A: New 52 (trade-in the 82, keep the SuperCap).

Q: Who has done 82 -> 52 in a related system?
A 52 would take full advantage of the SuperCaps powerrails, and could be a good step to activate later.
Has anyone already heard rumors about a new top-preamp matching the 500 poweramp? I suppose with new design,
volume control done with resistor ladder, inputs with variable gain, ect. but 52++ quality...

B: 8 years old pair of 135 for 5000 SFR (= 2015.87 GBP, 2974.42 USD)
They come out of a six-pack upgrading customer going 500.

Q: who has done 250 -> 135 in a related system?
Would you recommend to send the monos to naim for servicing or can I use them for another 2-3 years before?
How much could the sevicing be?
The naim history states no upgrades for the 135 since release date 1984.
But from the 250 it's known that there were several "silent" upgrades in it's life cycle... what about the monos?
Would it be sacrilegious to stack the 135? (I'm running short in space - and will NOT start a new stand thread now ;-)

How much noise do the fans?!? Does "temperature controlled" mean, they stay idle in most of the cases?
When I listen loud for longer periods this goes max. to 10 o'clock on the volume knob.
Never had a sudden "heat-shut-down" with my former 180 or actual 250 (room size, neigbours, NACA5).

Following the "source first rules", the 52 was my road to go - but you don't get much good s/h options in switzerland.

Some of this questions may be discussed in recent threads but with different configurations. I hope you still have
something to tell me, because I will not be able to demo this as usual - the sudden pop-up of the monos has put me
in an yet unknown (upgrade) uncertainty.

I apprechiate your sonic experiences with great expectations!

Thanks a lot and wherever you are
ˇ

happy listening

Adrian

Derek Wright

This one is easy--get the 52. I disagree strongly with those who think the 82 sounds "broken"--it does not. The 52 improves on everything the 82 does by a little bit; the end result is that it sounds convincingly better. In your system the 52 is the best way to go.

Cheers,

Bob

quote:

---

Has anyone already heard rumors about a new top-preamp matching the 500 poweramp

---

Adrian, I'm in a very similar position to you (CDSII/82/Supercap/250/IBLs) so my next upgrade would probably be to a 52. About 5 or 6 months ago, possibly a little less, there was talk on the forum about a new 52 (to be known as the 52.5)that would incorporate new developments from the CDSII (something called 'transistor rooms' was mentioned by Naim).

When I asked Doug Graham about this recently he said there was no intention of bringing "anything new" out until the end of next year.

Allan

However, a passive 250 driving SBLs without the benefit of less than perfect room acoustics may strangle the performance of your high-grade electronics.

So the 52 will sound better only to the limit the 250 can take it to.

With SBLs which go right up against the wall, it is absolutely essential to maximise control over the drivers.

So where the massive 500 may not be an option, budget-wise, passive 135s are an excellent choice for the SBLs.

An even better choice in some respects is another 250 and s-naxo/ *cap. Supercapped, it is tremendous. Hicapped, very very good.

Also, I have known people to stack 135s but I would not do that. In my case they occupy the top 2 tiers of the mana 6 tier because the structural integrity of a rack diminishes the higher you go. This is the maximum compromise I'm willing to take on them. Others here are strongly against this and insist that the preamps should be at the top and the power at the bottom.

So this is my point of view, and I hope this helps

It is often said that source first is the priority otherwise you will show up deficiencies in your system. To a certain extent this is true and I found that the 52 has highlighted a lightness in the 180 & a lack of detail in the CD2. Mind you they were there with the 72 but masked them with its own signature.

But, and this is a big but, these weakness are minute compared to what the 52 does to the music. The music is now much more musical and not so much sounds. If you try to examine what is wrong with the system you can say "well, this could be improved by replacing the 180" but you are soon dragged back to the music. There are real musicians playing real instruments. All the glorious mistakes of live radio are revealed and all the triumphs. Even lousy music sounds good (well you can't improve Michael Ball) so that music you know you hate turn out to be quite pleasant.

My old 72/supercap was good, very good but with the 52 I can die happy if I never upgrade again. I can certainly wait another year for my CDSII to arrive.

Get that 52, today if possible

Tom
Enjoying it all

Going active with another 250/SNAXO is a nice possibility somewhere down the road. A 500 way out of budget.

A great read was also David Antonellis 52 jou rney at
http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/Preamplifier/product_6007.shtml

And yes, I did want to get that 52 today

but there is none in stock at our swiss distributor

I count on "the friendly people at naim" to send one out to me before going in the end of year holiday...?!?

happy listening

Adrian

Get a demo done.As to 135,s vs 250 well no contest really.Try a 4 pack of 135,s and try 2*250,s.In the end I went from an 82 to a 52 with a pair of 250,s in preference.This may not be your cup of tea so its worth while popping down to the dealer and arrange a demo of the possible options.Many have prefered the 4 pack 135,s and swear by them.Its a question of personal preference that only you can decide.If they,ve got a 500 check that out as well.

I,d go for the pre-amp upgrade first.Hope this helps.

festive hooch