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NAC 82?

Have a long ponder before you drop large on a 52, they are good but there are better ways to put a system together. Naim make really good gear but then so do many others. On reflection I think an 82, especially if you modify it via WH will probably be the sweet spot?
 
The 82, a blast from the past. I went from 102/180 to 82/180. That was then a huge step up. Looking back, and considering the price, even then, I think the 82 was a sweet spot in terms of vfm. Subsequent upgrades didn’t bring that immediate feel of such a step up until I got my hands on an Avondale Grad 1. If 52/Supercap prices have gone stratospheric in recent years then,again, the 82 is likely the olive sweet spot in terms of vfm.
 
The WH Superlink’d 82 comes close to a 52. The 52 is better, but not by much and certainly not reflective of the price difference!
 
Charlie_1 said:
Thanks Ken

The 102 was released 4 years after the 82 and 180, unless you mean 102/90.3 was a likely pairing as an upgrade over the entry level 92/90.3 pairing.
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Sorry, yes I got that the wrong way around. I meant what the 180 was partnered with before the 102 came out, which logically seems to be the 72. But someone who was selling (or buying) at that time would know better.
 
I always saw the 82 as the 250 'pair'. That left the 52 as the natural 'pair' for a set of 135's.

Later with the classic range that all seemed to change and now there is more of a crossover in the pairings. 282 with either the 200 or 250, and 252 with either the 250 or 300. Of course then comes the 552 crossover with the 300 or 500.
 
The natural olive hierarchy pairings were:

92/90.3
72/140
102/180
82/*Cap/250
52/Super/135s

I've had all of the above.
 
gustav_errata said:
Naim's numbering scheme is bewildering to me.
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Only the amps have some sort of hierarchy based on power output. Their number is their rated power into 4 ohms. So a 135 is 135W into 4R. A 250 is 2x125W into 4R. Not helped by the price list quoting their rated power into 8 ohms.

Historically the preamps went like this:
The 1st 2ch preamp was the 12
2nd 2ch pre-amp, the 22
3rd - 32, and so on.

Again, this wasn't helped by the 52 being so long in R&D, hence why the 62 and 72 beat it to the shelves.

When they went to the current range, they started again from 200, so it's something like the second incarnation of the 52 = 252.
 
I had the 82 after the 102 like some others here, eventually got a Supercap due to Naim Forum peer pressure (!), but tbh preferred the presentation using twin Hicaps.
 
I can believe that two Hicaps can sound better. In order to make that work, Naim had to wire two 0v connections to each of the 5 pin sockets in the 82. But they also did that inside the Supercap, which means there are two 0v connections between the SC and the 82. Not a star earth now is it?
 
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