My Dave HMS with Wave Storm cables is the best
Each to their own.
My Dave HMS with Wave Storm cables is the best
Each to their own.
Your on a naim forum, right, so thats never going to be said.
Plus the nd555 is a great product still and the best naim has to offer right now.
But being serious for a second, if you are looking at spending ND555/555 money then, or even more maybe? Then surely you want to listen to it first and try others around that price point, as wouldnāt you?
Just buying anything blind is plain stupid at this level
The ND555 is a phenomenal music maker with either 1 or 2 external power supplies.
As many others have said, itās a superb piece of kit but itās still worth auditioning against the competition to find out which flavour of wonderful suits you best.
Best regards, BF
Just changed from an ndx2 to an nd555 the difference is quite a bitā¦ it all sounds betterā¦ every aspect of the music has jumped up a level and definitely sounds like live musicā¦
Amazing piece of kit
How much difference do you get adding another 555 PS ?
Reluctant to do this lol cos 6 boxes is nice and neatā¦ 7 well, thatāll just look a bit odd on the rack
If you donāt want to have 7 boxes, I strongly recommend not to try a second 555PS.
Depending on what you are looking for, or what you like, adding a second power supply can make a massive difference.
I no longer have the ND555. But I did own a full 500DR series system (7 boxes) and the complete set of Super Lumina cables.
Here is my very subjective opinion regarding the addition of a second power supply :
Thanks Thomas, thatās a great review!
Honestly I donāt think Iām gonna upgrade. But I just canāt help myself when bargains come up on auction sites . So who knows !!
I did google solution hifi thou! My life thatās expensive equipment! Is it much better?
I have an ND555 and like it but I do wonder what Iām missing. I also see that some of the very best hifi dealers in the world, which carry Naim and others, almost always have non-Naim equipment as their flagship digital source. Must be something in that!
When the ND555 came out I had a listen and I didnāt think it was a material jump over my NDS - yes a little bit better but certainly not a āwowā moment.
I guess it depends on how you see the future but when dropping a lot of money on amps it felt like it could be a purchase that lasted a life time but dropping big bucks on streamers (tech) that could be replaced / be redundant in a short period of time makes you think.
Looking at linns offering (which of course can also go out of date!) and their approach to building their own DAC I would say they have stolen a March - the Klimax DSM streaming pre amp sounds sublime and a more engaging sound when I did a demo v Naim (NDX2 /555/552/250 Kudos 606) v chord Dave and all from one box. (The Naim solution was a poor third). Subject to home demo I will simply add it to my active ATC speakers together with linn LP 12 and I have a neat 3 box solution for digital / vinyl audio reply)
No doubt Naim will be back with a killer product soon but right now 8 large humming boxes, multiple faffing with cables touching, oil rig infrastructure in the lounge is not really where itās at for me.
A couple of things have driven me to listen to alternatives 1) Naim servicing costs have ballooned and their decision to not offer DR - I get they want to monetise their product but Ā£600 for a plug feels a tad disingenuous for my liking 2) a desire for a more simple system.
As other have said before dropping huge amounts of money spend the time doing a few demos if nothing else but to satisfy yourself you have made the right choice
Just donāt try a second psu as you will want to buy itš It just brings the presentation of music together better, more natural, but at a price.
Just to add another view and some balance, I also tried the nd555 with 2 power supplies and couldnāt hear much difference at all and for certainly not worthwhile the cost involved even at secondhand prices, i knew it wasnāt ever going to make a big difference, but i was expecting to atleast hear it straight away after plugging it in, there was certainly no wow moment.
Plus i add, a nd555 and 2 power supplies, plus extra shelf, well at these costs you certainly open the door to some very nice gear, just think about it and as say go try before you buy.
Exactly, nail on head, as they say.
I think at this level the best is really what suits your musical tastes rather than absolute sq whatever that is. There are also other reasons for purchasing products, for example system synergy, a homogenous look in your living room or trust in your manufacturer/dealer. I have a more modest streamer and know there must be better out there but sq was not the only factor. Same with record players.
I agree with the members who have advised the OP to use his own ears to decide. Forums throw up so many different opinions finding a consensus is rare. Iāve found this one very helpful to form short lists. Itās clear that what is best when it comes to hifi is very subjective.
My experience was to compare ND555/ 2 x 555PS with the Linn in a Naim system and I preferred the former. Latterly I have improved things further by considered cable matching. I now enjoy a low fatigue but still enthralling sound on well recorded material.
Great review Thomas, but couldnāt you just have said;ā more of everythingā, however that would have made for a boring read Your review also covers the experience of using a second PS on the CD555, but of course this is like now reviewing a 1950s Ferrari. Iāll get my old chequered cap and cravat outā¦ā¦ Best Peter
PS. We are still waiting for the invite and youāll be pleased to know, that Iāve got a bus licence
Hi Peter,
I totally disagree with you
The CD555 is not an old Ferrari.
It is a beautiful McLaren F1!
The CD555 is what made me love Naim and it was my first contact with the world of high-end HiFi.
Thatās why I turned to Naim when I decided to buy some equipment.
So yes, the ND555 or CD555 may not extract as much details as some other sources. But itās a choice. A wise choice.
Itās easy to get a lot of information out of a CD, or to give the illusion of it. This was already done in the late 90s. But at what cost?
The CD555 and ND555 are sources that keep what is vibrant and alive in the music. And this is not easy to find.
I found this in the Soulution 7 series products, with some extra things that I appreciate a lot.
As for crashing at my house with a busload of Britsā¦ umm let me think. My place is far too small to accommodate you all. I think Iāll give my neighbourās address
I do have some members of the French Naim forum who came to buy some of my gear. To say they liked the room as it was before is an understatement
Sorry, I havenāt had time to reply to some of the Listening Room Reality thread posts. Iām doing too many things at the momentā¦
I still have to get this room a bit further on!
And Iām preparing my next weekend outing. Iām going back to some high altitude climbing. Weāre going to the Grand Capucin area , in the Mont Blanc massif.
Days are too short! One must sleep and eat once in a while!
EDIT :
I know nothing about cars btw
Brilliant I can imagine that Soulution gear will have the edge on Naim, when it comes to particularly classical music. I read your delightful full post with a smile and wish you a happy trip. Opposed to you Iāve got too much time on my hands being sat outside at our garden table in shorts (as I can hardly walk) and drinking plenty of water. I am on a count down to a lumbar cortisone injection on the the 29th to pamper my sciatic nerve in my right leg, most of which is caused by a grim posture through my working life. For the sake of my wife Iām trying not to feel sorry for myself. I just feel like and old fart tbh. Anyhow always people worse offā¦ā¦ Enjoy your hols Peter
Totally agree with you. Try more, explore more and then gain more
When it comes to Classical music, both the 500DR system and the Statement are fantastic music reproduction machines.
I discussed this with my Magico dealer. For driving the Magico Q7 or the Magico M6 he thought, having listened to them, that three systems would be up to the task: Soulution 701, Statement and Gryphon (their flagship, I donāt remember its name).
The Soulution 7 series obviously outperforms my previous Naim 500 DR series system (but Iām not particularly eager to write it that wayā¦). Thatās no surprise, though; they are not in the same price range.
The 7 series is more on the level of the Statement. The Soulution 711 would be the equivalent of a stereo version of the Statment (which unfortunately does not exist). And the Soulution 701 monoblocks would be the equivalent of the Naim Statement monoblocks.
The Statement would have tempted me if I had had more space. Besides, itās a real piece of art. The NAP 500 and the Statement are genuinely marvels of design
The reason I changed is also, but not only, that my NAP500DR was unfortunately not able to drive the Magico M2s properly (these speakers are pretty power-hungry). The Soulution 711 can deliver a lot more current.
Sorry to hear that. I hope you get better soon. Cheer up!
I know how frustrating and tiring it is, I have some problems tooā¦ But, for the moment, I am in massive denial