ND555 Impressions

I finally got around to doing it this week. Easy when you discover how to do it - as explained above.

Hi thanks for info on display .... does this switch off shut down the whole display or just the artwork????

Richieroo posted:

Hi thanks for info on display .... does this switch off shut down the whole display or just the artwork????

Just switches off the artwork press the illumination button on the remote to dim or switch off the button lights.

If you press the illumination button this will show the artwork for a brief moment or double clicking the clock button will do likewise

i attended a Nintronics/Naim Audio ND555/NDX2 event around lunch time today. Nintronics are a few minutes walk from my house! and I didn't actually know they had such large premises with seriously acoustic treated dem rooms.

I wasn't interested in NDX2 so I spent some time in the ND555/one 555PS/552/500 and a pair of Marten Coltrane 3s speakers (i think, never heard of these)  -- apparently around £60K! Martens are made in Sweden.

Not sure I came out of the demo with a definitive idea of what the ND555 is about. But I doubt that has anything to do with the ND555 itself. It was really the unfamiliarity of the whole setup that made it a bit hard to relax into it. The listening room had quite a few acoustic panels here and there -- so I guess the general acoustic was also quite unfamiliar.

But I could tell there was 'something' in this streamer when we played Eva Cassidy's "Fields of Gold" -- when I picked up much more obvious fragile emotion from her voice. On a Jazz track -- I felt the high hats were much more "real" and the rest of the percussion was very full and, yes, rather more 'tuneful'

I guess i could have acclimatised to the acoustic but unfortunately ran out of time as I have other errands to run today. But I think, like other folk here, one can only really assess this streamer properly in a home dem - at some point -- where the number of unfamiliar variables influence is minimized/eliminated.

Meantime, i'll slum it with my much humbler NDS, which I don't think is sounding at all bad right now...

(not a very good picture, but you get the general idea...)

enjoy/ken

That's the thing about unfamiliar rooms. It took us a few years to be able to predict what was worth perusing further based on how it sounded in our dealer's room. You can never be certain until you hear something at home, but a working memory of a dealer's dem room helps. If you could hear something insightful and fascinating from an unknown system in an alien room, you are probably on to something.

ken c posted:

 

enjoy/ken

 

I have just realised that the cables behind my rack are rather tidily arranged after all!

ken c posted:

i attended a Nintronics/Naim Audio ND555/NDX2 event around lunch time today. Nintronics are a few minutes walk from my house! and I didn't actually know they had such large premises with seriously acoustic treated dem rooms.

I wasn't interested in NDX2 so I spent some time in the ND555/one 555PS/552/500 and a pair of Marten Coltrane 3s speakers (i think, never heard of these)  -- apparently around £60K! Martens are made in Sweden.

Not sure I came out of the demo with a definitive idea of what the ND555 is about. But I doubt that has anything to do with the ND555 itself. It was really the unfamiliarity of the whole setup that made it a bit hard to relax into it. The listening room had quite a few acoustic panels here and there -- so I guess the general acoustic was also quite unfamiliar.

But I could tell there was 'something' in this streamer when we played Eva Cassidy's "Fields of Gold" -- when I picked up much more obvious fragile emotion from her voice. On a Jazz track -- I felt the high hats were much more "real" and the rest of the percussion was very full and, yes, rather more 'tuneful'

I guess i could have acclimatised to the acoustic but unfortunately ran out of time as I have other errands to run today. But I think, like other folk here, one can only really assess this streamer properly in a home dem - at some point -- where the number of unfamiliar variables influence is minimized/eliminated.

Meantime, i'll slum it with my much humbler NDS, which I don't think is sounding at all bad right now...

(not a very good picture, but you get the general idea...)

 

enjoy/ken

 

I've never heard of those speakers, either.  Given the demo was of the 500 series I was also a bit curious about the rack the dealer chose to use. I don't recognise it. Why would a Naim dealer not use full-fat Fraim, I wonder?

Clive B posted:

ken c posted:

 

enjoy/ken

 

I have just realised that the cables behind my rack are rather tidily arranged after all!

What kind of cables are those?

Bailyhill

I so want  to be No 2000th post!!!

Are the speakers on shopping trolley wheels?

hungryhalibut posted:

Are the speakers on shopping trolley wheels?

It was probably a Jimmy Hughes recommendation.

Anyone still flushing their toilet before listening to music? I thought that was one of Jimmy's better theories, and not even an April one.

Here’s a question that may tax even the considerable expertise assembled on the forum...

I have 2 sources:

LP12 with a Kore sub-chassis

NDS/555DR

Should my next upgrade be ND555 or Keel ?

kevin J Carden posted:

Here’s a question that may tax even the considerable expertise assembled on the forum...

I have 2 sources:

LP12 with a Kore sub-chassis

NDS/555DR

Should my next upgrade be ND555 or Keel ?

ND555 gets you closer in sound quality to a really good TT. If you have a lot of CDs stored on a NAS that would be the way to go ! Of course if you don’t , and have a ton more Vinyl maybe go the other way . 

Nd555 and superlumina speaker cable 

Kevin, see if you can loan a nd555 for a few days, if it does,not move you....then try the LP12 upgrade.

The ND is easy to demo but leave the magic cables for another time, they’ll only confuse the issue.

My dealer recommended to just use the hiline and standard interconnects which comes with the nd555, let it all burn in, and then decide on superlumina  etc

I think the Kore probably gives you 90% of the performance of the Keel anyway - but the finish on the Keel is nicer! I guess it comes down to which you listen to most often and whether you have more music on LP or ripped CD. I reckon if you go for a ND555 you'll be listening to that a lot more. 

Harry posted:

Anyone still flushing their toilet before listening to music? I thought that was one of Jimmy's better theories, and not even an April one.

I do. Having a pee beforehand allows me to have a longer, more comfortable listening session. 

Harry posted:

Anyone still flushing their toilet before listening to music? I thought that was one of Jimmy's better theories, and not even an April one.

Harry, I gave the fence a spraying of Creocote in the week the ND555 sounds the same but the fence looks lovely!

Hook posted:

Harry posted:

Anyone still flushing their toilet before listening to music? I thought that was one of Jimmy's better theories, and not even an April one.

I do. Having a pee beforehand allows me to have a longer, more comfortable listening session. 

Always the practical answer from Hook!

Hook posted:

Harry posted:

Anyone still flushing their toilet before listening to music? I thought that was one of Jimmy's better theories, and not even an April one.

I do. Having a pee beforehand allows me to have a longer, more comfortable listening session. 

I suppose you chaps blessed with the privacy of your dedicated listening rooms could have a fully uninterrupted listening session...

Gazza posted:

My dealer recommended to just use the hiline and standard interconnects which comes with the nd555, let it all burn in, and then decide on superlumina  etc

I think the super lumina’s are on absolute requirement at this level of replay, otherwise you would limit the ability of the ND555.

Dustysox posted:

I so want  to be No 2000th post!!!

If you want to get to that level you might need to say a couple of words about the comparison with this Hugo or Dave thing, or perhaps the upcoming Peter......, I am sure it will count for an additional 70-100 posts....