All,
Just replaced my 82/hicap with a 52/sc (ser no 130*** unmodded), to my surprise the 52 sounds "toppier" than the 82 when I would have epxected the reverse.

Is this a symptom of warm up or something more sinister? Balance of system is CDX/XPS/250/Rega Alya.

Thanks,
Kevin.

Give it time!

will it really improve so much, at the moment I am feeling that there musts be something amiss, I have re-checked all connections and tried another input on the 52 but it still sounds both grainy and "incomplete" if that makes sense where the 82 was fluid, smooth and complete.

Aaaarggh!!!

Asbie,

When I replaced my 82/Hicap with 252/Scap2 the sound was a lot smoother and sweeter. I would have expected something similar (maybe to a lesser degree) with your 52/Scap. How old was your 82 and how old is the 52 and has it been serviced? I ask this because when I had my 7yr old 250 serviced it came back sounding much sharper in the treble and took a while to settle down. Perhaps something similar could occur with a pre-amp, I don't know. I would suggest as Goldstar said, give it time to settle down. Check all system set-up thoroughly and then be patient. If no improvements within say 2 weeks then refer to dealer.

Peter

I would expect the 52 to be less forward, or bright sounding compared to the 82, but significantly more detailed. That was how they sounded when I bought mine in 2000/1.

I chose the 52 because of that. I sold it nearly two years ago ...

George

One further thought. I too used a CDX/XPS and fabulous tbough it is I wouldn't describe it as being the sweetest or smoothest player. I only really became aware of this when I changed to CDS3/XPS2. The 52 is a lot more revealing than your old 82 and it could be that it's just telling you more faithfully about the character of the CDX/XPS.

Peter

pjl,
I will give it a week or two but you may be right, perhaps the system was very well balanced as it was CDX/XPS/82/hc/250 and the 52/sc is now revealing flaws in the source hidden by the 82.

Thanks,
Kevin.

pjl is quite right that the 52 is rather revealing. In fact it is ruthlessly so [IMO] on any weakness in the sources, but with a well matched source, it then majors on the music not faulty recordings.

The natural partner was a CDS2, though a CDS3 is rather nice with it.

I had a CDS2 all through the time I had mine and tried a CDS3 for a few days. Very fine replay indeed like that.

George

Thanks to all for the input, I will report back on my decision once made,
Thanks,
Kevin.

A 52 should blow your socks off from the moment you plug it in and is far superier to the 82. I would suggest you contact your local dealer and I would imagine a service is required.

Gary

quote:

Originally posted by asbie:
Thanks to all for the input, I will report back on my decision once made,
Thanks,
Kevin.

Hi Kevin,

The 52 is a great pre but may have "opened the window" a bit on the CDX. I had one working OK with a 72 but my 52 made it sound how you describe.

Steve

Fathings Cat,
The 52 is clearly superior in terms of detail. timing etc. My issue is that at higher volumes it is making the CDX sound harsh and grainy in comparison with the 82. I don't think that there is anything fundamentally amiss with it, I think it is just revealing the forward nature of the CDX in comparison with e.g. a CDS2.
Thanks,
Kevin.

quote:

Originally posted by fathings cat:
A 52 should blow your socks off from the moment you plug it in and is far superier to the 82. I would suggest you contact your local dealer and I would imagine a service is required.

Gary

Seconded.

There is something that does not gel here.
The 52 should just show up the CDX as it is.

The CDX is not IME harsh sounding etc, it is just inferior in all aspects to the CDS 2. The CDX is a very good cdp but it´s not a CDS. Simple as that.

I read quite often about the CDX being harsh, forward etc, etc. It is not. If it is, then something else is a miss.
Believe me I´ve been there.


I often wonder if there is a belief that Naim deliberately produced the CDX in that matter?
Don´t believe so. Why should they?

And yes, I do have both a CDX and a CDS 2.


Look... What has changed in your system?

In my book Gary is spot on.

Gunnar

Gunnar,
I understand your viewpoint, do these symptoms sound like a 52/sc that needs a service?...

24 hours on and it sounds much better altho Brass instruments do not always sound totally natural (a little compressed) and vocals seem to have a slightly more sibilant delivery than the 82. Also the 52 is lighter in bass than the 82.

Only other observation is the illuminated Naim logo is dimmer on both the 52 and SC than my other kit but I think this is farily common and does not in itself indicate a problem?

It is good enough now to make me want to persevere with it, the detail and 3d soundstage creation are excellent
Thx,
Kevin.

Asbie

Glad to hear that things are improving. It's possible then that the 52 just needed time to warm up properly. I find that my 252 is lighter in the bass than my 82 was. I have experienced this effect many times when upgrading - as bass becomes tighter and more controlled it appears to be less heavy but actually has more detail,impact and tunefulness. The sibilant vocals may just be another symptom of not being thoroughly warmed up and settled in. Good luck.

Peter

You may find the 52 thread in FAQs interesting.

At 130*** your 52 has the penultimate Pots 7 set, which Naim do not recommend updating to the final revision Pots 8.

For power amps and power supplies Naim suggest a servicing window of 8-10 years. And you have already discovered with your 7-year old 250, a service can make a huge difference. For pre-amps the suggested servicing window is 10-12 years.

If both your 52 and SC are 130*** (11-12 years) and unserviced, then they do certainly lie within the suggested due time for servicing, and no doubt could benefit.

BUT hold your horses! Live with them for a bit longer yet to give them time to warm up and settle down - and your ears and 'sound memory' time to adjust to the new presentation with the 52.

And remember, if/when you do decide to have the 52/SC serviced, they will come back full of lovely new components which will need not just warming-up but also running-in to give of their best. Again, no need to be paranoid about the running-in process.

Happy listening,
James

quote:

Also the 52 is lighter in bass than the 82.

Give it about a week and the bass should fill in.

I don't know what kind of bass delivery you are expecting, but you'll never get a *baba-boom bass* from a 52. ( it's much more tuneful than that as it should )

quote:

Originally posted by JWM:
You may find the 52 thread in FAQs interesting.

At 130*** your 52 has the penultimate Pots 7 set, which Naim do not recommend updating to the final revision Pots 8.

I think Adam meant that they do not recommend the control board replacement which is different from a POTS 8 mod.

Kuma, I'm sure you're right. Though I was referring this comment:

quote: "Owners of 52 with pots earlier than Pots 7 (S/N 126147) could benefit from an upgrade to pots 8 - cost around £265"

James

quote:

Originally posted by asbie:
Gunnar,
I understand your viewpoint, do these symptoms sound like a 52/sc that needs a service?...

24 hours on and it sounds much better altho Brass instruments do not always sound totally natural (a little compressed) and vocals seem to have a slightly more sibilant delivery than the 82. Also the 52 is lighter in bass than the 82.

Only other observation is the illuminated Naim logo is dimmer on both the 52 and SC than my other kit but I think this is farily common and does not in itself indicate a problem?

It is good enough now to make me want to persevere with it, the detail and 3d soundstage creation are excellent
Thx,
Kevin.

Kevin.
The 52 should be a significant improvement in all areas from your 82 even cold out of the box, IME.
Why not just let it be as it is? Let it run for some time and evaluate it dayly.
Make some notes. Use a couple of choosen tracks every time.
Then you will know how much varm up really does.
I don´t think that there will be a significant improvement as it is a used unit with quite some years running. (But let´s I hope I´m wrong)

In the meanwhile keep the 82 a swap back after acouple of weeks and see where you stand.

/Gunnar