Recent content by NickofWimbledon

It did take 1-3 weeks before I was sure the service had helped my 52, so the service issue may be relevant. I also agree that memory is fickle, and that a 52 is less obvious in some ways than other preamps, and it certainly doesn’t have the relentless and singleminded focus on boogie that an 82...

I upgraded to an 82 many years ago. More recently I switched from 82 to 52, keeping the 82 for a second system (still with a serviced olive 250). By comparison, we found the 82 to have decent detail and air and lots more foot-tapping boogie than a 72 or lesser pre-amps. That includes a good...

Seattle is a big place and there will be people near you who own good record cleaning machines. I use an Audiodesk Systeme (now a silly price but very good and works for decades). I don’t use it every week or even every month, and many owners probably do the same. Why not see if anyone...

Before doing anything really major, I would try Isoacoustic Gaias under your speakers. I and many others have found them to make a big difference in cleaning up bass, esp if the floor is wood.

The suspension is not trying to isolate the stylus from footfall or other in-room vibrations, if I understand correctly, but from the motor.

How many speakers can you bring yourself to hear? How much space is there around the speakers in your home and what sort of budget do you have in mind? Common suggestions may well include ATC and Neat (I am a big fan of iota Alphas and even more of Xplorers, which might suit you) - 2 excellent...

It took the 300DR to make it work for me, but I am glad that original 300 you got worked on your house and system. If it works, it works.

Well… 252 was pretty heavily reorganised inside as I understand it. Naim insisted it sounded better and not just different- some agree and some don’t. 282 is probably a tad less in-your-face than 82, but to me the difference in appeal is smaller. To me a52 with Pots7 or Pots8 upgrade is still...

That’s very good value for a rare-ish speaker!

The Dynavector P75 is very good indeed. The mk4 is not far off being as good as my Naim Superline, which costs vastly more. I believe the mk2 and mk3 are considerably less good- but still very good. However, I think the advice above is dead right in your situation - get a Rega Fono or equivalent...

Looking for something a few percent better (and probably more different than better) may not be worth the bother- you may well want a big change or none. I’d suggest hearing Spendor A4s, but also big-stand mounts from Harbeth. Neat iota Alphas might astonish you. They are tiny but don’t sound...

Fwiw, I used an occasionally-serviced olive 250 for over 20 years. I always expected to get 135s eventually - every time I heard them I wanted them. I was advised to try a non-matching 300DR (despite disliking the first 300 even more than the first Old Classic 250). The 300DR does not match my...

There are lots of speakers that don’t fit into the boom and fizz category on eBay right now for under £1K. Dynaudio Contour or Focus, Martin Logan SL3 -hybrid electrostatics, various Kef and Neats, but also some Naim Allae and SL2 (if you want something that will go against the wall). You could...

You probably need to pick with your ears, or be prepared to buy on eBay and sell again if you don’t like what you have. You might find Spendors sound just right to you, though certainly not quite BBC.

That all sounds right, and if it works it works. Mind you, if an LP12 has had a lot of use in the last decade, and still has its springs, you might notice it sounding miraculously different and better after a service. You might even find that the stylus is a bit less mint than you thought...