Hi Geko
That’s great to hear. Actually it has exceeded my expectations.
The 500 is the first one I have DR’ed so it has convinced me to do the 552 and 555 too.
But there are big delays on DR upgrades right now so I will wait awhile.
Karl
I wonder how much is down to the Chord cables you’ve upgraded over the standard supplied Naim DIN/XLRs too? I only got my 500 (new) about 18 months ago and it sounded great from the beginning compared to the 300DR it replaced. It’s probably improved since then but the changes have been gradual so not noticed as much as when upgraded it’s interconnects a few months back with SL versions. Now that was a difference I could hear straight away.
I’ve heard DBLs through a single 500DR but standard ICs and it’s one of the best systems I’ve heard so you must be loving what you have now. DBL owners are very lucky - it’s an immense speaker.
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Good and fair point RackKit.
After more time on burn in , I will replace with the old cables and see what the difference is.
I was too impatient to put it all in 
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I too have recently upgraded the DIN-XLR cables between 552 and 500 to Chord Sarum T. I’d agree with you that this was a most noticeable improvement, particularly to soundstage and image depth. Notes are cleaned up too, with faster decay. It’s surprising just how much the standard interconnects supplied with the NAP500 were choking the sound.
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Mine were a used (but mint) set from @anon4489532 so obviously cheaper than new and less than 10% of the RRP of a 500 but they made such a difference I think Naim would be better bundling them in the box and adding another £3k to the price. I doubt if many listening to both would decide to take the ‘cheaper’ option.
Still, they were designed for Statement so I can’t it happening but plenty of owners use them on the Classic range too so they must be making a big difference all the way down the range.
In more ways than one.
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Hi delft
Glad to hear. Yes, a DR upgrade on a 500 is quite a marked improvement. Enjoy your new system. 
Charlie
I don’t blame you, who wants to wait 6 months or whatever it’s meant to take for a 500 to burn in before getting the better cables installed too! 
Oh well 
Corona seems getting in my way, so the trip to skanspeak appears rather unlikely at the moment
Unfortunately I had to call off my trip to skanspeak today due to corona related travel restrictions … oh well … I’ll give it another try hopefully in June then 
To me at least, I have had some interesting experiences recently listening to alternative speakers to the DBLs and also the effects of better cabling and the 500DR upgrade.
I think I have been too negative on the abilities of the DBL and too much in the allure of speaker technology “advances”.
With hindsight my DBLs had been “going off” for some time - the wear on the bass drivers, the internal foam, and also the torque settings were way out (too loose).
I had some Wilson Benesch ACT Ones on home demo (circa £20k). They are very good speakers in their own right. I really did want to prefer them. But in the end I still prefer the DBLs. Although I do still feel the tweeter and midrange can undoubtedly be bettered by the newer technology units out there over the DBL units, the overall net performance of the DBLs still remains competitive. The strength of the DBLs is in the overall cabinet designs (separate boxes and suspended drivers ), the height and weight of the cabinets, and the judgement of the designers in choosing/voicing the units.
The upgrade from standard naim cables (DIN to XLR from 552 to 500, and speaker cables) to Chord Sarum T has a much bigger positive impact on the DBLs versus the Wilson benesch speakers. So I can see how further upstream upgrades can wring even more out of my overall sound.
I have listened to a few other speakers in the £20-30k range - Dynaudio Confidence, Wilson Sabrina X, Magico A5, Focal Scala Evos, Marten Parker Trio, Vimberg Mino.
A few of them better the DBLs significantly in the treble, midrange but few come close to the DBLs in bass articulation.
The biggest problem with DBL ownership now is the risk of the midrange driver failing instantly making the speakers worthless.
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Good to hear your judgement on the DBLs. Couldnt agree more that the threat to DBL ownership is the failure of the mid range drivers. What I found was that the replacement/renewal of the tweeters similarly gave a significant improvement of clarity and articulation. My guess is that a refurbishment/renewal of the mid range drivers similarly to bringing the bass and tweeters back to their full potentials should really let them shine.
It would be great if Scanspeak can come up with a suitable midrange unit replacement. That would ease anxiety of DBL ownership and provide them with a longer life.
I am going to trial the Iso Acoustic GAIA feet to see if they wring any more out of the DBLs plus upgrade my CDS3 to 552 interconnect and demo the Chord cable that cannot be named.
Pls keep us update on the Isoacoustic Gaia. I also looking for footer for my DBL.
Would one of ATC’s mid-range drivers work?
Hi Adrian
Of course I will report back here. Iso Acoustics normally have a policy of sale or return through the dealer network.
Hi Beachcomber.
I’m no acoustic engineer so I will pass on that one. It would be great if it did because by all accounts the ATC midrange is a fine driver. I don’t think the driver can be too big or too heavy because it needs to sit on the spring board. I wouldn’t know anything about compatibility with the passive crossover. I guess any new midrange driver is easier for those who use the DBLs in active mode.
This is an awesome thread! Mega-thanks everyone. I had my DBL bass units reconed a few moments ago after my grandson poked his fingers through one of the surrounds. It was time anyway so he did me a favour. Marvelous experience from the ATC authorized folks over here in the US. I can send details if anyone in the US is interested. My question to the Jedi Masters here is does anyone know of a foam source in the US or should I just order from Customfoam in the UK? My internal foam is not looking/feeling that great either. Mega-cheers!
few months …
Welcome to the forum . I can’t help you on a foam source in the USA but I can tell you that you are very likely in for a big surprise when you get your DBLs refurbished. The refoaming, reconing and better solder made a big difference to the sound of my DBLS. I was considering changing them but having demoed quite a few alternatives, I know prefer the DBLs.
The foam is not cheap - circa £450 - you can take 20% off that as they would not charge you UK VAT on export to the USA. Customfoams do a great job and to Naim specifications.
Karl