Have New NDS with older 555PS should I go for 555dr ?

The DR effect makes the NDS sound even more natural and transparent. Quite some feat. But for maximum resolution, grip, timing and musical communication try a second 555PS, DR or non DR. I'd put my resources into two supplies before flipping the DR coin but if you can, you should try the permutations for yourself. We all hear different things and things differently. To be frank you can't lose either way.

Thank you for the reply Harry! So have you actually heard an NDS with 555dr by itself and then added an older 555 ps and heard a noticeable difference? Where would put the older ps, the analog or digital section of the NDS?   I was thinking of buying the 555dr and trading in my older 555, but if I could afford to keep the 555, might be fun to hear how good that could sound. Two 555dr's are out of the budget! 

My sequence was NDS/555PS to NDS/555PS-DR. Nice. More natural, tonally convincing, natural sounding textures on instruments and voices.  More "real" and more "right". Everything I loved about the NDS but more so and without compromise. 

A few months later I asked for a try out with a second 555PS and actually ended up borrowing my old one from the dealer. This was significant but different. The sound stage got bigger in all directions. Vocal harmonies resolved into more discrete point sources. Two voices became three or more. Double tracked parts actually turned out to be four tracked.  Layers kind of shuffled out of the mix and more detail than I ever knew existed (even on tracks I've loved since the 60s and 70s)  was there to hear plain as day.  It was remarkable.

When configured with two PSs, the DR supply went on the analogue side. I didn't swap them over because I was mostly listening to my new music collection and wondering what to throw at it next. The lovely thing about it (which is also true of the NDS with a single PS but to a comparatively lesser extent - it's all relative) is that "difficult" recordings no longer tended to present a listening challenge because the music was leading everything and the tonal balance was what it was. Stuff that is brick walled to shit still sounds like shit though. Physics is physics.

I ended up buying another new 555PS-DR and all the gains I was expecting arrived on cue. However. over the course of about six months or so, everything just seemed to get easier to listen to. It was so natural. So unforced yet powerful when necessary. It was worth every penny to us but your ears will be the judge.

The important thing when trying out stuff is to have fun. No fun no point. I think you'll have some.

Harry, thank you for the detailed reply! I hope to order a 555dr in the next month. I was wonderfully surprised at how much better a NDS/555 streamer sounds than an HDX nDAC/555. If I can keep my 555ps while buying a 555dr,I will be thrilled. Good advice on enjoying the trip as you try the different configurations!  Getting the 555dr is the first step! 

Is the burn in time of a new 555dr 4 to 6 weeks or us it even longer? 

I found it was a lot longer. It was pretty good straight out of the box, but improved significantly over the first few weeks. At about week 8, if I recall correctly, the sound greatly improved as if something within the supply had suddenly switched on. It continued to gradually change and get better for months though.

Part of the answer will lie in what else is in the system. Money freed up from the sale of the existing 555PS may be better spent elsewhere, or not, as the case may be. 

Harry posted:

When configured with two PSs, the DR supply went on the analogue side. I didn't swap them over because I was mostly listening to my new music collection and wondering what to throw at it next. The lovely thing about it (which is also true of the NDS with a single PS but to a comparatively lesser extent - it's all relative) is that "difficult" recordings no longer tended to present a listening challenge because the music was leading everything and the tonal balance was what it was. Stuff that is brick walled to shit still sounds like shit though. Physics is physics.

I ended up buying another new 555PS-DR and all the gains I was expecting arrived on cue. However. over the course of about six months or so, everything just seemed to get easier to listen to. It was so natural. So unforced yet powerful when necessary. It was worth every penny to us but your ears will be the judge.

I still have two PSs, the DR on the analogue side & non DR on the digital. Have been considering 2nd DR update but not sure sound or value for money improvements. Any comments, anybody? Also I do recommend to keep old 555 + buy DR, it makes music so much enjoyable that it is a MUST.

I got the speakers I wanted in 2015, I am working on the musical source this year. A 555dr is pricey no doubt,  so it is not a sure thing I can keep the 555ps when I buy the dr. I just bought the NDS in January. Lot of cash outlay. But it'd be nice to have two power supplies in an NDS! Just have to see. I seem to recall when I burned in the 555ps 5 years ago it took awhile to reach it's potential. Sounds like the DR version may have an even longer burn in process!  I played my NDS a month straight and it sounded quite a bit better after that,  than when first plugged in.  

We went from HDX/nDAC/555PS to NDS using the same PS. and although musical memory is unreliable I have very fond memories of hearing the NDS at home for the first time. There's something so "right" about the presentation - to my ears.

The burn in process wasn't particularly painful for me and I continued to hear differences for a good six months. It wasn't a roller coaster after the first few days, it just seemed to get easier and more friendly as the weeks passed. Not that it wasn't worth every penny out of the box.

The big change for us was installing the second (non DR) 555PS on the digital side, alongside a DR unit on the analogue side. I'd say there is a sonic benefit to going DR for both supplies but I don't know if I'd be able to justify the outlay over the difference with two 555PSs of any vintage. I'd probably wait until service time and get the DR done then. Probably. Possibly.

Harry, many thanks for your usefull reply. I do not have easy change to test 2nd DR & there are only few comments about this change.

Not everyone likes the sound of an NDS with two 555PS.  I trialled this over last Christmas and didn't like what the second did (both were DRed).  My expectation prior to trying was that it would make a positive difference, so I was both surprised and disappointed when I concluded otherwise.  Of course in other people's systems and with their ears the results may vary.  I don't think there is a simple "right" or "wrong" answer here.

My suggestion is to try a second one before you purchase.  If you like it then great, buy it!  However if you feel otherwise you may have avoided an expensive mistake.

Ah yes Graham. I forgot that was you.

Which just goes to remind us that nothing is predictable. 

Gandalf_fi posted:

Harry, many thanks for your usefull reply. I do not have easy change to test 2nd DR & there are only few comments about this change.

You are welcome. 

NDS ownership and the joys thereof are one of only a few topics in any of the forums where I can make an informed and meaningful contribution.

Graham's post above is a timely reminder though.

All the best with it.

Graham, what did you NOT like about the sound of two power supplies on the NDS?  

I have been playing my NDS for about 6 weeks now! The first 4 weeks were 24x7.  Do you think it will still improve in sound or it is completely burned in?  

musicfan51 posted:

Graham, what did you NOT like about the sound of two power supplies on the NDS?  

I didn't like what the second PS did to the treble.  I found it splashy, artificial and distracting. 

Despite generous help from other forumites on how to potentially optimise the performance of the second PS I found that none of these tweaks resolved my problem and as such reached the conclusion that I just didn't like what 2 PSes did.

As you can see by this thread, others have a different experience and I struggle to explain why.  My system (S1 pre, active S600s driven by 3 NAP300 DRs plus full Super Lumina loom) is a very revealing system which may have something to do with it but then again I'm not the only one with such a revealing set up.

Hence my recommendation to have a listen to see if it is for you or not.

I didn't see this one in time. But as already suggested above the DR is a great upgrade to the standard 555PS. But in your specific scenario you might want to consider to get a new DR and keep your older non DR version and put the new one on the analogue side and the other on the digital side. You will realize that you land in heaven....

I have Kef Blade twos so the speakers are revealing but my electronics are not as revealing as yours Graham! It will probably come down to money. Might be too much to buy 555dr without selling my present 555. Just bought the NDS and that cost some $ too. But I sure would love to hear two PS on my NDS. 

Harry posted:

My sequence was NDS/555PS to NDS/555PS-DR. Nice. More natural, tonally convincing, natural sounding textures on instruments and voices.  More "real" and more "right". Everything I loved about the NDS but more so and without compromise. 

A few months later I asked for a try out with a second 555PS and actually ended up borrowing my old one from the dealer. This was significant but different. The sound stage got bigger in all directions. Vocal harmonies resolved into more discrete point sources. Two voices became three or more. Double tracked parts actually turned out to be four tracked.  Layers kind of shuffled out of the mix and more detail than I ever knew existed (even on tracks I've loved since the 60s and 70s)  was there to hear plain as day.  It was remarkable.

When configured with two PSs, the DR supply went on the analogue side. I didn't swap them over because I was mostly listening to my new music collection and wondering what to throw at it next. The lovely thing about it (which is also true of the NDS with a single PS but to a comparatively lesser extent - it's all relative) is that "difficult" recordings no longer tended to present a listening challenge because the music was leading everything and the tonal balance was what it was. Stuff that is brick walled to shit still sounds like shit though. Physics is physics.

I ended up buying another new 555PS-DR and all the gains I was expecting arrived on cue. However. over the course of about six months or so, everything just seemed to get easier to listen to. It was so natural. So unforced yet powerful when necessary. It was worth every penny to us but your ears will be the judge.

The important thing when trying out stuff is to have fun. No fun no point. I think you'll have some.

For what it is worth, my journey was almost exactly the same as Harry's (the NDS came with a 555PS-DR and I was able to experiment with that and the non-DR 555PS from my cd player before getting a second 555PS-DR). I experienced the same changes and improvements Harry describes so eloquently.

Scott.

Fwiw, and I wasn't total fan of the NDS, but when I had one in the house for a while I found the 55SPSDR seemed to sound better  and clearer than my original 555PS. This was interesting because at the time I also had as NDAC and there it was the other way around with the original 555PS sounding best to me.

I like Graham was not overly impressed with the twin 555PS arrangement... but I need to qualify this as I was using DR and non DR at the same time which might not be an optimum setup.

Thanks for reply Scott. Well several really like the two power supply set up. And I see Simon and Graham did not. System dependant I guess!

Simon I had read that you are not a fan of the NDS. You still feel that way? I think it sounds very natural. 

Unlike Simon, above, I was impressed enough by the addition of a second 555PS to splash out and buy one. The track that convinced me was from the Trio album (Dolly, Linda and Emmylou) in hi-def, To Know Him is to Love Him.  With a single 555PS, the duet was two girls (!?) singing into the same microphone. Add a second 555PS and the ladies separate by a couple of feet in the soundstage, with one slightly behind and to the left of the other... amazing.

So my advice to Musicfan (OP) would be keep both power supplies. If a DR upgrade to the second isn't on the cards (in the wallet), then use the DR one of the analogue and the non-DR one on the digital side of the NDS.

Now ask me which power input is which !  (OK, I used to know, but that was a year ago and I've slept since... you'll find the answer on the forum somewhere, as I did too).

musicfan51 posted:

Thanks for reply Scott. Well several really like the two power supply set up. And I see Simon and Graham did not. System dependant I guess!

Simon I had read that you are not a fan of the NDS. You still feel that way? I think it sounds very natural. 

Yes it is very good - and if I am honest perhaps my listening has now matured from the slightly larger than life sound I used to enjoy with my NDAC/555PS. However a little silver DAC came my way - and I am not sure what it is but there is something about it that just gels with my 252/250/ATC Speakers / room  and with the way I hear things - so right now quite happy with my NDX driving my Hugo. Having said that the NDS is one fine streamer and DAC - you cant really go wrong with it - albeit there are other options of course.

Simon

rjstaines posted:

The track that convinced me was from the Trio album (Dolly, Linda and Emmylou) in hi-def, To Know Him is to Love Him.  With a single 555PS, the duet was two girls (!?) singing into the same microphone. Add a second 555PS and the ladies separate by a couple of feet in the soundstage, with one slightly behind and to the left of the other... amazing.

 

This is something I experienced again and again with the second 555PS, with voices and some multi tracked instruments. It was not subtle and it was easily reversible by going back to a single 555PS. Musically enjoyable and immersing as it ever was with the one power supply, the difference, once heard, was impossible for me to not want.