Another NDS vs ND555 'shoot out'
Posted by: rjstaines on 15 June 2018
Well, I just got home from hearing the ND555 for the very first time. Having read so much about it, the speculation, the anticipation and the crystal ball gazing, I was hoping to hear something rather special.
And, bugger me if I wasn't quite surprised at what I heard. I remember to this day the time when I first plugged in my NAC552 that I'd bought second hand without auditioning it... it was a genuinely jaw dropping experience, more so than I was expecting. Well, so was the effect of switching from an NDS to the ND555 at today's demo... never mind the hype of the last few weeks, it was simply more than I had expected. Just more of everything that's good about my NDS combined with a lot of what's good about my CD555 and a slight dash of what's good about my LP12 Klimax. So it was good... very, very good.
There are many on the forum who do an excellent job of translating what they hear into descriptive words, I'm not one of them. But I'll say this... if you're planning to attend one of the many ND555 road shows in the next few weeks, you really won't be disappointed.
And did I order one? Of course 
Roger
sunbeamgls posted:Had the pleasure of the comparison at Acoustica this evening.
System was Core / NAC552 / 300DR into B&W 803D3 with SuperLumina throughout. NDS / 555DR vs ND555 / 555DR swapping the interconnect between the sources (hence keeping the same input on the pre). All electronics on Fraim. Chord C-Stream for ethernet. Nice to see the continuation of the green logo.
Although I'm not a big fan of the B&Ws, this was probably the best I've heard from them. They have a slightly un-natural treble and a squidgy bass that doesn't appeal to me. A little boom caused by the room too, but it wasn't excessive nor overwhelming. NDS first of course, then we swapped between the 2 sources a few times before settling in to a longer listen to the ND555. Jason from Naim was looking after the demo.
First thing to say is that the NDS doesn't "sound broken". It does a great job, just as it has done for a long while now. We started with an acoustic guitar track then onto a trio of female folk singers listening to the NDS. The trio was then played again for 40 seconds or so before switching over to the ND555 and listening to the same track again. We selected some Shelby Lynne and repeated the process.
Its not a "gob smacking" change for me - its more subtle than that, but that shouldn't de-value the size of the upgrade, its just that you have to think about it rather than have it fed to you on a plate. The instruments most definitely separate more clearly, the edges of notes are better defined without being edgy, you can hear more of the way in which a note is plucked on a string or how a bass line starts and stops more clearly. Yet these more clearly defined instruments don't stand alone as the timing seems more coherent, enabling them to make better sense of the "whole" of the tune. But the biggest impact for me was the added emotional element, particularly in Shelby Lynne's voice. That was what stood out for me, once we'd settled into the changes.
Worth a longer audition at home, whilst the VFM, as ever, continues to be a personal choice of course.
Thanks to Acoustica and Jason for a very effective and relaxed dem.
A thoughtful review! Thank you Sunbeamgls.