ND555 Impressions

Darke Bear posted:

Pcd posted:

Ordered my ND555 and 555PS on the 16th of August with anticipated delivery of late September they were both installed last Friday ?

I'm thinking Naim use a 'spin the bottle' approach to delivery scheduling.

I'll survive!

DB.

Dark Bear, to be fair I was extremely surprised when the dealer rung last Friday am  to say they had turned up this is the quickest I've ever had any Naim equipment delivered after ordering rather strange ?

I was not an immediate - 'order it unheard' customer, as I did want a home audition of it first, so those ahead of me are to be expected. I wanted to get it right than to be first and regret it at leisure!

As it all turned out I learned a lot of useful things and I'm more confident about it all. For existing NDS customers it was a no-brainer IMO, but I was not in the streaming camp at all and needed to see if this would make the mark - my mark.

I think it did, so I patently(-ish) await future musical pleasures.

DB.

Dark Bear, I originally had a NDX2 on order but the dealer suggested I try a 555PS on my existing NDX as it would probably be better in the long term if I was ever to look at a ND555 at  later date.

The 555PS was installed as a home demo and was a big uplift he then said would you like the ND555 on demo for the weekend it didn't  take long to realize that I resistance wold be futile so a order was placed a few days later.

Pcd posted:

Dark Bear, I originally had a NDX2 on order but the dealer suggested I try a 555PS on my existing NDX as it would probably be better in the long term if I was ever to look at a ND555 at  later date.

The 555PS was installed as a home demo and was a big uplift he then said would you like the ND555 on demo for the weekend it didn't  take long to realize that I resistance wold be futile so a order was placed a few days later.

These home demos of ND555 are nothing short of wreckless behaviour  

Innocent Bystander posted:

T38.45 posted:

Have a ND555 at home for demo. Will sell my LP12 (almost Klimax level) and all my 900 records and DAC and streamer to get the funding. Enough said.

You could consider ripping the albums, then you can playbthem in perpetuity. (OF course, some could have a higher secondhand value than buying downloads or CDs to rip).

Hi T38.45,

I arrived at that conclusion a few years ago ( to move to streaming and sell all the Vinyl as the storage for such is a pain when you have 15,000+ LP's ) BUT I still haven't gotten around to selling them even though I have move countries in the interim ,the LP's are still in storage .I just have a small niggle that I may regret the 45 years of collecting music I know a lot will never be available on digital ,which means purchasing another TT to rip the albums AARGH I just don't know ,One part of me says free up all that money and live it up the other part is reluctant.

RussR posted:

Innocent Bystander posted:

T38.45 posted:

Have a ND555 at home for demo. Will sell my LP12 (almost Klimax level) and all my 900 records and DAC and streamer to get the funding. Enough said.

You could consider ripping the albums, then you can playbthem in perpetuity. (OF course, some could have a higher secondhand value than buying downloads or CDs to rip).

Hi T38.45,

I arrived at that conclusion a few years ago ( to move to streaming and sell all the Vinyl as the storage for such is a pain when you have 15,000+ LP's ) BUT I still haven't gotten around to selling them even though I have move countries in the interim ,the LP's are still in storage .I just have a small niggle that I may regret the 45 years of collecting music I know a lot will never be available on digital ,which means purchasing another TT to rip the albums AARGH I just don't know ,One part of me says free up all that money and live it up the other part is reluctant.

Just let it stand a bit longer, and review again you emotion in six months from now. It’s indeed a pity to throw something away when you have collected so long. I also have a rather large collection on cd and don’t feel like selling, giving it away......, and I do have tripple backup’s of them in Flac...

Bert Schurink posted:

RussR posted:

Innocent Bystander posted:

T38.45 posted:

Have a ND555 at home for demo. Will sell my LP12 (almost Klimax level) and all my 900 records and DAC and streamer to get the funding. Enough said.

You could consider ripping the albums, then you can playbthem in perpetuity. (OF course, some could have a higher secondhand value than buying downloads or CDs to rip).

Hi T38.45,

I arrived at that conclusion a few years ago ( to move to streaming and sell all the Vinyl as the storage for such is a pain when you have 15,000+ LP's ) BUT I still haven't gotten around to selling them even though I have move countries in the interim ,the LP's are still in storage .I just have a small niggle that I may regret the 45 years of collecting music I know a lot will never be available on digital ,which means purchasing another TT to rip the albums AARGH I just don't know ,One part of me says free up all that money and live it up the other part is reluctant.

Just let it stand a bit longer, and review again you emotion in six months from now. It’s indeed a pity to throw something away when you have collected so long. I also have a rather large collection on cd and don’t feel like selling, giving it away......, and I do have tripple backup’s of them in Flac...

Hi Bert,

Yes I agree with that it part again, the big but is the around 9000 CD's I have again not as big an issue as the vinyl but having only about 1500 cd's ripped so far there is a lot to do when moving format ,you have done well to have it all ripped and backed up.

I would never want to be unable to play the music I like, and if it was good enough to spend money on an album that puts it in that category, with very few albums that I bought over the years falling truly by the wayside. So I ripped all my albums before disposing of my TT - and it was actually a great exercise , going through and, other than those that I had already duplicated with CD, or were so worn that I decided to replacement (and available), playing every album I had bar maybe a dozen that I decided I’d never play again. 

But then I cannot comprehend a collection as big as 15,000! I don’tthink I could find that much music I could like! 10,000 hours to play it all - if played for the entirety of every normal waking day that would take 2 years to get through, so that minimum time the rip, which would be a bit of a chore! To me that would seem to have become a collection in its own right, quite apart from the music, so your reluctance to dispose is related to that rather than the music content, so in terms of ripping or buying digital replacements I suggest that the thing to consider is just which albums you really will want to play again (an recognising that realistically playing the lot is unlikely ever to happen!).

How long does it take to listen to 15,000 LPs and 9,000 CDs? It seems like a lot. Around 6 years, at 8 hours every day, by my estimate. More, if you play the ones you like more than once ????

Mike Sullivan posted:

How long does it take to listen to 15,000 LPs and 9,000 CDs? It seems like a lot. Around 6 years, at 8 hours every day, by my estimate. More, if you play the ones you like more than once ????

That is an incredible collection. I have about 1500 CDs ripped to my UnitiCore and stored in boxes upstairs. I thought it was a decent collection. “It is nothing” compared to 15000 LPs & 9000 CDs . That would take up a lot of hard drive space.  How Long have you been collecting music ? 

Pcd posted:

Darke Bear posted:

Gazza posted:

I wonder Dark Bear if your ND555 has arrived, installed and burning in or are you still waiting.

Still waiting.
But I was expecting it at the end of the month and we are not half-way through it yet so no surprise.
I'm told Naim are still battling with the Casework gnomes to get the required finish-quality and the Melco is apparently caught-up in a Typhoon on a ship... sigh!

If anything happens I'll report.

DB.

Ordered my ND555 and 555PS on the 16th of August with anticipated delivery of late September they were both installed last Friday ?

Sorry to hear that DB....did not realise you had ordered the Melco. You will have fun when it’s all installed. I hope my nd555 arrives soon after yours though I somehow doubt it.

musicfan51 posted:

Mike Sullivan posted:

How long does it take to listen to 15,000 LPs and 9,000 CDs? It seems like a lot. Around 6 years, at 8 hours every day, by my estimate. More, if you play the ones you like more than once ????

That is an incredible collection. I have about 1500 CDs ripped to my UnitiCore and stored in boxes upstairs. I thought it was a decent collection. “It is nothing” compared to 15000 LPs & 9000 CDs . That would take up a lot of hard drive space.  How Long have you been collecting music ? 

It’s [@mention:49577343851629449], not me. I’ve 442 albums in my Core, ripped from my CDs, about 200 LPs, collected over 35 years.

Hi guys,

I will just put this in context so you can understand where I'm coming from.

I started my vinyl journey in 1973 buying DSOTM not really knowing the music but as an 8 year old the cover was amazing ,then when I heard the music I was in a dream. Many years later 1989-90 I moved on from a Ariston RD11s grace arm and Denon 304 mc to a Linn LP12 Aro Troika which lasted until it was stolen about 6 years later .A change to valve gear and a Statosphere TT Graham arm Transfiguration MC cart was next and more solid state amps etc from 2000 - 2011 when I lost all my hifi in some rather large Eartquakes that destroyed my home but luckily the record and CD collection survived ,that was the time I moved to streaming and put the vinyl into storage as a cartridge doesn't track a record well at all when you are getting after shocks in the region of 5 on the richter scale!!!!!!!!!!!!

I accumulated a lot of vinyl from friends whose collections  had sat idle after the EQ's and decided streaming was the way forward for them so around 4-5 thousand LP's were sourced then and a friend who had terminal cancer gave me many unopened unplayed  LP's ,That is one of the reasons for the hard decision to part with vinyl.

A friend who has recently moved to streaming and has jumped in boots and all with a dual computer dedicated software IFI DSD pro dac and pre valve  in one into Plinius SA250MK4  as mono blocs( 1800  watts into 4 Ohms)!!!! and Martin Logan ESL15A  speakers  he has a huge collection of CD's and 8 TB hard drive FULL of music ripped ,I feel lazy when I see what he has achieved ,and this system is a very capable one like a telescope of very refined music with a big punch.

But getting back to the vinyl I have not played any of it for what is now nearly 8 years so I guess another 6 months is neither here nor there, The other reason for moving the vinyl is it seems selfish to have all of it and not be using it when many would get so much pleasure from them.

RussR posted:

Hi guys,

I will just put this in context so you can understand where I'm coming from.

I started my vinyl journey in 1973 buying DSOTM not really knowing the music but as an 8 year old the cover was amazing ,then when I heard the music I was in a dream. Many years later 1989-90 I moved on from a Ariston RD11s grace arm and Denon 304 mc to a Linn LP12 Aro Troika which lasted until it was stolen about 6 years later .A change to valve gear and a Statosphere TT Graham arm Transfiguration MC cart was next and more solid state amps etc from 2000 - 2011 when I lost all my hifi in some rather large Eartquakes that destroyed my home but luckily the record and CD collection survived ,that was the time I moved to streaming and put the vinyl into storage as a cartridge doesn't track a record well at all when you are getting after shocks in the region of 5 on the richter scale!!!!!!!!!!!!

I accumulated a lot of vinyl from friends whose collections  had sat idle after the EQ's and decided streaming was the way forward for them so around 4-5 thousand LP's were sourced then and a friend who had terminal cancer gave me many unopened unplayed  LP's ,That is one of the reasons for the hard decision to part with vinyl.

A friend who has recently moved to streaming and has jumped in boots and all with a dual computer dedicated software IFI DSD pro dac and pre valve  in one into Plinius SA250MK4  as mono blocs( 1800  watts into 4 Ohms)!!!! and Martin Logan ESL15A  speakers  he has a huge collection of CD's and 8 TB hard drive FULL of music ripped ,I feel lazy when I see what he has achieved ,and this system is a very capable one like a telescope of very refined music with a big punch.

But getting back to the vinyl I have not played any of it for what is now nearly 8 years so I guess another 6 months is neither here nor there, The other reason for moving the vinyl is it seems selfish to have all of it and not be using it when many would get so much pleasure from them.

Thanks for sharing, that’s a humbling journey to hear. I’m a few years younger, The Wall was my high school fix to rock, though I had been around DSOTM and the great English rock of the 70’s thanks to an older brother. Im glad you found a good new home are the quakes, those were hard times I’m sure.

As I sold my vinly, well...yes...that was a hard part for me...collected wax more than 30 years! I hunted for all Sonic Youth, Michael Franks, Daniel Lanois, Lambchop, Stereolab, Calexico, Rubinstein etc....some of those records are still not available on flac. But what I can say now, after few days with ND555 on demo? This streamer is quite special in every way.

I was afraid of humming CD555 PSU- well, dead quiet, nada! Does it play flac, dsd, aiff without a clitch? Yes- it does it all! And roon? 2 clicks- done! Digital input via mac mini? Excellent!
I'm not a native english speaker, but let me explain why I do not regret selling my vinly! The ND555 sounds like (that comes in my mind): endgame, you are there, the authority, a rock in sea thing. The soundstage (3D not flat) is deep, the tunes are full bodied and have substance. The musicians are razor sharp clear... Even shitty mp3 sounds like 3-star-dinner. I was shocked how deep (!) a bass can be- so if you're in the situation of buying a new pre-amp or speaker: DON't do it without listening a ND555! I swear my bass is 2-3 octaves deeper in my current setup! You must hear piano recordings, voices or baroque music with that streamer....breath-taking!

...to sum it up :-) Kudos to Naim- this is a statment!

T38.45 posted:

...to sum it up :-) Kudos to Naim- this is a statment!

That's a sore point!!

Hi Mike,

Thankyou for the kind words.

The Wall was a favourite songs like "young lust' appeared  to  strike a note in a pubescent lad ,great stuff followed on with bands like Robin Trower  I loved that Blues rock stuff, but then I just wanted to hear all types of music , I mean how far from PF could you get than Antiphonie Blues comprising of  just a saxophone and an Organ recorded in a church? So that is one of the major reasons I collected so many albums ,not because I like them all but I always seem to find something on any album I like .One Album I have that I haven't found on CD and would love to get digitally is Johnny  Adams "Room with a view of the Blues" it may be available now I think it was on Rounder Records but as the LP collection is a couple of thousand miles away I can't check.Classical is easy to get and I have a very good friend who is a recording engineer in NZ and he records prolifically so Classical music is well served and available via the internet.

T38.45

I am happy for you the ND555 seems to be all you hoped for ,I would like to hear it some day as I did lust to hear the Statement amp and travelled half way around the world to hear it 3 years ago along with the NDS and 2 x 555PS in Denver Colorado hosted by a delightful Doug Graham (nice chap) I had meet him back in  New Zealand only a few weeks prior. I mentioned to Doug that I had purchased a Linn KDS/1 in June 2011 and the NDS was released early 2012 if I remember correctly .My KDS now Katalyst which was a big upgrade has kept me happy until now but I would like to hear the ND555 one day I'm sure it is very good enjoy.

We stored our vinyl. Only about 4000 LPs, so a decent collection but not huge. We won't sell it. It means too much to us. The children/grandchildren can do as they see fit with it. 

The ND555 delivery situation may have changed. I'm no longer in that loop. At the beginning of this month they were running one week ahead of schedule and it took just under a month.

Pcd posted:

Darke Bear posted:

Gazza posted:

I wonder Dark Bear if your ND555 has arrived, installed and burning in or are you still waiting.

Still waiting.
But I was expecting it at the end of the month and we are not half-way through it yet so no surprise.
I'm told Naim are still battling with the Casework gnomes to get the required finish-quality and the Melco is apparently caught-up in a Typhoon on a ship... sigh!

If anything happens I'll report.

DB.

Ordered my ND555 and 555PS on the 16th of August with anticipated delivery of late September they were both installed last Friday ?

I ordered mine on 28th August (I think) and was told ~6 weeks delivery time, which means it should appear just a few weeks after I get my NSP500 back with the DR upgrade. However, with the apparently shorter delivery times that some are reporting for the ND555, I suppose there’s a possibility (and risk to my cash flow) that they’ll both turn up together. 

I'm with you T38.45, excellent description of the ND555 listening experience.  And on the vinyl side too, but I've let mine go. Some of it had been with me 54 years.  I thought of leaving it to the descendants to use as they wished but then realised how much work there is in shipping the LPs to new lives and places in which they will be loved. It's taken most of the summer to sort and move the collection to a knowing buyer. The family can inherit the good Naim kit the record selling is funding, second PS and all. ND expected today.

The vinyl sound I had was wonderful and I don't expect the ND555 to replicate it but offer me something else all together. More comment upcoming.

agreed! ND555 doesn't sound like vinyl...it sounds different ( really outstanding;-))

Gone quiet in chez Dave Marshall. Wonder why?

nigelb posted:

Gone quiet in chez Dave Marshall. Wonder why?

Nigel, he is probably having that Burndy moment ?

nigelb posted:

Gone quiet in chez Dave Marshall. Wonder why?

He must be depressed and sad because of the bad sounding nd555.  He regrets his nds now.

nigelb posted:

Gone quiet in chez Dave Marshall. Wonder why?

Helloooooooo, everybodypeeps!!!!!!!

Been offline for a while, had more pressing matters to attend to .

Well, what is there to say that hasn't already been mentioned by others on here?

The ND 555 has been playing continuously here since my dealer arrived this morning to install it, and ................ Wow, just, Wow............ and, according to my dealer, it will continue to improve over the next few weeks.

Much as I loved the sound of my NDS, this just leaves it in the dust ................ the musicians / singers are "present in the room" to a much greater extent than was previously the case ............. I'm having to supply them with tea and Hobnobs.

Make no mistake about it, do not demo this beast unless you are prepared to splash the cash, as I would imagine very few folks would be able to send it back, having once heard it.

Saying that, any current NDS owners ought to be able to get very advantageous trade-ins from their regular dealers, which, for me, considerably lessened the financial pain.

So, to sum things up, Naim have excelled themselves with the ND 555, and you owe it to yourselves to at least have a listen to one, subject to my caveat above.

(You listening, Nigel?)