ND555 Impressions

Actually, it's been quite an informative weathercock of the kind of things that come up all over the place on a regular basis. All condensed into one thread. Not necessarily a good thing but if not of interest then best ignored. I think that on balance, this one's going OK, given it is lively and therefore susceptible to pulling this way and that. ND555 is still holding stage centre over all. As it should.

Innocent Bystander posted:

pacmi03 posted:

 

pacmi03 posted:

 Teflon or other polymer based material sound better with a burn in due to the fact that they exhibit so much dialectic interference. 

I've been testing cables for over 20 years and have found that a company called Omega Mikro makes the best audio cables and power cords on the planet, but they don't make any with DIN plugs.  They are also not as expensive as other brands.  However, they don't compromise sound quality for durability and they are a bit fragile.  

What is dielectric interference? I am quite familiar with dielectrics and their relevance in canles, but that is a term I’ve never come across.

You mention paper and wool as dielectrics (sorry, lost in the above snips): both are hygroscopic and susceptible to humidity, perhaps wool more so than paper, and that can make for instability in real world use. Aside from the relative permissivity increasing substantially with moisture content, I seem to recall that the change is non-linear with frequency, possibly in the audio frequency range. For a cable made with such a dielectric its cladding and, far more challenging, its plugs would have to afford perfect hermetic sealing from the environment in order to ensure a consistent and stable product with a good lifetime. 

Leaving aside the obvious exaggeration suggesting you’ve tested all cables on the plannet, could you please clarify how you have tested, and if by listening, in what system(s), as clearly different gear can interact differently with different cables.

With the « tune method », of course 

Hi all,

Loving the  app update. What  do you guys think, I’m thinking this may of resolved Dark Bears app issues? Hurry up DB and get yours delivered!!!!!!

Dustysox posted:

Hi all,

Loving the  app update. What  do you guys think, I’m thinking this may of resolved Dark Bears app issues? Hurry up DB and get yours delivered!!!!!!

App update has not shown up here yet . 

Lets hope the new app 2.8 for Android fixes the discovery issue no point having a 27k streamer controlled by a Micky mouse application.

On the debate about value for money, it might be worth remembering that Inheritance Tax is currently applied at a rate of 40%.  

musicfan51 posted:

Dustysox posted:

Hi all,

Loving the  app update. What  do you guys think, I’m thinking this may of resolved Dark Bears app issues? Hurry up DB and get yours delivered!!!!!!

App update has not shown up here yet . 

Hi

v5.11 on iOS. Very quick to find rooms. 

MDS posted:

On the debate about value for money, it might be worth remembering that Inheritance Tax is currently applied at a rate of 40%.  

Not everywhere, even in British Isles.

But in UK where it is, there is a £325k tax free threshold, £650 for a couple, so 40% above that. Not a problem with an axpensive hifi in a small house, but...    of course, arguably it doesn’t matter because when it applies you won’t be around!

Not showing in IOS updates for me as yet but if you search the Naim app and click it the update is there and can be downloaded

The version of the App I'm using looks a bit different with the ND555 in the system. I prefer the bottom bar layout. And it all works. However, the arrival of the ND555 has brought with it a big lag when the App is sleeping and is woken up.  This behaviour, on my system, is in the order of not fit for purpose. But I'm also using the remote more., for pause, stop, skip, mute, etc. It's an excellent remote. A huge leap in quality and usability. I would be using it even if the App wasn't laggy. So good is the noise filling the lounge now, that these small things are forgivable. And when Naim have tweaked either the App or FW or both, they will be forgotten too. 

I thought it would be good to ingest some attention for music n the ND555. So below I will list a couple of albums which enable us to understand why the ND555 is such a special source, of course with an explanation as well. And I hope others will also do it so that we have some musical context discussions as well in relation to the ND555.

And as a ps. I notice that the ND555 or the whole system is more sensitive to being warm. So mostly the musical experience increases after the first 30 minutes of replay, which was less apparent with my NDS. In case you ask yourself, yes I do have the system on 24/7....

For me this album of Melody Gardot is the best way to sell the ND555. Before I didn’t need to stay until the end with this album, while I also on the NDS liked this album and the feedback you hear. Now this album is pure magic. The air, soundstage, accuracy of voice etc....absolutely recommended....

I think this album proofs the quality of the ND555 to represent the live atmosphere and give slam when needed, while still showing the details which are available. Just don’t get disappointed at the first song as it’s a kind of intro and ensure you play it very loud - so that you can enjoy the slam of the second song. Also recommended song is Pre Madonna, while the whole album is recommended, a guitar player with subtile touch is playing here...

What is interesting of this album is the connection with the bass grounding and her voice. A very nice album to show how a voice can be put in the front without losing the details of the rest of the album...

It is nice to know that Naim have got something that challenges Dave (in its +Blu implementation); I suspect preference is down to taste for the presentation, though I haven’t heard ND555 myself.

I think the value for money question can only be on a personal level - and  is all relative. I totally get it when people say the ND555 to them is VFM:  When I got the Dave (not as expensive as ND555 perhaps, but still mega-expensive for a DAC) it was simply so good that to me the money was well spent for the daily enjoyment it gives, and hopefully will continue to give for many years to come - more so than many other things I could have spent the money on.  But at the time I did have the money, and being from an inheritance there is an added benefit to the lasting enjoyment. 

If on the other hand I was to assess in terms of best ‘bang for buck’, that would have been the Hugo I had before it. 

The air, the noise details of the player, the vulnerability of the solo violin all comes across in a raw and direct recording of these famous pieces...

This is a typical audiophile thing, a lot happening, soundstage, details, contrasts etc. a feast for the ears. Due to the control and accuracy pleasant and not demanding to listen to....

Bert, may I say that is a brilliant way to describe the performance gains from a bit of kit. It also introduces some of us to some new music.

Excellent.

Hi Bert,

You should give these three recordings a try.
These pieces are really well recorded. No doubt you'll enjoy them 

Bert Schurink posted:

For me this album of Melody Gardot is the best way to sell the ND555. Before I didn’t need to stay until the end with this album, while I also on the NDS liked this album and the feedback you hear. Now this album is pure magic. The air, soundstage, accuracy of voice etc....absolutely recommended....

 

Whatever about selling ND555, it certainly looks like a good way of selling Melody Gardot!

Great news - nd555 has arrived at my dealer. Only problem is that i am travelling w work and family until mid next week. Hard to wait that long given all the exciting postings coming here

surpricingly, my wife really welcomes the idea of getting a display. She tries to keep our home phone free and does thus not use the naim app. So she has been using the nds with the buttons on the front, and generally was not too impressed with that. Clear win-win :-)

Innocent Bystander posted:

It is nice to know that Naim have got something that challenges Dave (in its +Blu implementation); I suspect preference is down to taste for the presentation, though I haven’t heard ND555 myself.

I think the value for money question can only be on a personal level - and  is all relative. I totally get it when people say the ND555 to them is VFM:  When I got the Dave (not as expensive as ND555 perhaps, but still mega-expensive for a DAC) it was simply so good that to me the money was well spent for the daily enjoyment it gives, and hopefully will continue to give for many years to come - more so than many other things I could have spent the money on.  But at the time I did have the money, and being from an inheritance there is an added benefit to the lasting enjoyment. 

If on the other hand I was to assess in terms of best ‘bang for buck’, that would have been the Hugo I had before it. 

Can no one with a Dave have taken an ND555 home? I’d assumed the uncharacteristic reticence on the part of the Chordites (Chordates?) indicated there was no meaningful comparison.

Dark Bear tried at his dealer and felt that ND555 and a single PS were comparable with Dave/Upscaler....different presentations though. But the second PS made a big difference and the ND555 was better in his opinion. Hope I summarised that correctly DB.

David O'Higgins posted:

Bert Schurink posted:

For me this album of Melody Gardot is the best way to sell the ND555. Before I didn’t need to stay until the end with this album, while I also on the NDS liked this album and the feedback you hear. Now this album is pure magic. The air, soundstage, accuracy of voice etc....absolutely recommended....

 

Whatever about selling ND555, it certainly looks like a good way of selling Melody Gardot!

OK that earned a "LOL!"

David O'Higgins posted:

Bert Schurink posted:

For me this album of Melody Gardot is the best way to sell the ND555. Before I didn’t need to stay until the end with this album, while I also on the NDS liked this album and the feedback you hear. Now this album is pure magic. The air, soundstage, accuracy of voice etc....absolutely recommended....

 

Whatever about selling ND555, it certainly looks like a good way of selling Melody Gardot!

Dreadful album. The cover doesn’t make up for the sheer tediousness.