Naim Supercap
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Rafal135135
pfm Member
I went from single hicap to 2 hicaps and nonDR supercap, than I fitted Avondale TPR4 in to a single hicap. To my ears Avondaled hicap is better than nonDR supercap, every step was making my system sound a bit bigger and I could play louder without strain.
colasblue
pfm Member
Going from 2 to 4 rails on the 82 is a decent upgrade whichever way you do it, but the most bang for your buck comes with the dual Teddycap IMHO. If you can get a used one you can pretty much recover the full cost by selling your single HC.
An equally good option (but in a much bigger box) is an Avondale APX4 if you can get one, but they come up very rarely indeed.
Both options sound about the same and in my view can't be improved on without modding the 82 to accept more rails.
I'd suggest to you that the older Naim PSU's based on 317 regulators are a bit "over the hill" and really can't compete at all easily with later offerings from Naim and the various third parties in the market.
Having tried it myself I don't agree that a single TPR4 HC betters any of the 4 rail options, but it is nevertheless a very good upgrade to a HC. I have one of them powering my phonostage.
Another good upgrade if you're using the internal phono boards is to switch to an externally powered phonostage and replace the internal boards with link boards.
An equally good option (but in a much bigger box) is an Avondale APX4 if you can get one, but they come up very rarely indeed.
Both options sound about the same and in my view can't be improved on without modding the 82 to accept more rails.
I'd suggest to you that the older Naim PSU's based on 317 regulators are a bit "over the hill" and really can't compete at all easily with later offerings from Naim and the various third parties in the market.
Having tried it myself I don't agree that a single TPR4 HC betters any of the 4 rail options, but it is nevertheless a very good upgrade to a HC. I have one of them powering my phonostage.
Another good upgrade if you're using the internal phono boards is to switch to an externally powered phonostage and replace the internal boards with link boards.
Gervais Cote
Predator
Good to know when you want good music without breaking the bank. Thanks for the info.
Tim Jones
pfm Member
The effect on an 82 is to exert more of a grip on the music. It will give a little more perceived bandwidth, but the main improvement is to curb the occasional "shoutiness" of the 82, plus getting into position for a 52.
I thought it was worthwhile, despite the irritatingly high s/h prices of Supercaps. Did you buy the one in the classifieds here? All this has got me thinking that I might do it again
I thought it was worthwhile, despite the irritatingly high s/h prices of Supercaps. Did you buy the one in the classifieds here? All this has got me thinking that I might do it again
NickofWimbledon
pfm Member
Non-consensus, but to my ears adding a second HC was only a small upgrade, and the step to SC was similarly modest.
However. The SC permitted me to grab a 52 without PS from eBay to replace the 82 completely - now that really is an upgrade.
However. The SC permitted me to grab a 52 without PS from eBay to replace the 82 completely - now that really is an upgrade.
RobFTM
pfm Member
I’d agree with these observations re uplift in sound with a Hicap to Supercap change. The upgrade path Nick mentioned was also what I did except for me it was a 252 replacing a 282. This resulted in a massive upgrade.
Mynamemynaim
38yrs a Naim owner
I went from an 82 / hicapdr to a 252 / supercap dr
What a disappointing move....
252 was not an improvement...despite being recently serviced and having the best (dr) power supply
Far to sterile and no "swing"
A long audition is a must
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I had this set up with 2x HC and to be honest there was an improvement but marginal….not worth the £1.7k outlay for the SC in my view.
However I never really saw the point of the supercap unless it was powering more that the 4 rails that the HCs were powering.
Went for the Which Hat superlink and then it all happened. More of everything. Detail, bass grunt, just more of the loveliness the 82 delivers….so I would definitely budget for that mod and for me at £500 was a no brainier. Not interested in a 52 now. I’m done!