How good is the ND555?

Everyone looks for different things. If there was one universal right answer then we’d all be using the same kit.
I tend to find the best approach is to not give a stuff what anyone else thinks. Seems to have worked out ok so far :grinning:

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Wow, just been reading through this whole thread!

Porsche, Bentley, Ferraris….Boss, Diesel…Dr Martens, Timberland’s…Rolex…Cartier…variety is the spice of life!

Personally I love my ND555, I have had many “wow” moments with it over the years, and long may that continue. I am grateful to this forum for what I learn to get the best out of my system. I am not into cars, I just want to get in it, drive from A to B and not worry about the finer details of its performance.
I do however take this interest in my HiFi. I am grateful to Naim which means I can enjoy music as my love for music as with all of us is what we’re all about in which ever manufacturer/form we listen. There are many systems on the market with which Naim compete with day in day out. I still have “wow” moments with my Gen 1 Muso…simplicity personified!

I enjoy reading about other peoples systems they are using which might not be Naim. You pays your money…! There is no right or wrong in all this, and with all the challenges the world now faces there are far bigger issues……it’s nice to be important but more important to be nice!!

I don’t post much these days, rather I read more of your lovely posts whilst I enjoy my system which my source first is drum roll….an ND555…did I mention how wonderful they are :wink::joy::musical_note:

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I think people ask less of their dealers so long as they get a good discount. As my excellent dealer of nearly 35 years always says, which part of my service would you like to discount?

I nearly always pay full price but expect gold plated service which I have always got. It works for both of us and it’s something we openly discuss. Others here will have different opinions on how they want their dealer relationship to be…

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I had the 1.8i model - thought it was 16v? … and the engine was badged 130bhp?

325i for 10 years. Love it.

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My dealer once had a good old rant about how much time he had spent over the years altering peoples systems after they had tweaked them on the basis of something they had read about on the forum. He was well versed in Naim system setup and certainly knew how to get the best out of a Naim system, and he wasn’t averse to trying the occasional tweak, but was convinced that forum was the source of many poorly performing setups.

There is, of course, lots of good advice offered here too!

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Ah yes, the trick is discerning the good advice from the bad…,

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Interesting. Might you be able to recall any examples? Thanks

Indeed, the forum should be no substitute for the service that should come with the equipment delivery and setup.

In some locations. :roll_eyes:

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Ok i corrected my post to reflect the forum should not be a substitute for a good dealer installation etc. To be also clear there is also alot of useful information on here as well, some of which could find it’s way into a wiki or the documentation. Afterall we pay enough for this equipment, these things should also be up to a certain standard in my humble opinion.

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Yeah the 16v festers came in 105bhp and 130 in the RS. I had the 8v cvh XR2i fester it was never offered as anything other than 1.6. I had mine converted to 1813cc and great expense…this gave me 140 bhp with a 285 piper cam and a remap…+ modified head. It was a cracking motor producing peak power at 6300rpm…

That was the real sweet spot…for the 3 series…smooth agile chasis and that fab 6 cyclinder motor that is a legend.

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I once raced a 328i which just scrabbled past me…that was prior to me remapping my engine… I once tried to drag a 911…it demonstated how to hit 60 in second gear…and litrally spat bits of tarmac over my pride and joy…it was amazingly quick…

Maybe those interested should create a new thread on bmw cars….

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Back on to the ND555 … with two supplies I am so impressed…you can hear the fade out of tracks…better than my LP12… its without doubt the best source I have ever heard… however, I am sure there are better…but I am still well pleased…thankyou Naim. All audio gear is a compromise…and this is so well judged…

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Your post is almost a cut & paste of the CD days (:grinning: ), when the CD555 was being compared to things like the Wadia models and others (dare one say Linn’s CD12), where the focus appeared to be more on the analytical traits of the medium, rather than what delivered musicality and a sense of boogie (i.e. the CD555).

The more things change, the more they (the debates) stay the same!

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The most likely cause is that the masters simply weren’t the same

It’s a big difference is sound quality between FLAC and WAV that’s why I store everything in FLAC and transcode on the fly to WAV.

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I remember Dougie Knight’s record store in Belfast. In the late 1960’s he had different acts playing in the basement of his store every Sunday night. In 1970 I remember seeing Arthur ‘Big bBoy’ Crudup in Belfast. Dougie told me some time later he brought Crudup over from the States and put him up for the night. Crudup was known as the ‘Father of Rock’n’Roll’ after Elvis Presley recorded three of his songs. Anyway, Dougie had a massive record collection and he knew everything there was to know about music. Recently I asked him what did he prefer - vinyl or CD’s? He said Spotify - streaming was easier! I agree - streaming is easier and Qobuz and a ND555 works for me.

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