NAC 82 vs NAC 52

[rontoolsie]

Both the 82 and the 52 were bought new less than a year apart, so were almost certainly of the same genre.

BTW I tried the 82 powered by the NAP180s preamp rail, with one Hicap, a Supercap with only one rail connected (like using it as a single pseudohicap) and finally with two Snaics in the conventional 82/SC way. The 82/180/NoCap was virtually unlistenable it was so shrill and tinny. I found that a goodly benefit of using a SC over a single Hicap was there with only one of the SC rails hooked up (via a single Snaic), so the Supercap trumps the hicap not only in the quantity of available rails, but the quality of each rail too. With this observation I could almost prove by induction that an 82/SC would better an 82/2xHicap. But in that system moving up the power supply path of the 82, there was a far larger leap between the 82/SC to the 52 than between any other PS options with the 82. The 52 really IS that much better.

dd your 82 happen to be quite a lot older than your 52 by any chance Ron?

 

[colasblue]

Interesting - I got the complete opposite

Then again my HC's and SC run on Kendeils.

As soon as I worked out that the primary reducer of quality on the HC's rails is actually the NADI display and disconnected it I found 2 HC's preferable to one SC on the 82.

I also tried HC vs SC single pair of rails on the phonostage and couldn't hear any difference at all. The SC now runs my snaxo where it is slightly better than a single HC.

 

[simonbrown]

And what is NADI ?

 

[dsg]

I had wanted a 52 for years before I eventually got one and it did not disappoint. I agree with all who say the 52 is more musical than the 82. I upgraded from an 82/SC, which was itself a very good preamp. The 52 seems to "disappear" in comparison; the first impression I had was of hearing more of everything, which makes the music easier to follow and more enjoyable. It's a very revealing preamp so you need a high quality source. Provided your source is up to scratch the 52 is easy to live with as it sounds good with every type of music.

Damian

 

[dave]

As soon as I worked out that the primary reducer of quality on the HC's rails is actually the NADI display and disconnected it I found 2 HC's preferable to one SC on the 82.

Colas and/or everyone,

Any speculation as to why a truly lesser supply like two HCs sound better than a SC in this instance?

Surely Naim R&D would have discovered this at least during 252 and 552 development and built in an option to disable/disconnect the preamp display if it made that much difference or would a disable with parasitic draw (and still negatively affecting performance) be the only option?

regards,

dave

 

[positive_energy]

Does this mean hicaps with faulty displays sound better?

 

[dave]

I'm confused...I assumed Colas meant the 82's display was disconnected. Maybe he meant the HC and SC display but I'd have thought they'd both respond with the same result (improvement or degradation.)

 

[Ewen1970]

Well when I took the phono boards out, the Missus who was ill in bed, complained that the bass was too loud......

I'm sure there's no direct correlation, but maybe it did improve things. We'll see over time.

Looks like you lot have differing views on the 82 vs 52 debate, so I guess I'll have to try to listen to a 52 for myself. Anyone fancy bringing theirs on a day trip to Coulsdon????

Thanks for all your thoughts!

Ewen

 

[Ewen1970]

By the way Lotus. A 52 has just gone for a £1320 on the bay, so your pricing is perhaps a bit out there!!

 

[dave]

I seriously doubt you'll have any trouble hearing the immediate superiority of a 52 over an 82. These two preamps are miles apart in sound quality so if an 82 sounds better, something is very wrong with the system.

I've always made it a policy to never make hifi purchase recommendations but this is one exception assuming a quality source and system setup is at its best.

 

[Ewen1970]

That's what I figured. Would be nice to hear it first hand though!

 

[dave]

That's what I figured. Would be nice to hear it first hand though!

By all means..no hifi should be purchased without first auditioning.

 

[Ewen1970]

That was a hint for a home demo....

 

[positive_energy]

What I have trouble getting my head round is why the addition of a second Hicap to the 82 is often reported to make so little difference... anyone know why?

 

[MVV]

What I have trouble getting my head round is why the addition of a second Hicap to the 82 is often reported to make so little difference... anyone know why?

Because it's all bollocks.

 

[Ewen1970]

Care to expand on "it's all bollocks"? I have to say the addition of a 2nd hicap had negligible effect on mine too..

The preamp, not my bollocks.

 

[deltaunit]

What does it power and how is it different to one hicap?