We disconnected the 555psdr from 272!

Posted by: Emre on 15 April 2017

I switch from my 200s to 272 based system  pretty fast with many upgrades

A friend of mine who is a ndx user with some expensive Italian valve amp came to listen new setup for the first time

He liked the sound very much, day and night vs 200s with nd5  / sonus faber cremona m bookshelf -  was his impression 

Then we got talking about the power supply his ndx or not

Then we got the idea to disconnect 555ps from 272 and used it bare, to assess the effect of power supply on 272

Oh my God!  Stage went down, all instrument separation is gone, lows are very tummbb tummbb, everything sounded thinner..... what the f**K.....

It was not different but dussapointment  or  not let me hear couple of times difference  but shocking different, at the fist second different, where is my stereo different

If you ask me before this test, the effects of 555dr on 272 I would never write exaggerated lines like that but after you use the 555dr for a while and you disconnect it it hits you like Singapore Air hits you first time out of the Airport! 

So adding it is not a very good test, taking it out is the best lesson, next time you demo maybe don't add but subtract!

And if you have the means, get a 555psdr for you 272/300, I wonder will it make the same effect on 250dr as well

Posted on: 15 April 2017 by alanbass1

The 555 certainly is a major uplift on my 272 / 250DR system. Very much the same effect as you describe but the other thing I would say is the system sounds more musical with the 555

Posted on: 15 April 2017 by wenger2015

Excellent point, I remember sometime ago a dealer saying to me, when you demo always listen for a while and then take it away, the decision is made if  you immediately realise something is missing ...

Posted on: 15 April 2017 by Bert Schurink

I heard taking away had a special effect on decision making in case people had to decide between xps and 555ps....very often people where not that convinced on the 555ps until they took it away and put the old xps again in place....

Posted on: 15 April 2017 by Emre

Bu the way i compare it with bare 272 so xpsdr might have the similar/close effect as well.

Moderated post:  Emre, as per forum rules, please no mention or discussion of non-Naim PSUs, thank you.

Posted on: 16 April 2017 by Manu68

Thanks Emre, very interesting test you did here

is there a general consensus (ok, there's nothing like a consensus when it comes to audio tastes, let's call it directional agreement ) that the 555PS DR is far above the XPS DR?

I'm asking as I've been thinking about the upgrade myself. I have a 272/250 DR set-up.

 

Posted on: 16 April 2017 by Harry
Emre posted:

 

If you ask me before this test, the effects of 555dr on 272 I would never write exaggerated lines like that but after you use the 555dr for a while and you disconnect it it hits you

This is how a 555PS came to live in our house to power the DAC. I had it for a long week end and it sounded OK, nice and clear, unforced but I didn't think it was all that. I disconnected it, boxed it, put the XPS2 back in and went off to the dealer. to say "Thank you for the loan. No sale this time". I went back to the system the next day and could not believe what I was hearing. Or rather, what I was not hearing. I picked up the phone.....