ND555 Impressions

Unless you really need it, just turn the display off it’ll sound better.

musicfan51 posted:

Darke Bear posted:

...another 'feature-fault' - the ND555 display is stuck on a picture of Gregorian Chant album now, no matter what else I select!
The App shows the correct Album picture, but the ND555 is the one that is 'stuck'.

A nice picture, but if it does not clear and show the actual playing album artwork or even the default blank 'music' symbol then not a good sign.

DB.

Yes , that happened to me . Reboot by unplugging 555DR power supply,  plugging back in and it will work again . 

 

Known fault on Uniti series, but has not happened on my Nova for 6 months or so despite any update that I know to fix this fault.

Thanks for feedback info!

I will at some point - but please Naim - fix this!

I say at some point as the App will get upset when the 'Room' disappears and I have to go through re-registration again!

DB.

Jonn posted:

Unless you really need it, just turn the display off it’ll sound better.

I like the display feature. Turning it off does not fix the fault - just hides it and is not acceptable for me.
Turning off the WiFi and running wired made a bigger difference, which is why I do it in part.

DB.

Within the App DB is a feedback button.....best to use as they seldom pick up comments on the forum.

Darke Bear posted:

Jonn posted:

Unless you really need it, just turn the display off it’ll sound better.

I like the display feature. Turning it off does not fix the fault - just hides it and is not acceptable for me.
Turning off the WiFi and running wired made a bigger difference, which is why I do it in part.

DB.

DB, I reported this to Naim a couple of weeks ago mine has frozen on several occasions and you have to power down the 555PS to clear the fault it has only happened when using it in UPnP mode never when using the IRadio.

At the time I believe I was the only Beta Tester person with a ND555, Naim sent instructions to run the ND555 in remote diagnostic mode they have download the info and are looking into this problem.

When the screen freezes again I have to contact them and they will download the latest information to see what is happening.

Ironically the screen has not frozen in the last week or so sods law I suppose.

Will have to wait and see what happens?

The feedback button disappeared when Naim dropped me from the Core beta group.

I’ll have to look into DBpoweramp, I have a copy of exact audio copy but never really got the hang of it and the Core made ripping easy so I never looked any further. Presumably poweramp will have a FAQ that tells me about tabs in wav files. 

It would be handy to be able to switch the app’s attension from 555 to core without having to put the 555 in standby but if there’s a way I haven’t found it.

I may be imagining it but it seems the app is less stable since the last apple OS update.

I re-booted - just turning off at the ND555 switch did not do it, but via the 555PS did.

I then 'beamed' a track to it via Twonky server and that worked fine, while I was re-registering the App for the twelfth time or so. It is all back to working again as it was before. Nice to know the 'fix' and it is something others have seen.

I'm enjoying the music from the unit and only raising these observed problems in the spirit of trying to further improve the pruduct I've just decided to buy-into. The basic performance musically has it all, but the App needs a bit more evolution to remove these remaining problems - and it seems the ND555 firmware needs a fix to resolve the occasional screen-freezes.

DB.

Bert Schurink posted:

After all the praise of the sound of this fantastic machine, some huge dissapointment about the app. It get’s really annoying if you are faced with issues every time you use the machine....

1. Multiple times a day you can’t use the app, and you are forced to swipe it away and start new.

2. Multiples times a day it comes on the room selection screen. I only have the ND555 in this network, and it happens when being busy with selecting something new or searching something new.

3. You can’t select a direct move back to your server if you have been listening to Tidal. When you click on the server it always switches back to Tidal. And the only way to achieve the result without newly starting the app is to push multiple times the back button and cancel selections, to get back to your original selection before you started your Tidal session. 

 

So all in all a disgrace for such a high quality streamer.

Just go to Roon, and forget the heartache!

One thing I'm noticing - back to music again - is that male vocal is done very well indeed. I'm usually not a big fan of male vocal and have mainly female-vocal music, which is also done very well - why I got it!

But I'm noticing that subtle meaning in timing of male vocal on both Gregorian chant and and early Dire Straits album caught my attention and drew me into the song that I'd previously never noticed. The LF is very cleanly rendered with the ND555 with two supplies and I think it helps.

As to the two vs one 555PS - personal taste is fine as my take on preference. I auditioned one supply and quickly had to move to two as if you have been running with two supplies for many years like me (with my CD555) the things missing hit you in the face and it was a relief to get them back.

DB.

Darke Bear posted:

One thing I'm noticing - back to music again - is that male vocal is done very well indeed. I'm usually not a big fan of male vocal and have mainly female-vocal music, which is also done very well - why I got it!

But I'm noticing that subtle meaning in timing of male vocal on both Gregorian chant and and early Dire Straits album caught my attention and drew me into the song that I'd previously never noticed. The LF is very cleanly rendered with the ND555 with two supplies and I think it helps.

As to the two vs one 555PS - personal taste is fine as my take on preference. I auditioned one supply and quickly had to move to two as if you have been running with two supplies for many years like me (with my CD555) the things missing hit you in the face and it was a relief to get them back.

DB.

The one power supply vs two power supply could be system dependent!  Or just the ears of the owners . I would think two would sound better but keep hearing many do not prefer it. 

Darke Bear posted:

One thing I'm noticing - back to music again - is that male vocal is done very well indeed. I'm usually not a big fan of male vocal and have mainly female-vocal music, which is also done very well - why I got it!

But I'm noticing that subtle meaning in timing of male vocal on both Gregorian chant and and early Dire Straits album caught my attention and drew me into the song that I'd previously never noticed. The LF is very cleanly rendered with the ND555 with two supplies and I think it helps.

As to the two vs one 555PS - personal taste is fine as my take on preference. I auditioned one supply and quickly had to move to two as if you have been running with two supplies for many years like me (with my CD555) the things missing hit you in the face and it was a relief to get them back.

DB.

Dark Bear, you are listening to early Dire Straits on your nd555.   Is it different from the same album on lp, on your lp12?    Which one do you prefer, for listening to “ old” albums which were made on lp first?     The nd555 can compete with a top lp12 for analog recordings?    I hope to be enough clear....

Darke Bear posted:

One thing I'm noticing - back to music again - is that male vocal is done very well indeed. I'm usually not a big fan of male vocal and have mainly female-vocal music, which is also done very well - why I got it!

But I'm noticing that subtle meaning in timing of male vocal on both Gregorian chant and and early Dire Straits album caught my attention and drew me into the song that I'd previously never noticed. The LF is very cleanly rendered with the ND555 with two supplies and I think it helps.

As to the two vs one 555PS - personal taste is fine as my take on preference. I auditioned one supply and quickly had to move to two as if you have been running with two supplies for many years like me (with my CD555) the things missing hit you in the face and it was a relief to get them back.

DB.

I completely agree Darke Bear. Once you have taken 2 power supplies on board, you can’t go back. 

D.

The very first 'Dire Straits' album I have on Vinyl when it released - and a very early CD release. The release version is very important, as the later remasters can be awful and remove almost all of what I like about the early group. I like them in their early albums more than when they became more successful and I found the music went away from what I initially liked - honest non-inflated Egos back then - better for many later but not me.

As to which is better - I'd not like to say, other than I'd think the ND555 will give the top-level Vinyl replay owner something to think about - if the CD ripped is an early pre-1999 one. Otherwise Vinyl will be far better as the later masters will be thick, heavy and dull with all life sucked-out - which is what we are meant to sustain ourselves on these days, but not me!

DB.

Darke Bear posted:

The very first 'Dire Straits' album I have on Vinyl when it released - and a very early CD release. The release version is very important, as the later remasters can be awful and remove almost all of what I like about the early group. I like them in their early albums more than when they became more successful and I found the music went away from what I initially liked - honest non-inflated Egos back then - better for many later but not me.

As to which is better - I'd not like to say, other than I'd think the ND555 will give the top-level Vinyl replay owner something to think about - if the CD ripped is an early pre-1999 one. Otherwise Vinyl will be far better as the later masters will be thick, heavy and dull with all life sucked-out - which is what we are meant to sustain ourselves on these days, but not me!

DB.

I see on your profile that you use very rarely your lp12/ekos/archiv.   Even with your last cd555, you were rarely listening to lps?  

That is where I reached with the CD555. Before that I was almost 'Vinyl-only' man and could be easy persuaded that CD and things digital were not capable of delivering what I wanted - it took many years before I heard anything begin to do that right. The CD555 did enough better that I found I was just not being tempted back to play Vinyl.

For sure Vinyl did some things very well and possibly 'better' but it definitely also did some things worse and it was getting tough to accept the differences for me, so I just found I used it less. I still have the Vinyl replay system but it is frozen in time at the best available of ten years or so ago and I will eventually get it rebuilt to rip some music I can't get decent copies of on CD or otherwise.

I run the Vinyl through the system a few weeks ago and it gives a nice big sound and is very beautiful, but just different and in many areas a lot worse than the CD555 was - and the ND555 seems to be raising that bar farther and dong some more or the things the Vinyl did in terms of immediacy and crispness.

I'm not a 'better-worse' person as I find things have many facets that rarely align everywhere, so it is just that more aspects of the digital replay are falling into line and the temptation to go back to Vinyl - for me - is very diminished, but I respect and understand it being otherwise for others.

DB.

yeti42 posted:

I’ll have to look into DBpoweramp, I have a copy of exact audio copy but never really got the hang of it and the Core made ripping easy so I never looked any further. Presumably poweramp will have a FAQ that tells me about tabs in wav files. 

You can ask on here also. Plenty of wisdom and practical experience. We'll look after you.

Thanks you Dark Bear for sharing all your impressions.  Very interesting.   I hope the app problems will be fix for you.    For myself, I will, when possible, buy the nd555.  But I  don’t think I will sell my turntable.  Can’t say never....

David O'Higgins posted:

Bert Schurink posted:

After all the praise of the sound of this fantastic machine, some huge dissapointment about the app. It get’s really annoying if you are faced with issues every time you use the machine....

1. Multiple times a day you can’t use the app, and you are forced to swipe it away and start new.

2. Multiples times a day it comes on the room selection screen. I only have the ND555 in this network, and it happens when being busy with selecting something new or searching something new.

3. You can’t select a direct move back to your server if you have been listening to Tidal. When you click on the server it always switches back to Tidal. And the only way to achieve the result without newly starting the app is to push multiple times the back button and cancel selections, to get back to your original selection before you started your Tidal session. 

 

So all in all a disgrace for such a high quality streamer.

Just go to Roon, and forget the heartache!

I don’t know how that should solve the issues I mentioned, as I am not experiencing them with my Muso....

yeti42 posted:

I may be imagining it but it seems the app is less stable since the last apple OS update.

Agree - must have rebooted the entire network three or four times since the last update (sigh), I'm sure it will be resolved in time. But, credit where credit is due, the new version of the app is so much snappier and faster than the the last incarnation when browsing and selecting music via UPnP. 

Back on topic for the 555 converts...

Latest 'problem' - the App navigation bottom pop-up song navigation panel bar has got itself stuck to 'Ready' and won't show tracks or allow the 'start and stop' feature to deploy.

Other than this the App is working in playing Albums and showing Artworks. Anyone else seen this and know how to clear it? On-off on the front panel ND555 does not do it.

I have to use the remote to stop play as that feature is in the panel that is stuck on 'Ready'.

DB.

DB are you using a apple or android mobile or iPad for the App. Have you tried switching iPad or phone off, then back on? I get mine tomorrow so will let you know if I get similar issues.

Re-starting the iPad and App cleared the problem.

I'm using iPad min IOS12.

Other than these App foibles it is sounding very nice today - smoother in a good way.

I swapped the Burndies for the new ones that came with it, as I've use my old well run-in CD555 ones that are otherwise identical. I wanted to hear if there was any difference and I'm preferring the new lead as being a bit crisper in a good way so far.

Small difference though - and in other ways the old lead is doing very low-level details a bit better. Need to choose which set to keep today.

...on further listening I'm feeling the urge to put the old leads back in.

DB.

Old run-in Burndies back in and relief - much better. I'll keep the old leads, as no point spending weeks and months running-in the new set.

Always need to try these things and not presume 'new is better' - the new leads are nice and clean-looking and have coloured bands of one red and two green ID ends, compared to the old white bands.

Initial impression was of greater clarity, then the feeling that everything was more edgy and subtle low-level detail was not as good.

DB.