Unity core + Naim DAC +555ps

Tony the Naim DAC shares much with the DAC end of the NDS; similar DAC chips - the highly revered Burr Brown PCM1704Ks (i don't know how the selection differs between the two - it's usually strictest for the top end gear), along with Naims DSP oversampling filter, and both have Naims discrete analogue stages.  Where the NDS goes further is in the mass loaded suspension system and more substantial casework.

Timo posted:

Obsession with minimum wage? As Hungrihalibut wrote, if one needs to ask whether certain equipment is any good after spending a small fortune (equalling about 1,500 hours of work at minimum wage), one can question that person's decision-making. It's a myth that there are no stupid question. Lots of actually. Q.E.D.

 

 

Somebody’s fortune is somebody’s lunch money... not mine for sure but maybe he is a Russian billionaire that got a third system for guest bathroom...

it seems little silly but still... I still don’t get Naim DAC and 555 combo...

it is an expensive dac specially if it is brand new..

Hungryhalibut posted:

rjstaines posted:

Richard Dane posted:

Obviously Tony's post has raised some concerns here - and I don't think anyone would countenance taking a punt on such expensive gear without first knowing what they were buying. 

However, the good news is that Tony's friend will doubtless be very pleased as it's an excellent source. 

As for some other comments here, best leave them be for now - it's always worth checking in the mirror and reflecting...

...but that knowledge of 'what they were buying' may have had to be acquired from a forum like this;  a year ago I bought a used CD555 without ever hearing one live (my dealer doesn't stock this model), so I was relying on the opinions of fellow audio enthusiasts expressed on this forum that these CD555 thingys are actually quite good... actually quite a few thousand pounds good. 

...and luckily they were right.

That's entirely understandable, but totally different from a bloke asking if his £9,000 purchase is any good once he's bought it. 

Surely, it's just a matter of timing, HH ?   

(mind you, you do have a point)

Emre posted:

Timo posted:

Obsession with minimum wage? As Hungrihalibut wrote, if one needs to ask whether certain equipment is any good after spending a small fortune (equalling about 1,500 hours of work at minimum wage), one can question that person's decision-making. It's a myth that there are no stupid question. Lots of actually. Q.E.D.

 

 

Somebody’s fortune is somebody’s lunch money... not mine for sure but maybe he is a Russian billionaire that got a third system for guest bathroom...

it seems little silly but still... I still don’t get Naim DAC and 555 combo...

it is an expensive dac specially if it is brand new..

Hi I am reading on here many long standing members put a 555ps on the Naim DAC and are over the moon with the results.

tonycurran1 posted:

Hi I am reading on here many long standing members put a 555ps on the Naim DAC and are over the moon with the results.

I‘m one of those

Bought the nDac new some years ago. After reading the forum here, I added a preloved 555ps without prior audition and was not at all disapointed.  

The result is amazing, so much fun listening to music that I don‘t bother auditioning other Dacs. So I can‘t say how good this nDac+555 combo is compared to other dacs, I‘m just happy listening to music. 

Second hand with good price maybe but will you buy a naim dac and 555, brand new in 2017?  

I would, yes, because it sounds great to me and I like the visual aesthetics of an all Naim system 

We all do like the classic look in Naim frame i guess.....  i wish we have a new DAC competing with Dave (with headphone amp maybe)

If it was based just on aesthetic completeness,  the dac and power supply should have the older Unitiserve instead of the new Core.

Perhaps the long waited new Ndac will sport the new style casing ?

Which cable is he using to connect the core to the Ndac ?

hope it’s at least a naim DC1

Yes the dc1

He bought the unity for£950 with a 2 TB SSD installed

paid1600 for the dac and 3750 for the non DR 555ps.

I've used the Core into a nac n 272 to VERY good effect. The Core has a great digital output. A ndac with a great PS would be much better on the Core output than what i do at home!

I used an ndac and 555ps for a while and it sounded very good. The dac from the nds however sounds much better to me.

Well it’s not a good source but it’s a great source

analogmusic posted:

Well it’s not a good source but it’s a great source

Says chord mojo/Hugo/DAVE owner.....

mcjt posted:

I've used the Core into a nac n 272 to VERY good effect. The Core has a great digital output. A ndac with a great PS would be much better on the Core output than what i do at home!

Very good effect versus what? Traditional Nas? As a owner of very old Nas I am wondering..... core himmmmm

he came around this afternoon with the core+Dac plugged it into my 282/SC/250/555ps playing through my B&W 804 D3 and i loved it

on a lot of tracks i prefered it to my NDS/ps555.

I am picking a Fraim Lite and 3 more Naim power lines so all my boxes that need to be plugged in will now have power lines

i would love to have got the Fraim but at least I can move it on to replace the lite in a year or so

will let you know how it sounds in a few days.

GraemeH posted:

I ran an HDX with nDac/555PS and thought it very good. 

G

So did I. Then I tried an NDS. The rest, as they say, is history.

Each to our own. The subject of the OP should trust their ears and suit themselves.

Harry posted:

GraemeH posted:

I ran an HDX with nDac/555PS and thought it very good. 

G

So did I. Then I tried an NDS. The rest, as they say, is history.

Each to our own. The subject of the OP should trust their ears and suit themselves.

Ex HDX > Naim nDac > 555ps listener, and, very good as it was, having moved on from a CDS3, there's something quite magical about my present NDS, which seems, quite simply, to engage the emotions.

dave marshall posted:

 there's something quite magical about my present NDS, which seems, quite simply, to engage the emotions.

Rather like a CDS3 but more so.

Harry posted:

dave marshall posted:

 there's something quite magical about my present NDS, which seems, quite simply, to engage the emotions.

Rather like a CDS3 but more so.

And by comparison I found the ndac combo was more like a cdx2. It had a livelier more in your face sound whereas the nds has a more relaxed flowing sound that immediately just sounded so right to me.

Both combinations are very good but for me the nds dac is far better than the ndac using the same source.

Mr Happy posted:

Harry posted:

dave marshall posted:

 there's something quite magical about my present NDS, which seems, quite simply, to engage the emotions.

Rather like a CDS3 but more so.

And by comparison I found the ndac combo was more like a cdx2. It had a livelier more in your face sound whereas the nds has a more relaxed flowing sound that immediately just sounded so right to me.

Agreed. You can't really go wrong either way. Just choose your flavour. My not very extensive experience suggests that the DAC can sound different with different sources via BNC. You wouldn't think it could, but that has been the case ever since external DACs were  first introduced in the 1980s. 

tonycurran1 posted:

my friend has just bought a unity core with Naim DAC and 555ps he asked me if this was a good set up

i don’t know as I have the NDS and never tried the Naim DAC 

any advice please.

I've got a Naim DAC with a 555PS with the Unitiserve, which is the predecessor to the Uniticore.  I would say this is a good set-up - I'm very happy with it.    As Richard pointed out, the nDac DAC set-up the same as the NDS - the NDS just has better casing and suspension.  But the nDac, in my experience is sensitive to the source, so if you are feeding it direct from a PC (which I also did) you notice a drop in SQ compared to the Unitiserve.  My local dealer tells me that the Uniticore gives better SQ than the Unitiserve, so I guess the already decent SPDIF output has improved further.