Possible routes to NDS

A friend listened to NDS/ND5XS and said he really liked it. He didn’t buy the ND5 as his dealer offered him a very good deal on an ex-dem 555, but he did say he would have been happy with it as a stepping stone. Didn’t hear it myself, so make of this what you will.....

Just buy whichever comes up at a decent price first. There will never be a definitive answer. 

Like hungryhalibut, just do what fits best right now. On which one do you have the best deal right now. One could argue what the best path is - but as the choices are quite distinct, I guess nobody has practical hearing experience to say which option is the best as in between step. 

DrPo posted:

Having NDX + XPS5 PS as a “starting point” and  with NDS + 555 PS as the “ultimate goal” which has to be reached in two steps (for financial reasons) I see two options, each involving an interim solution:

1. Swap NDX with NDS and keep the small XP5 PS  powering the NDS 

2. Swap XPS5 with 555 PS on the NDX.

I would guess option (1) would lead to a finessed but rather anemic sound whereas option (2) would result into a powerful but perhaps a bit unbalanced sound.

What would the advise of the forum members be on this? 

Thanks, 

Greg

second hand or demo nds is more difficult to find than 555ps.  Personally i would take nds first.

Thanks for the responses, not the easiest option for me to leverage the "global" 2nd hand market; my plan was to swap with new units via my local NAIM dealer, ex-demo units come very rarely about around here and definitely not in the higher level NAIM components. Not easy to demo the two options either. My gut feeling is to go with the NDS first and rely on the XP5 temporarily. I will ask NAIM directly as well.

Bear in mind that the 555 does not come with a Burndy, whereas you can get the NDS with a ‘Burndy pack’, so getting the NDS first probably makes sense. You can always buy used from the U.K. and have things shipped, so long as you use 230V mains. 

When I did the demo I preferred the NDS with inferior p/s to the NDX with the 555DR. But YMMV.

Thanks HH and Dozey, good input!