Pre amp upgrade - Meridian 502 / 557 Power. 2nd hand / streamer / processor ??

[gurkin1979]

Suppose this could reallt fit under a number of threads, but without going into the history, time for an upgrade from my current Meridian 502 pre amp which seems to be the weakest part of my current set up (508 cd and Kef Reference 3.2s). I'm looking to upgrade and probably happy to go down the 2nd hand market if anyone knows or can recommend anything similar to the 502 in roughly the £2k price range? I'm also thinking about heading down the streamer / pre amp route which i suppose lends itself to a Naim, so was wondering if anyone can advise if the Naim NAC 172 NS would be an upgrade or more of a sideways step, as i've no idea what the audio quality is like. As i'd probably be happy to get a separate Naim ND5 XS for streaming, this also leaves me open to any form of pre, but to throw a spanner in the works, i'd also be open to the idea, to having a pre amp / processor, so i can add it to the current surround set up for the TV, so again if anyone knows of any decent pre / processor upgrades around this mark then i'd be all ears. Lots to mumble about but thanks in advance for time and patience! n

 

[tomlinscote]

pj hifi of guildford have an x demo nac n 172 xs with the DAB/FM module fitted up for £14XX (can't remember exactly) it retails for £1900 so maybe worth a look. I have bought stuff from them before they seem ok and take kit in px - or at least they used too. If nothing else they may have some ideas for you??