ND555 Impressions

LarsDK posted:

Very helpful to read this post, and special thanks to Bert for sharing so generously!

I have pulled the trigger for a ND555 and cannot wait to sneak it into the rack w/o family noticing.

the best is still ahead

Lars

I too have pulled the trigger on a nd555 and awaiting it’s arrival next week. I wonder if the “Naim green” display mode will allow it to look like the NDS which makes it easier to sneak it in place of the nds. The explanation of the different display modes aren’t very clear on the website.

Laxton posted:

LarsDK posted:

Very helpful to read this post, and special thanks to Bert for sharing so generously!

I have pulled the trigger for a ND555 and cannot wait to sneak it into the rack w/o family noticing.

the best is still ahead

Lars

I too have pulled the trigger on a nd555 and awaiting it’s arrival next week. I wonder if the “Naim green” display mode will allow it to look like the NDS which makes it easier to sneak it in place of the nds. The explanation of the different display modes aren’t very clear on the website.

I want to get a Naim ND555 but no way can I get $20,000 out of our accounts without my wife noticing .  So I have to have approval. She has approved big purchases before . The Kef Blade Twos were one . But I never know if this will seem too much as it is but like the NDS/555DR is a bad sounding combo . She is going to ask how much better . My only answer is better.  Anyway I am glad to hear no one is disappointed in the sound quality of the ND555. 

Dan.S posted:

4K for an NDS is almost a steal. I payed the same for my SU 3 years ago.

My dealer has offered me 6250 for mine against the 555.

tonycurran1 posted:

Dan.S posted:

4K for an NDS is almost a steal. I payed the same for my SU 3 years ago.

My dealer has offered me 6250 for mine against the 555.

That is a great trade in deal. I would be thrilled to get that 

musicfan51 posted:

Laxton posted:

LarsDK posted:

Very helpful to read this post, and special thanks to Bert for sharing so generously!

I have pulled the trigger for a ND555 and cannot wait to sneak it into the rack w/o family noticing.

the best is still ahead

Lars

I too have pulled the trigger on a nd555 and awaiting it’s arrival next week. I wonder if the “Naim green” display mode will allow it to look like the NDS which makes it easier to sneak it in place of the nds. The explanation of the different display modes aren’t very clear on the website.

I want to get a Naim ND555 but no way can I get $20,000 out of our accounts without my wife noticing .  So I have to have approval. She has approved big purchases before . The Kef Blade Twos were one . But I never know if this will seem too much as it is but like the NDS/555DR is a bad sounding combo . She is going to ask how much better . My only answer is better.  Anyway I am glad to hear no one is disappointed in the sound quality of the ND555. 

A house demo might convince her, everybody can hear the clear difference.

My dealer in the USA does not have one Bert. 

Bert ... is there a Naim 'green' mode setting for the main dispaly on the ND555

Bert Schurink posted:

musicfan51 posted:

Laxton posted:

LarsDK posted:

Very helpful to read this post, and special thanks to Bert for sharing so generously!

I have pulled the trigger for a ND555 and cannot wait to sneak it into the rack w/o family noticing.

the best is still ahead

Lars

I too have pulled the trigger on a nd555 and awaiting it’s arrival next week. I wonder if the “Naim green” display mode will allow it to look like the NDS which makes it easier to sneak it in place of the nds. The explanation of the different display modes aren’t very clear on the website.

I want to get a Naim ND555 but no way can I get $20,000 out of our accounts without my wife noticing .  So I have to have approval. She has approved big purchases before . The Kef Blade Twos were one . But I never know if this will seem too much as it is but like the NDS/555DR is a bad sounding combo . She is going to ask how much better . My only answer is better.  Anyway I am glad to hear no one is disappointed in the sound quality of the ND555. 

A house demo might convince her, everybody can hear the clear difference.

If my Naim dealer had one that would work. He does not however. And right now he said he does not have it on order. 

Richieroo posted:

Bert ... is there a Naim 'green' mode setting for the main dispaly on the ND555

You can select green mode in settings but all that does is turn the writing from white to green on the screen. All the album artwork is still displayed in full colour. In my opinion the default white looks much nicer.

Michael posted:

Richieroo posted:

Bert ... is there a Naim 'green' mode setting for the main dispaly on the ND555

You can select green mode in settings but all that does is turn the writing from white to green on the screen. All the album artwork is still displayed in full colour. In my opinion the default white looks much nicer.

Oh no. That gives another clue, besides the lift in sound quality, that an equipment swap has occurred!

musicfan51 posted:

tonycurran1 posted:

Dan.S posted:

4K for an NDS is almost a steal. I payed the same for my SU 3 years ago.

My dealer has offered me 6250 for mine against the 555.

That is a great trade in deal. I would be thrilled to get that 

 

That says more about the size of the ND555 mark up as the dealer can risk losing 2-3k on the NDS resale yet still make a reasonable profit.

Jonn posted:

musicfan51 posted:

tonycurran1 posted:

Dan.S posted:

4K for an NDS is almost a steal. I payed the same for my SU 3 years ago.

My dealer has offered me 6250 for mine against the 555.

That is a great trade in deal. I would be thrilled to get that 

 

That says more about the size of the ND555 mark up as the dealer can risk losing 2-3k on the NDS resale yet still make a reasonable profit.

A well established car dealer practice to sell a new car... 

I would imagine dealer profit in the region of 6k - this is a low volume bit of kit.............correct me if i am wrong.

I dropped into Signals just for a chat with the guys on our way for a short break near Norwich. Had not asked for a demo of the ND555, but we had a lovely intro to the ND555. The wife and myself heard the ND555 thru Kudos 808 and Statement. I have now heard this streamer  a few times , but now with the music I like. It’s ability to pull out information from music that I know, is a step up from anything I have heard, and truly very musical and enjoyable. Almost there, need to hear it in my system, hopefully special...for me in my system.

lots of love from rainy Norwich, rather enjoying the rain......

ND555 arrived half an hour ago, and already it is astonishing. I spent last night with the NDS and I was mighty entertained, but this is altogether another league, a far bigger upgrade than I expected. It’s going to be difficult to go to bed!

Three weeks to retirement and I have a whole new collection to listen to. Thanks Naim, just on time. And thanks to Wesley from Audiospace for getting it set up so quickly. Roon recognised it  almost instantly. What’s not to like (apart from the price, but that is beginning to look ‘reasonable’).

David O'Higgins posted:

ND555 arrived half an hour ago, and already it is astonishing. I spent last night with the NDS and I was mighty entertained, but this is altogether another league, a far bigger upgrade than I expected. It’s going to be difficult to go to bed!

Three weeks to retirement and I have a whole new collection to listen to. Thanks Naim, just on time. And thanks to Wesley from Audiospace for getting it set up so quickly. Roon recognised it  almost instantly. What’s not to like (apart from the price, but that is beginning to look ‘reasonable’).

The price will even look more reasonable when you have listened to it a bit longer. And as most upgrade from an NDS, it’s also an expensive investment but still okish...

I heard some classical orchestral music again and it still amazes me how the ND555 without effort retrieves the detail, the dynamics and the soundstage. I keep in seeing it as the best source I ever heard.

It’s certainly the best source I have ever heard, and as a few more are now landing I suspect the impressions thread will soon be very busy!

I’ve just heard The Byrds ‘eight miles high’ as though for the first time (from the cd box set There Is A Season). What would it be like in 24bit?

David O'Higgins posted:

I’ve just heard The Byrds ‘eight miles high’ as though for the first time (from the cd box set There Is A Season). What would it be like in 24bit?

You will keep getting ‘wow, I’ve never heard that before’ moments. The ND555 extracts every ounce of detail from both 16/44.1 and 24/96+ material. Obviously, on properly mastered hi res there is more detail to extract!

Gazza posted:

I dropped into Signals just for a chat with the guys on our way for a short break near Norwich. Had not asked for a demo of the ND555, but we had a lovely intro to the ND555. The wife and myself heard the ND555 thru Kudos 808 and Statement. I have now heard this streamer  a few times , but now with the music I like. It’s ability to pull out information from music that I know, is a step up from anything I have heard, and truly very musical and enjoyable. Almost there, need to hear it in my system, hopefully special...for me in my system.

lots of love from rainy Norwich, rather enjoying the rain......

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glad you enjoyed your visit to Signals and the ND555 dem. My Melco arrived there today and hopefully will be installed next week once the Ethernet cable arrives too. 

Welcome to Norwich, sorry about the rain today, but it is most welcome really for the gardens.

if tomorrow is another wash out you are all welcome to drop by for an hour to listen to the ND555 in a home environment and have a cuppa.

It seems that Melco is the source of choice among early ND555 purchasers.  Of course a conventional NAS is an option, but what about the Naim Core?  It is said that it sounds better over Ethernet, vs. SPDIF.  Anybody using Core?

aht posted:

It seems that Melco is the source of choice among early ND555 purchasers.  Of course a conventional NAS is an option, but what about the Naim Core?  It is said that it sounds better over Ethernet, vs. SPDIF.  Anybody using Core?

I use the Naim UnitiCore with my NDS using a Chord ethernet cable . The UnitiCore sounds better than Unitiserve or HDX as a ripper & NAS .  I was surprised how much better . I imagine it would work well with ND555 too. 

Michael posted:

Gazza posted:

I dropped into Signals just for a chat with the guys on our way for a short break near Norwich. Had not asked for a demo of the ND555, but we had a lovely intro to the ND555. The wife and myself heard the ND555 thru Kudos 808 and Statement. I have now heard this streamer  a few times , but now with the music I like. It’s ability to pull out information from music that I know, is a step up from anything I have heard, and truly very musical and enjoyable. Almost there, need to hear it in my system, hopefully special...for me in my system.

lots of love from rainy Norwich, rather enjoying the rain......

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glad you enjoyed your visit to Signals and the ND555 dem. My Melco arrived there today and hopefully will be installed next week once the Ethernet cable arrives too. 

Welcome to Norwich, sorry about the rain today, but it is most welcome really for the gardens.

if tomorrow is another wash out you are all welcome to drop by for an hour to listen to the ND555 in a home environment and have a cuppa.

Michael, what an absolute gent you are. Love reading posts like this..the world would do well to take a note. What a better world this would be!

Thank you for the kind offer Michael, but that would be pushing my luck with the wife after convincing her last night of the ND555 merits. I hope to be joining you in enjoying this wonderful streamer....shortly.