for sale in America.

glenn

52/SC imho.

Well just to show how keenly I listen to all you guys I've just said yes to the 52/sc.

It's someone from this parish who is selling it and has kindly agreed to a 3 week money back trial, which for s/h gear is as good as a home demo.


SJB

The 52/SC will make you smile !
Jay

Sloop
It may take you a full 3weeks to get used it.
When I went from 82(2xhi) to the 52 I was, sort of, underimpressed ! I missed the livlyness of the 82
BUT after a short while I finaly GOT what it was about and boy is it good.
It was explained to me at the time as the least "hifi" upgrade you can get but the largest "musical upgrade"
Enjoy
Phil

No Contest the 52 is in a different league to the 282.

The 52 has a separate board for each channel, unlike the 282 which uses the same board for both channels.

The 82/282 are basically scaled down versions of the 52/252 and definitely not their equals.

On my 52 there was some strange boards (NA528/1) on input 6 which I replaced with straight link boards. Skip any inputs that use those boards - they degrade.

Otherwise the 52/SC has been a perfect partner to my LP12 and a CDX2 - maybe not the ultimate in "hifi" but I dont care as long as it just keeps on playing the music like nothing else, anything from Stockhausen to Kylie. And you dont need any expensive outboard boxes to get good vinyl - just add BNC:s then plug and play!

It also likes a spiked light and rigid non-ferrous support (but it is not as sensitive to this as the CDX2). I've tried adding glass shelves on spikes under the 52 (as extra filter) but it sounded worse. The spiked glass shelves even measured badly with an accelerometer placed on top the 52 (measuring vertical vibrations only, 40hz-12khz).

Well as much as I wanted the 52/sc to work in my system ( and believe me I did - as I have sold my 202/Hi/napsc ) after 2 1/2 weeks I have to throw in the towel and admit the 52/sc is just not for me (in my current room with my current system).

How to explain this outcome is not easy. As things are warming up I noticed the excellent separation of the 52 and loved it for it, not everything was to my liking but it would come in time. And when it came it was fantastic, Rory's Photofinish, Pixies' Doolittle, PJ Harvey's Dry. But then the next cds Evan Dando's Baby I'm Bored, Blondie's Hits, Television's Marquee Moon didn't dazzle. So little did they dazzle that I found myself considering moving the speakers. Having often found a change in amplifier can necessitate a slight movement of speaker, I duly went along with this.
Similar Results The Fall Code Selfish scaring off the Halloween gangs but The Wailer's Burnin' doing everything but.

Yesterday listening to a dreadfully turgid "Harvest" I switched the Hiline back to the original interconnect. It actually took some of the dullness away from incidental/background drumming, which if I had to pick one characteristic that i couldn't live with this was it.

I found myself thinking would B&W 804's sound better, what about 2 135's and maybe there would be a cds3 going cheap.


Then I liberated my self from all this anxiety ( and believe me it was causing me to become a bit of an ogre) by admitting that the 52/sc didn't do it for ME. Luckily I have it on a 3 week demo from a good fellow of this parish, so I told him of the above and soon I am to be pre less.

This is not in any way a criticism of the 52 in general, indeed on some albums it sound better than anything has. But the overall system synergy was disrupted (Eddie's in the space time continuum again) and I am becoming a stronger and stronger believer in this synergy and the likelihood of finding it in the "recommended systems"


So the next thing for me is to go supplicant to my dealer and beg for an 282 to demo ( are you reading this Peter?).



Lessons Learnt:

nothing ventured nothing gained

trust your own ears

never sell your crop while they are still in the ground.



SJB