ND555 Impressions

Posted by: Bert Schurink on 26 July 2018

The Beast will arrive and will be installed tomorrow morning in my system. So I thought it was a good moment to open up a thread with the fist experiences, also giving others the possibility to share their first impressions with the beast.

I feeel a bit like a little child who has his birthday tomorrow. I assume that even while it will be nice weather during the weekend that I will be a spending a lot of hours with my system.

And as expected my car will not arrive before the ND555.

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by TomSer
Bert Schurink posted:

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 ....

I'm having a similar/same problem with my nDAC.
According to specs, both ND555 and nDAC should be able to read up to 768kHz.
I opened a thread related to that :
https://forums.naimaudio.com/t...n-t-read-hirez-flacs

I was planning to order a ND555 but finally won't until this problem is sorted out... 

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by Michael

As an early adopter of the ND555 it seems I have gone very quiet here. Don’t worry folks I am simply sitting back and enjoying my music on this fabulous piece of kit. Yes the odd app niggle but that will get sorted I am sure. Loving reading all the comments as more of us get the new box.

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by TomSer
Michael posted:

As an early adopter of the ND555 it seems I have gone very quiet here. Don’t worry folks I am simply sitting back and enjoying my music on this fabulous piece of kit. Yes the odd app niggle but that will get sorted I am sure. Loving reading all the comments as more of us get the new box.

Hello Michael,

Do you mind giving this file a try?
http://www.lindberg.no/hires/t...1_FLAC_352k_24b.flac

It's a 24bits/352,8kHz free sample from 2L Records.

It seems that playing this high sample rate files is a problem for both nDAC and ND555 

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by Gazza

I know the feeling Michael....just revisiting my music library, nothing to complain about. Just a beautiful piece of kit.

 

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by cycling66

LARSDK posted -

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

Lars, thank you for this link. Wow, I was not aware of all this information on ND 555 operation. Now I know where to look for the answers to all I need to know. Some reading to do.

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by cycling66

Hi Bert,

have you sampled this on your ND 555? -

Listen to Pillars by Tyshawn Sorey with Qobuz in high quality:

https://open.qobuz.com/album/g9fd11aei2npb

some deep goings on during Pillars lll for sure

 

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by ChrisSU
cycling66 posted:

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?

You just select the digital output in the settings menu, and continue controlling the streamer as normal. 

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by Clive B

Whilst it's most unlikely that I'd be needing to use the very high resolution capability (I have hardly even used 192kHz with my NDS),  but since I have not yet taken delivery of my ND555 I am a little concerned to read that it doesn't meet the advertised spec. Coupled with the issues identified by Darke Bear Gary, I wonder if I should delay receipt until these issues are properly resolved. I must say that a display stalling on an earlier album selection would really irritate me.

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by Gazza

Clive.....I had the screen stall on my Nova, did it about once a week. Then it disappeared. Had the ND555 for about 2 weeks.....faultless, and sounds a dream.

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by Clive B

Thanks, Gazza. That's reassuring, I guess, but I will at least discuss it with my dealer before I part with the hard earned. I just hope all these issues can be resolved through firmware revisions and won't require a product recall.

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by cycling66
ChrisSU posted:
cycling66 posted:

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?

You just select the digital output in the settings menu, and continue controlling the streamer as normal. 

Thank you ChrisSu,

I've got it now I have discovered the ND 555 support page from the link Lars put up. I had no idea all those directions were available until a couple of hours ago.

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by Gazza

I presume the Nova was sorted out via a firmware fix......it was not a big deal. After a while the screen becomes irrelevant and as I sit about 15 feet away, I cannot read the words, just see the artwork. I now turn the ND555 screen off for long sessions......can,t say I can hear a difference in SQ with disabled screen myself, perhaps others can? I know DB was keeping his burnt in burndies, mine are new, so maybe he can detect a difference with no screen?

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by Darke Bear

Still in run-in mode here with mine for week 3. Periods of excellence then some murky-dullness of sheer-sharpness as it continues on the run-in - it is what I expected and got before with other equipment and no worse than expected. I'm somewhat sensitive to all that and in my system, so I won't say a lot more on performance for another week or two when I expect the worst to be cleared. The Dealer demo ND555 that had a couple more months run-in on it sounded sublime with an ethereal spacious quality on a lot of music that mine has not got into yet, although I'm enjoying music on the runs of good performance it has for a few hours before it goes off.

Yes I kept my old Burndy leads as there is no difference apart from the old ones are run-in and sounded ridiculously better than the comparatively brash and brazen new ones - but I'm certain they would have run in over time but I could see no point in doing it. I did ask my Dealer if there was any difference at all between old and new leads and they said none at all as I suspected. The point mentioned about another pin in a previous post was not correct. In fact my Dealer never even tried them with the new leads for weeks and used them with old existing leads and I though the ND555 sounded great.

The App - well I'm now officially on Beta-test team - but told there is no new Beta App for me to test yet, so was advised to keep using the released version until Naim are ready with a new App to test. My first test will see it they have removed the 'Wi-Fi block' screen which makes me re-register the App via a tedious process every day to use it via wired-LAN as I prefer for optimal performance on my system with quietest background noise-floor.

Apart from that niggle the device works well musically and the App once connected stays on rock-solid all day with no 'searching for rooms' and is easy to use and navigate with. I have some Artwork not-showing issues on the App folders, but that is a minor thing for me.

As to Hi-Def formats - I still get best real 'high definition' music in terms of dynamic range, timing and sense of life from older CD-ripped material usually mastered before year 2000. I've tried many Hi-Def 24 bit 96k versions of things like Pink Floyd and prefer the CD-rip versions as being clearer and more dynamic and interesting engaging on my system - the Hi-def ones sound over-re-worked to make them better, which is what I fear afflicts most remasters. The raw simple straight un-buggered translation onto a format sounds best - if that were done onto the 24 bit high-sample formats they may sound better, but unfortunately they are all tinkered with and sound 'nice' and fuzzy-cloudy and lacking dynamics to me. If I wanted the drummer in Pink Floyd to use a kipper instead of a wooden stick then perhaps I'd prefer the remaster.

DB.

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by French Rooster
Darke Bear posted:

Still in run-in mode here with mine for week 3. Periods of excellence then some murky-dullness of sheer-sharpness as it continues on the run-in - it is what I expected and got before with other equipment and no worse than expected. I'm somewhat sensitive to all that and in my system, so I won't say a lot more on performance for another week or two when I expect the worst to be cleared. The Dealer demo ND555 that had a couple more months run-in on it sounded sublime with an ethereal spacious quality on a lot of music that mine has not got into yet, although I'm enjoying music on the runs of good performance it has for a few hours before it goes off.

Yes I kept my old Burndy leads as there is no difference apart from the old ones are run-in and sounded ridiculously better than the comparatively brash and brazen new ones - but I'm certain they would have run in over time but I could see no point in doing it. I did ask my Dealer if there was any difference at all between old and new leads and they said none at all as I suspected. The point mentioned about another pin in a previous post was not correct. In fact my Dealer never even tried them with the new leads for weeks and used them with old existing leads and I though the ND555 sounded great.

The App - well I'm now officially on Beta-test team - but told there is no new Beta App for me to test yet, so was advised to keep using the released version until Naim are ready with a new App to test. My first test will see it they have removed the 'Wi-Fi block' screen which makes me re-register the App via a tedious process every day to use it via wired-LAN as I prefer for optimal performance on my system with quietest background noise-floor.

Apart from that niggle the device works well musically and the App once connected stays on rock-solid all day with no 'searching for rooms' and is easy to use and navigate with. I have some Artwork not-showing issues on the App folders, but that is a minor thing for me.

As to Hi-Def formats - I still get best real 'high definition' music in terms of dynamic range, timing and sense of life from older CD-ripped material usually mastered before year 2000. I've tried many Hi-Def 24 bit 96k versions of things like Pink Floyd and prefer the CD-rip versions as being clearer and more dynamic and interesting engaging on my system - the Hi-def ones sound over-re-worked to make them better, which is what I fear afflicts most remasters. The raw simple straight un-buggered translation onto a format sounds best - if that were done onto the 24 bit high-sample formats they may sound better, but unfortunately they are all tinkered with and sound 'nice' and fuzzy-cloudy and lacking dynamics to me. If I wanted the drummer in Pink Floyd to use a kipper instead of a wooden stick then perhaps I'd prefer the remaster.

DB.

Hey Dark Bear, 

i heard the nd555 again today, at a demo, and it sounded marvelous, even with only one week burn in.

Someone tried to explain me that the digital volume of the nd555 must be settled at max, and only after adjust the volume of the pre.  In the demo, at high volume, the pre ( 252), was around at 7 .  Can it be the best way to use the nd555?

For high rez format, I downloaded the 2017 album of Roger Waters, on 24 bit, qobuz.  The sound is sublime.  

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by Darke Bear

I've not touched the ND555 Volume control setting at all - un-boxed it and used it as it arrived and use the Pre Volume control via separate remote - no wire-linking as I never liked what that did to SQ and as also advised by my Dealer for the same reason.

I'm sure good Hi-res is available and it is reassuring to hear that it is - I have head a few good renditions from Fleetwood Mac for example. But my point was not to presume a Hi-Res format means you necessarily get superior music. The same applies to remasters which IMO are generally far worse that the originals and the Hi-Def formats begin with these ideas on what is to be done and you get a Hi-Def format revelation of the, IMO, mess, they have made of the original music.

Things are re-equalized, tonally-tweaked (ruins phase), singers are level-shifted to always be at the same level - so never manage any excitement - everything is flattened-out to sound good on a low-dynamic range system.

I'd be spending a lot of money buying all my favorite Artists back-catalogs available in Hi-Def if I hear more than about 5% (if that) sound acceptable or even slightly better. The hard truth, for me, is that I have to trawl-back to get an early release of the CD that was done when there was not the suite of modification tools that later appeared that allowed the rendition to be, for, me, ruined. It then does not matter if it is nicely delivered in H-Def format. As I've said many times before - the Mastering - is what matters, not so much the end format delivery envelope.

So I find ripped CDs generally better than most (but not all) remasters and the Hi-Def versions then take these remasters and the ideas that went into them as their basis. So the 16bit 44.1k CD version of everything I have so far is better in all musical terms than the HiDef versions - possibly apart from a few exceptions. For some material Hi-Def does seem to offer something useful - I like I can now play it, but it is not the source of most of my music, as the Hi-Def is worse - for me.

This is a separate discussion really from the ND555 - which does all of these formats wonderfully and with a beauty that I love.

DB.

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by Bert Schurink
cycling66 posted:

Hi Bert,

have you sampled this on your ND 555? -

Listen to Pillars by Tyshawn Sorey with Qobuz in high quality:

https://open.qobuz.com/album/g9fd11aei2npb

some deep goings on during Pillars lll for sure

 

No I haven’t done this, will give it a listen...

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by yeti42

The extra pin was probably from me but it didn’t relate to the Burndys. I had a 555 ps that I bought ex demo 6 years ago and used on a CDX2. It was laid up for a couple of years until I got the ND555, which failed to power up on arrival. My 555ps would, however power an NDS when one was connected at the dealership and the extra pin comment related to a power rail not used by the NDS but used on a 555 either CD or ND. When Naim opened my ps they found a “broken” diode and faulty regulator on the rail not used by an NDS. It  did mean I had the DR conversion done earlier than planned but had to wait three weeks with the ND555 on the Fraim and no ps.

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by Richieroo

Update....my ND555 has arrived at the dealers...I will be taking delivery on Wednesday....yippee. The dealer did say that the next batch expected would be in January!

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by musicfan51
Richieroo posted:

Update....my ND555 has arrived at the dealers...I will be taking delivery on Wednesday....yippee. The dealer did say that the next batch expected would be in January!

   Congratulations Richieroo. I am excited for you. 

Posted on: 14 October 2018 by Richieroo

I am looking forward to it ........ especially the s.q. and integration of Roon ........ I just have to decommission my NDS - and fix those pesky transit screws.......

Posted on: 15 October 2018 by Michael
TomSer posted:
Michael posted:

As an early adopter of the ND555 it seems I have gone very quiet here. Don’t worry folks I am simply sitting back and enjoying my music on this fabulous piece of kit. Yes the odd app niggle but that will get sorted I am sure. Loving reading all the comments as more of us get the new box.

Hello Michael,

Do you mind giving this file a try?
http://www.lindberg.no/hires/t...1_FLAC_352k_24b.flac

It's a 24bits/352,8kHz free sample from 2L Records.

It seems that playing this high sample rate files is a problem for both nDAC and ND555 

This file plays perfectly at 352.8/24 on my ND555 when downloaded onto my Melco.

Hope that helps.

Posted on: 15 October 2018 by Bert Schurink
Michael posted:
TomSer posted:
Michael posted:

As an early adopter of the ND555 it seems I have gone very quiet here. Don’t worry folks I am simply sitting back and enjoying my music on this fabulous piece of kit. Yes the odd app niggle but that will get sorted I am sure. Loving reading all the comments as more of us get the new box.

Hello Michael,

Do you mind giving this file a try?
http://www.lindberg.no/hires/t...1_FLAC_352k_24b.flac

It's a 24bits/352,8kHz free sample from 2L Records.

It seems that playing this high sample rate files is a problem for both nDAC and ND555 

This file plays perfectly at 352.8/24 on my ND555 when downloaded onto my Melco.

Hope that helps.

Interesting, so we have to further research the rootcause then...

Posted on: 15 October 2018 by TomSer
Michael posted:

This file plays perfectly at 352.8/24 on my ND555 when downloaded onto my Melco.

Hope that helps.

Hello Michael,

Thank you for testing that file.  The problem is getting obscure...

I made a few tests on my nDAC with several files.
https://forums.naimaudio.com/t...70#77314878463017270

Would you be interested on making the same tests on your ND555?

If so, I'll email you a link to the test files I'm referring to. My email address is swissts---gmail.com.

Cheers,

Tom

Posted on: 15 October 2018 by Michael

Tom e-mail sent.

As a further test I tried playing the file direct from a USB stick plugged straight into the front socket of the ND555 rather than playing it off the Melco and again it plays flawlessly. 

Posted on: 15 October 2018 by TomSer
Michael posted:

Tom e-mail sent.

As a further test I tried playing the file direct from a USB stick plugged straight into the front socket of the ND555 rather than playing it off the Melco and again it plays flawlessly. 

Hi Micheal,

Got your message and replied to it. 
Let us know the results of your tests.

Bert will probably try the same tests.

Cheers,

Tom