2x555DR vs. 1x555DR on a ND555

I think the second 555PS DR is now fully settled.

I just listened to first movement of the Tchaikovsky op.34 violin concerto.
The second part of this first movement includes a violin solo wonderfully recorded. It is then followed by a powerful and moving finish.

I’m dazzled by the ND555 + 2 x 555PS DR performance!!!

I don’t know how to put this without stating the usual hyperboles.

I’d say that headphones are no longer wanted/needed to dig into the music, even complex music.

This Mandelbrot effect/feeling and immersive listening, mentioned several times by @Simon-in-Suffolk , is something that my system was able to provide but it is now brought to a new level.

Yes, a second 555 PS DR dramatically improves the ND555 performance.

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now use high end headphones with a fast transient performant headphone amp and your source - and you start to experience a change - the music genuinely starts to feel real - (subject to recording) and you get an uncanny integration between real sounds and playback sounds as one…
it really is a very strange and slightly unsettling experience.
I have experienced it with speakers and with certain DACs (using the 552) before but only on certain frequencies and limited sounds - such as bird song or a door slamming elsewhere in the house - but with high end headphones it extends far further. :slight_smile:
Its like when you hear voices in your dreams when someone is talking to you when asleep - reality and your dream merge.
There was an interesting paper in the AES library on this that effectively described that experience as simulated reality and thus true high definition playback.

I am on the verge of getting a 2nd psu … but this would mean me selling my dear old Sondek…but the truth is I don’t use the Sondek much…it would feal like severing all my hifi links…I just don’t have room to accommodate both…

Tough one

Nooooooo. Unless of course you dont have much vinyl. I get that the lp12 would help fund a second psi, but…
I have phases of vinyl only weeks then streaming only weeks. And yes, streaming via a 555 with even only one psu will be hard for even the best lp12 to beat.
The whole vinyl thing for me is more about the experience. From buying the vinyl, putting it on the platter, reading the sleeve notes etc. And yes, having to get up every 20 mins or so…

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I guess it depends on how many recordings you have on vinyl and if they’re also available on CD or download. There’s a lot to be said for making a complete break and fully adopting the new technology. I haven’t sold my LP12, but scarcely ever use it. It’s all very well keeping a vinyl source for the experience as @Thegreatroberto says, but shouldn’t we really be listening to the music? Why not borrow a second PS and then see which sounds best to you? In my case… well, I said I scarcely ever use the LP12.

Yeah all these thoughts are going through my head…truth is I have vast flac library and only about 250 vinyl LPs I have some recordings that are irreplaceable…but truth is it is hardly ever used…

Dont think i would sell my turntable for an extra power supply, if your looking for better performance from your streamer then you might be better looking elsewhere, as a ND555 and 555ps at the moment still demands a decent price and for the price off these 2 boxes, let alone the cost of an extra power supply, you can do better.

I wouldn’t be that categorical :wink:

You certainly can have different, but better…

I heard better, but not at that price.

Well i disagree and thats fine, to my ears the Bartok runs the ND555 very close and at half the price is great value, the rossini goes to levels that the ND555 can only dream off.
Plus throw in the free upgradeable software the DCS runs and it makes even more sense going forward in this very fast changing sector.
But as always this is only my opinion, yes othes agree and some probably not, thats fine, but really if you are looking at spending this sort off money, then you owe to yourself to go check out the competition as DCS just specialize in this area and it shows.

I auditioned the top DCS vivaldi, and honest cannot hear what all the fuss was about.

ND555, on the other hand did make me smile. But the price… :unamused:

Maybe if I win the lottery someday…

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Money already and happily spent :wink:

I didn’t audition dCS options, but tried the Swiss alternatives. To get better, not only different, the price increase is significant.

In terms of “different” I enjoy Naim’s offering.

I found that the synergy of the ND555, 2x555DR / NAC552DR / NAP500DR / Super Lumina system is not only doing brilliantly in audiophile terms but it also is very pleasant and moving when it comes to present analogue music.

If I had to go for “better” and not only “different” I’d certainly go for Soulution alternatives.

I’d add that I’m very curious about Chord’s offering too, and I suspect they’ll come with quite something in the future! Unfortunately I hadn’t the opportunity to listen to their DACs.

As said many times before, “thats fine”. Nothing wrong at all with a system like that, just for me when i tried the ND555 over the NDS, i had the feeling, is that it !
So went off looking for something that would bring more detail, width and just more, but without being clinical, the DCS rossini and clock did this for me. Still remember the day well, when i first experienced it, while i was being demoed the ND555, it was certainly a moment to remember, and one that got me thinking about how i could ever afford it.
But as you also point out, this area is fast moving and thats why i also saw great value in the DCS as its software can be updated when new things come out, and so it future proofs it for much longer than say the ND555, which is really nice to have and DCS have already done quite a few free upgrades on the rossini in its 5 year to date production run.
Not knocking ND555 owners, as it is a good machine, its just at the price it is, especially if you start to add a second power supply just to run 3 power rails, its valve for money becomes questionable and why not look at other brands?

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For me it was the same when i demoed the ND555 over the NDS, i also couldn’t see or hear what all the fuss was about.

Everyone is trying to justify what they have purchased, otherwise they will feel they have made a mistake

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Well yes there will always be an element off that for most people, but for me i went out to purchase the ND555 over my NDS. But after a few demonstrations at home and in the shop, it just wasn’t doing it for me, so tried chord, again not doing it for me, finally DCS was offered up and at last i had found my replacement, so for me i dont need to try and justify my rossini purchase, as for me it was no competition.
I am not trying to justify my purchase, just merely saying, you might want to also try other gear, before, well you know, thats all, your choice, your money.

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Any dCS I’ve ever heard was thin, clinical and “lack of life” kind of sound compared to a naim streamer.
Soulution is boring.

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Maybe the solution is to play your records a bit, and see if you enjoy them (again). Give them a try. If you’re not moved . . . you have your answer.

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I think you could say that about the older DCS kit, but the newer kit, like the bartock and the rossini running the newer software (201) certainly not and DCS have obviously put in a lot off time to adjust there dacs to give huge detail and keep the boogie sound

Not getting into the merits of the merits, but the ND555 has the features for and indeed has already had firmware updates and app software updates.