Kevin , I swapped an 82 with two hi caps to a 52/supercap and was staggered at how much better it was , and this was straight from the box . Yes it was lighter in the bass and the treble is far more revealing but it should be better . Mine were also in the 13000's , I would suggest a thorough check of system set up might be in order . The 52 is definately more revealing and may just be showing some issues else where . It is worth sticking with as the 52 is a fabulous pre amp and there are few better at getting to the heart of the music .

Steve

quote:

How long for 52 to warm up?

I waited about five years, then gave up and bought a 252

As I start to appreciate the 52/sc I am now thinking that the 52 is showing how forward the Alyas are in their presentation (in combination with the CDX which is known to be slightly toppier than the CDS2). I am now planning to borrow some other speakers from my local dealer for evaluation, he recommends that I try Neat Dimension 4s.

I would appreciate any recommnendation for speakers that are less toppy than the Alyas, in terms of presentation and character, to give you all a clue I really like SBLs (don't we all!)

Thanks,
Kevin.

Sorry, that should be Neat Momentum 4s....

quote:

Originally posted by Rockingdoc:

quote:

How long for 52 to warm up?

I waited about five years, then gave up and bought a 252

Respect.

I find it hard to wait five minutes, if things are not right.

Steve

quote:

to give you all a clue I really like SBLs

What you need are SL2's...problem solved.

Bob

All,
One week on and herewith my observations...

I absolutely love the 52, no question it does almost everything better than the 82 with one exception...

...I play bass guitar and therefore have a well developed ear for the lower registers. I have noticed that on certain recordings, most noticeably on Pat Metheny's "Bright Size Life" which has the late Jaco Pastorius on bass, the bass seems to lack a warmth and presence in the mid frequencies around the 300-450 hz range to the extent that it appears to be lower in the mix than it actually is. I have also noticed a lack of presence on other tracks such as Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" where Chuck Rainey's excellent playing is not as prominent as with the 82, again in the mid frequencies.

So - Is this a feature of the 52 I should learn to love or should I get it in for a service?

Thanks to all,
Kevin.

Kevin, as your 52/SC is now in the service window age wise, I would suggest that you have it serviced as soon as it is within yout budget to do so.

As I know from having my 82 done this time last year, servicing restores honeymoon fresh performance!

James

Hi Kevin,

I had my 52/SC serviced earlier this year after owning them for a couple of months. Both units were about 10/11 years old and I initally found the presentation as you've described. The cost was about £760 for the service/ pots upgrade etc of both units, but IMO it was fantastic value for money. What a difference a visit to Naim made. Sounds bloody marvelous now and I would'nt consider swapping it until I either upgrade the cdp to (CDS3) or power amp to (300). IMO I would suggest considering a service prior to changing speakers.

kindest regards
Harry

Harry,
Sorry to be thick but did your 52 sound like mine pre-service and is that what led you to getting the service done? or did it sound like mine immediately post-service and has now bedded in?

Just trying to get some confidence before I shell out on the service ;-)

Thanks,
Kevin.

Hi Kevin

The 52/SC sounded as you discribed pre service. Afterwords it took 2 - 3 weeks till i stopped noticing things and just listened to the music. As I said earlier it was IMO a big improvement.

kindest regards Harry

Wait till you have had it for over a month(6 weeks) it will blow your socks off