xps dr or 555 ps dr

Can I ask first what is wrong with the current XPS2 setup that is prompting you to change... that might help define whether it might be an effective upgrade or not.

Simon

You have an exceptionally nice system, can I ask what speaker cables and interconnects you use?

Although you are considering the 555dr, the cdx2 with xps Dr is already a superb source?  

As Simon in Suffolk asks, what is prompting you to change? 

I have the 272 /  555 DR combination. I listened extensively comparing it to the XPS DR, all through a 250 DR and concluded that the 555 sounded more musical. If you can get a home dem for a week or so give it an extended listen and after the week is up listen to the 272 / XPS, that way you can tell if the 555 is right for you.

thanks for posting those questions.  My system is very enjoyable as it is and  listen for hours, though sometimes you still can hear the edge/roughness of digital.  I am wondering if with a 555 DR I can get more analog type sound.  More like a LP.  I recently hear a 555 CD with 555 PS and it was very much like listening to a good analog system.  Can I get closer to that by replacing  the xps with a 555?

I recently completed a head to head trial between NDS / 555 DR PS / 552 DR / 300 DR, against 272 / 555 DR PS / 300DR, and had to admit that the "lesser" combo was in no way embarrassed by the top of the line kit.

I found the 272 to be very musical with the 555 power supply present, and though I have no knowledge of the XPS power supply, I would certainly encourage you to arrange a home trial of the 555.

BPOU its possible - but you might also be ultimately  hearing the limitation of the 272.. i guess its also worth checking cable dressing, ethernet noise and any local mains noise sources. Do you hear the hard edge on none digital sources?

I would say that the 272 / 555 combination sounds more 'natural' than the 272 / XPS combination. Whether that equates to more 'analogue' I don't know. I realy do need to get Roksan Xerses up and running again!

Best thing is to get a home femo if you are able.

Demo that is!!!

There's a 15 minute editing window if that helps. 

BPou posted:

My current configuration: n272 + xps dr + 300 dr + sopra 2.  Listening mainly TIDAL (90%) of the time, acoustic jazz (40%) and classical (60%).  Thus streaming is very important.

I am considering the possibility of changing the xps dr for a 555 dr, though I am not certain if this combination would work well together.  I have been reading that improving the PS may exacerbate/expose the weaknesses in your chain.   In many ways, an enjoyable system has a lot to do with the synergies between the components.  

Any 272 user that want to share your experience going from xps dr to 555 dr?

Welcome your inputs.

i went from nds/xps2 to nds/555 dr: the improvement is significant but not proportional to the cost increase.  I had bigger increase of sound quality with linear ps on switches, linear ps on my unitserve and optical bridge.  The improvement was very important.

In your case, i think that ethernet isolator like etalon isolator between your 272, good linear ps on your switch, and lan cable as audioquest vodka to 272 will give a dramatic improvement for around 1000/1200 pounds of total cost.

555ps makes 272/300 all other ball game, it is a very good sound with sopra2/SL speaker cables, it is not only good compare to other Naim setups it is good compare to very serious competition vs other brands as well

i disconnected my 555ps for a while to see the results, it was day and night

not sure how it compares to xpsdr naim but way better than israeli one

Another vote for the 555PS. I demoed both XPSDR and 555PS with 272 as source through 250DR (speakers were ProAc K6, but that's by the by). Not night and day, but the 555 brings a rather special musicality and cohesiveness that the XPS simply can't achieve, at least not to my ears. Is it worth the almost doubling in price? Only you can answer that- it was for me, but I suppose it all comes down to personal circumstances and priorities.

Tidal doesn't sound anything like as good as stored music from a nas, particularly if the stored music is high res. I do wonder about the merits of upgrading the power supply if the source is only Tidal. Turds and polishing come to mind. 

i vote too for 555 dr, no problem.  But the quality of the network is the first and essential step in streaming audio.  The gap between not isolated network and isolated with linear ps and ethernet isolation is bigger than xps and 555 dr.

I would agree with some of the comments already made. If sound quality is one of your main concerns - then don't take 90 percent of your listening via Tidal. While Tidal is good in the sense of potential option of streaming services it never will beat locally stored material, especially when well setup like a Melco. So please consider your listening patterns first before contemplating upgrades - which of course do make sense when the basics of streaming quality are addressed.

Thanks to all for the inputs.  I have a small collection (around 600 albums) already digitized into a NAS.  But I find that I use  TIDAL much more than the NAS because always exploring and discovering new music.  Additionally my collection is relatively limited.  I may buy 10 or 12 new albums per year as high resolution downloads.

I am scheduling a demo, but it looks, based on your comments, that for TIDAL as main source it doesn't worth the extra expenditure.   Let see... 

I will work improving my network as suggested. I believe that I will continue using TIDAL a lot. 

Will keep you posted on my decision, probably this weekend.

Bert Schurink posted:

I would agree with some of the comments already made. If sound quality is one of your main concerns - then don't take 90 percent of your listening via Tidal. While Tidal is good in the sense of potential option of streaming services it never will beat locally stored material, especially when well setup like a Melco. So please consider your listening patterns first before contemplating upgrades - which of course do make sense when the basics of streaming quality are addressed.

with a good and upgraded network, tidal streaming is very very near to local network. But i prefer buying tracks on qobuz or highrez audio and discovering albums before on all music and itunes. I found that 20 pounds a month for tidal is too much expensive. I am downloading perhaps 3 albums per month and have my personal library stored on my unitserve/ uptone js2.

IMO XPS vs 555 isn`t that huge. Take a look at your system and speakers as a whole, if you want a more analogue presentation. Sopra are very revealing speakers and may in your room bring it the wrong way. You mention CD555/555, but with which speakers and what kind of room?  Of course, the best thing to do is audition.

Keler Pierre posted:

Bert Schurink posted:

I would agree with some of the comments already made. If sound quality is one of your main concerns - then don't take 90 percent of your listening via Tidal. While Tidal is good in the sense of potential option of streaming services it never will beat locally stored material, especially when well setup like a Melco. So please consider your listening patterns first before contemplating upgrades - which of course do make sense when the basics of streaming quality are addressed.

with a good and upgraded network, tidal streaming is very very near to local network. But i prefer buying tracks on qobuz or highrez audio and discovering albums before on all music and itunes. I found that 20 pounds a month for tidal is too much expensive. I am downloading perhaps 3 albums per month and have my personal library stored on my unitserve/ uptone js2.

We have an optimised network and Tidal still sounds decidedly ropey. Anyway, the choice of jazz and classical is very poor, so I don't find it worth bothering with once the free trial is over. 

While I enjoy playing with and listening to Tidal everyday, I always turn to CD, downloads and HD replay for most serious listening. I have heard a bare 272 on 300 and 803D3 on several occasions; while I am convinced that an XPS is a sensible upgrade for the 272, I doubt whether a 555PS will really add to the Tidal experience.

Chag - 

Chag... posted:

While I enjoy playing with and listening to Tidal everyday, I always turn to CD, downloads and HD replay for most serious listening. I have heard a bare 272 on 300 and 803D3 on several occasions; while I am convinced that an XPS is a sensible upgrade for the 272, I doubt whether a 555PS will really add to the Tidal experience.

Chag - 

272 is better with 555 dr vs xps dr, for streaming tidal or local music: the dac and preamp are improved. But it is a lot of money for a little step. 555 dr is costing twice the 272....

For that money i would sell the 272 , keep the xps dr, and buy an nds second hand with nac 282.

ok,  I did the demo this morning.  The n272 with 555 Dr is better, no doubts.  No WOW! better, maybe 15% or 20% better, difficult to guess.  Everything sounds more natural, all sources, specially analogue.  TIDAL is better as well.  The big question is weather it worth the extract cost, considering that the 555 PS would be around $11K here in the USA.  For now I am going to hold on my decision and will work improving my network.  I am installing LPS in the switch and NAS, also order a lan isolator to put before the n272, this should reduce any electrical noise entering into the pre.  If that goes well, I will stop there.  

I'm inclined to agree with HH having recently heard a high end Naim configuration reproducing from Tidal I thought the performance was very considerably below that from a locally sourced file or CD.  

But all else being = the concision seems to be that the 555 provides for a fuller more coherent performance albeit at a cost. 

Regards,

Lindsay

BPou posted:

ok,  I did the demo this morning.  The n272 with 555 Dr is better, no doubts.  No WOW! better, maybe 15% or 20% better, difficult to guess.  Everything sounds more natural, all sources, specially analogue.  TIDAL is better as well.  The big question is weather it worth the extract cost, considering that the 555 PS would be around $11K here in the USA.  For now I am going to hold on my decision and will work improving my network.  I am installing LPS in the switch and NAS, also order a lan isolator to put before the n272, this should reduce any electrical noise entering into the pre.  If that goes well, I will stop there.  

 

good decisions, you are going to be surprised by the big improvement. If you have not bought lps yet, i recommend to you the uptone audio js2 to your nas and most important switch ( to 272).  The js2 has two outputs.  Etalon isolator or acoustic revive between switch and 272. 

It is a dramatic upgrade!

The Strat (Fender) posted:

I'm inclined to agree with HH having recently heard a high end Naim configuration reproducing from Tidal I thought the performance was very considerably below that from a locally sourced file or CD.  

But all else being = the concision seems to be that the 555 provides for a fuller more coherent performance albeit at a cost. 

Regards,

Lindsay

with isolated network, linear ps on switch and nas, and good quality lan cable to the dac/streamer, these differences are very little.