ND555 Impressions

Ah yes. I remember that now you say it. If it has gone it's a shame. I seldom used it but it was very welcome when I needed to. Seems odd that that the big, high resolution, colour screen would have such a basic function removed from it. A FW modification might address this in the future.

Yes, it seems like an odd decision to introduce a fancy new Zigbee remote and colour screen, yet not have it controlling what is, for most, the input we use most, if not all of the time. Looking at the buttons on the remote, it doesn’t appear that there is future provision to add this back, but who knows. 

Indeed, Zigbee is such a powerful wireless low power short distance access technology it seems strange it has hardly been taken advantage of.. Zigbee could let you download the album art to the remote efficiently as well if you wanted... so the remote could become an alternative dedicated low power access point independent of the home users Wifi network ... perhaps a future development with an optional enhanced remote...but agree it should do the basics now.

Harry - you seem to have other options than me. I dont have upnp but for instance spotify which I never use (have tidal). Then there should be some way of configuring the frontscreen when we have different options. Was this standard when u got it?

esp my wife likes the idea of not using the app/phone as we are trying to lower devices in the home...

lars

Our kids do not have free reign to use iPads etc, so they are now unable to play music without asking for our help (shame). They are  wondering what the heck I did getting rid of the NDS!

robbo posted:

Our kids do not have free reign to use iPads etc, so they are now unable to play music without asking for our help (shame). They are  wondering what the heck I did getting rid of the NDS!

Ah, but are they able to appreciate the improvement in SQ as a result of the upgrade?

Well not if Robbo’s children now can’t get it to play any music........ and I totally support controlling iPad ( and any smart phone/ tablet  device)  with children.... especially with some of the new mental health evidence starting to appear...

LarsDK posted:

Harry - you seem to have other options than me. I dont have upnp but for instance spotify which I never use (have tidal). Then there should be some way of configuring the frontscreen when we have different options. Was this standard when u got it?

esp my wife likes the idea of not using the app/phone as we are trying to lower devices in the home...

lars

When the ND555 was set up the app displayed all the inputs on the home screen. I went into the Input Settings - Input Enabled menu to disable those which we don't use - which is most of them. The Chromecast icon can't be hidden. Irritating but not the end of the world. 

I've just checked this operation on one of our MuSos and it seems that  the inputs cannot be configured like this. Which is very irritating indeed, although you soon mentally blank out the padding.

Just listening to a ensemble with a kind of Big Band Sound. The ND555 is so incredibly good in nailing that rhythm and pace, amazing...

robbo posted:

Our kids do not have free reign to use iPads etc, so they are now unable to play music without asking for our help (shame). They are  wondering what the heck I did getting rid of the NDS!

We can exchange if you want, I have the nds

I can live with the kids moaning. Not sure, having  got used to it, i’d want to live without the way the ND555 grabs my speakers by the scruff of the neck and shows them who’s boss. If I didn’t know I’d swear an additional power amp had been slotted in.

robbo posted:

On the NDS I could see the list of albums etc on the player’s front screen, and was able to select these tracks directly via the remote. We used this a lot so sorry to see this feature has seemingly gone.

Totally agree I use this allot....and will miss it...what were Naim thinking....doh

Richieroo posted:

robbo posted:

On the NDS I could see the list of albums etc on the player’s front screen, and was able to select these tracks directly via the remote. We used this a lot so sorry to see this feature has seemingly gone.

Totally agree I use this allot....and will miss it...what were Naim thinking....doh

Maybe I’m missing something here, but surely trying to navigate a collection of several thousand albums through such a primitive screen cannot be efficient?

Just posted some photos of my ND555 install today over in ‘System Pics’.  Here’s my system now with the new Fraim shelving and streamer;

System sounding awesome, even though ND555 is straight out of the box and the system has been stripped down and cleaned!

Back to the music......

ATB.  George.

David O'Higgins posted:

Richieroo posted:

robbo posted:

On the NDS I could see the list of albums etc on the player’s front screen, and was able to select these tracks directly via the remote. We used this a lot so sorry to see this feature has seemingly gone.

Totally agree I use this allot....and will miss it...what were Naim thinking....doh

Maybe I’m missing something here, but surely trying to navigate a collection of several thousand albums through such a primitive screen cannot be efficient?

 

It was efficient enough. You could type in the first alphabet of the album on the remote and get there. I hate looking for my phone to change music.

In fact, without that feature, there's not much point IMHO in having a screen at all. There's not much one can do with the remote.

David O'Higgins posted:

Richieroo posted:

robbo posted:

On the NDS I could see the list of albums etc on the player’s front screen, and was able to select these tracks directly via the remote. We used this a lot so sorry to see this feature has seemingly gone.

Totally agree I use this allot....and will miss it...what were Naim thinking....doh

Maybe I’m missing something here, but surely trying to navigate a collection of several thousand albums through such a primitive screen cannot be efficient?

 

Have to agree with you there, since, in my case, the listening position is too far away to readily read the details on the screen.

In fact, early tales of not being able to switch off the screen had me quite worried until I worked out how it was done, as I have always much preferred a darkened music room with only the subdued glow of the Naim logos.

« In fact, without that feature, there's not much point IMHO in having a screen at all. There's not much one can do with the remote »

Conpletely aagree...

GeeJay posted:

Just posted some photos of my ND555 install today over in ‘System Pics’.  Here’s my system now with the new Fraim shelving and streamer;

System sounding awesome, even though ND555 is straight out of the box and the system has been stripped down and cleaned!

Back to the music......

ATB.  George.

Gorgeous--Love the Cherry and silver Fraim.  I am waiting for same.  Love the simple top shelf with only the glass plate.  Can't wait for the ND555 due later in the month.

Bailyhill

Completely agree mangomonkey! That is also why I am quite surpriced about this

GeeJay posted:

Just posted some photos of my ND555 install today over in ‘System Pics’.  Here’s my system now with the new Fraim shelving and streamer;

System sounding awesome, even though ND555 is straight out of the box and the system has been stripped down and cleaned!

Back to the music......

ATB.  George.

Where do you keep the Core?

Michael_B. posted

Where do you keep the Core?

Many thanks Michael - yes, the Core is kept in the study, separate from the main system in the music room. We had the whole house wired with Ethernet cabling (most rooms have multiple sockets) a number of years ago, and that makes it easy to connect it all together.  I’ve only just got the Core, and recently upgraded from a Unitiserve SSD. Apart from a few software niggles and lack of FLAC transcoding (coming soon, I’m assured), I’m getting on fine with it.

ATB. George.

If an external DAC was connected to an ND 555 would it appear within the screen menu as a selectable item or would it be necessary to make software set up changes to select an external DAC rather than the internal DAC?

Re the display menu, just read this on the homepage. Seems like its only spotify, radio and usb that is available. It says xplicitly that upnp requires use of the app. I am really expecting a FW update here. For me, not using usb or spotify as they are inferior sources for nd555, effectively can only use remote and display to browse between the 3-4 different radio stations we listen to. This is quite a dissapointment if not corrected. Br Lars

https://www.naimaudio.com/product/nd-555

Go to support, see play music using remote.

Beyond me why there is a screen at all.... and as for the 4 ugly buttons (wot no touch screen?)

Can only imagine that there’s a plan to make all this make sense at some future point. As for now we’ll just keep listening

I just had THE first problem with my ND555 - i had THE music from 2l in 384hz which according to the specs should work however every so many seconds the music stops to resume to the next section. So perhaps forced to downsample to 192, kind of a dissapointment ....