NDS v ND555

Posted by: m.paul taylor on 28 February 2018

what will be the difference between the NDS and the ND555?

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by DaveBk

It’s easy, if the ND555 is materially better than the NDS, then I will buy one. Materially means I like it more when I hear it in my own room. 

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by m.paul taylor

I meant facilities and specifications 

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by AndrewG

Twice the price! There can be little more than speculation at this stage.

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by Eloise
m.paul taylor posted:

I meant facilities and specifications 

You could look at the website and compare them...

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by DaveBk

The only factor I’m interested in is whether it sounds better. uPnP is my preferred source, the only feature required is outstanding sound quality. 

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by Minh Nguyen
m.paul taylor posted:

what will be the difference between the NDS and the ND555?

Not much apart from the fascia. Tighten/loosen a few screws here and there and it could possibly have a different presentation.

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by m.paul taylor

I have an NDS, 555DR, 552DR, 300dr and am bowled over by its music making - struggling to see how much room there is for improvement without moving house!


 

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by Minh Nguyen
m.paul taylor posted:

I have an NDS, 555DR, 552DR, 300dr and am bowled over by its music making - struggling to see how much room there is for improvement without moving house!


 

Patience is a virtue my dear fellow member.

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by DaveBk
m.paul taylor posted:

I have an NDS, 555DR, 552DR, 300dr and am bowled over by its music making - struggling to see how much room there is for improvement without moving house!


 

I have exactly the same system. I have no idea what to expect, but I’m fascinated about the possibilities. As I said earlier, it’s all about the music, and if it’s materially better I will buy one. Simple...

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by wenger2015

At the moment according to the naim guys at the Bristol Show, the ND555  has timing issues.... so it’s still work in progress 

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by Innocent Bystander
m.paul taylor posted:

what will be the difference between the NDS and the ND555?

£X,000

As for sound, no-one can know outside of Naim.

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by Drewy

What do they mean by timing issues? A recording is a recording isn’t it? 

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by Chris Dolan

Timing issues - as in 2018 2019 or 2020?  

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by wenger2015

Timing issues, it’s another way of describing a box that is not good enough to demo.

For a 555 series expectations need to be met, in other words it’s still work in progress...

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by MangoMonkey

In the meantime, get a 500DR. 

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by Chag...

... or start saving. Just in case..

Chag -

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by NickSeattle
DaveBk posted:

The only factor I’m interested in is whether it sounds better. uPnP is my preferred source, the only feature required is outstanding sound quality. 

Maybe it will sound different, but not better and not worse, which is OK with me, if it is more capable, or nicer in some other way — more durable, maybe?  I am hopeful, and full of faith.

But if there is no FM option, I am not interested.

Nick

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by m.paul taylor

I agree with you on the FM issue. I had an NDX with FM which I now sorely miss. FM just feels more open and alive than internet radio. I thought it was rather arrogant of Naim not to even offer FM on the NDS

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by Chag...

The ND 555 is very unlikely to offer FM to avoid RFI.

Chag -

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by m.paul taylor

How about “let the customer decide?” And for that sort of money is it not possible to engineer the product to avoid RFI?

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by Simon-in-Suffolk
m.paul taylor posted:

And for that sort of money is it not possible to engineer the product to avoid RFI?

If you could do that you would be probably be researching and working for NASA or a top defence engineering organisation .. not a Hi-Fi company..... I think the best we can ask our friends at Naim to do is to mitigate the effects and the causes of electro magnetic interference (a more applicable term than RFI)... but yes an FM tuner module if designed well should be almost totally benign... if there is room in the device.. and it is of the quality commensurate with the device.

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by audio1946

didn't think the fm module was a true analogue design anyway

Posted on: 28 February 2018 by joerand
Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

If you could do that you would be probably be researching and working for NASA or a top defence engineering organization ...

... even better, working for Elon Musk?

Posted on: 01 March 2018 by Richieroo

Hi all I have NDS with 555ps (now being dr -ed ) a 552 and NAP500 .......... as others have said I find it hard to believe how they can make the ND555 substantively better or even better......... the NDS is fabulous. Obviously the weak link on my system was the 555ps. It is interesting that the NDS is discontinued with no plans to replace - this kinda suggests that retaining it would be difficult. I think there will be minor improvements ........ aka interface, MQA, Roon etc, the DAC shielding and isolation will be superior and the separation of the DAC and analogue circuits will be enhanced.  The NDS can work with an XPS ..... via one burndy. The ND555 apparently will require a 555ps as a minimum - as it requires 2 burndys to power up....... the NDS though is a superb unit and a tough nut to improve on  - I am staggered by its musicality, dynamic presentation - and detail.

Posted on: 01 March 2018 by The Strat (Fender)

Well for some people the CD555 was not an improvement on the CDS3.  I thought it was.