Your system, your ears but due to the issues with 3:10 firmware I’ve just spent three months with a patch of stock BJC directly from my router with no switch to my ND555, so I speak with some experience. You are correct, the one thing it did was remove the troubling upper edge glare but it also removed so much additional detail you wouldn’t think it was the same system. Whole levels of depth, shape, tonal contrast, definition, liveness and detail where swept away but at least I could tolerate listening to Qobuz again. During this period I don’t think I had a single listening session that lasted over an hour.
My system, my ears but I’ve found that BJC into an EE8 switch running a stock SMPS and connected to the ND555 by an obscenely expensive Shunyata Sigma ethernet cable, when it was running 3:8, to have given me more pleasure in the six months that I used it (before updating to 3;10) than any other system that I’ve ever owned. This combination has got me closer to live music than I thought was ever possible.
Plugging in a patch of simple ethernet cable will only show you about 75% of what the ND555 is (was) capable of. Sure it’ll sound fine but if you’ve just invested £40k you’ll no doubt want more than ‘just fine’!
I have recently experimented setting up WiFi on my ND555 as I’ve connected on my second system (with my Nait 50) in the next room (I don’t have a switch set up there currently).
I have very fast WiFi and can’t say I can hear a lot of difference and the connection is very stable. I’m enjoying this much simpler setup so far.
Personally, all i care about is enjoying and engaging with the music as a whole. If the system can provide that then we’re on to something. All of the other HiFi cliche stuff is meaningless.
Personally, all i care about is enjoying a simple cheap meal engaging with the meat in the burger. If the burger can provide that then we’re on to something. All of the other Michelin cliche stuff is meaningless.
I’ve never seen Naim use a audiophile switch or an expensive Ethernet cable in any of their systems at shows. I’m willing to bet that they don’t even use them in their big system at HQ. I don’t know this for certain but i’d sure as hell put a bet on it. They ruin the original sound - i found that out when i went back to wireless.
I know for sure that they use a combination of Chord cables. Just as I know that certain high-ranking employees use Chord Music.
It’s been discussed several times on here that Naim do not want to endorse any other manufactures products and therefore keep things as simple and as bland as possible in the dem room. Linn are no different and went out of their way to use an IKEA lack table, rather than use fancy well known supports, a few years back!
Having spent a reasonable amount of money on an ND555 I am quite happy to play around with anything that can extract more performance, especially with most things in the streaming world being fairly new and untested, why would you not?
Well yes, that’s what i’ve sort of lightly done myself and have ended up going full circle 4 years later. I did the same with speaker cables many years ago and still came back to NAC A5. It’s hard to put any of this stuff into words, but you have to really enjoy the music and have fun in a way that makes oneself feel really happy and just get on with the music itself. Nothing to do with more clarity this or more soundstage that.
How many people do you see really and i mean really see enjoying the music at shows these days? Look around, everyone looks dumb founded, dazed and bored s******s if you ask me. Where’s all the fun gone?
I absolutely 100% agree with you. I’ve found it incredibly difficult to find things that actually improve the sound. Most of what I’ve tried makes things sound worse. A few things can make it sound different but not necessarily better. Then there’s the odd thing that makes you go WOW! Those are the ones you hang on to!
But you posted a pic of Mcdonalds? I tasted one of their burgers when they first came to Britain back in -970s: like eating cardboard (I had it free of relishes etc as I wanted to taste the meat). About 10 years ago against my better judgement but limited by availability when travelling somewhere I had another: it did nothing to persuade me to ever have one again.
I don’t consume fast food or take aways so couldn’t possibly comment on that subject. Fortunately.
I’ve tried Vodka with a Farad Super 3 & EE 8Switch, it worked really well for a long time until I went tee- total and came off the Vodka. Also ditched both the PSU & switch one by one in the same process.
Finally the music returned, I mean became more enjoyable in a way I can’t explain. I don’t listen for this or that anymore. With the extra kit in the network there was this ‘glare’ in the background that was ultimately robbing my fun. Back to basics has been the cure for me.
I know there are a lot of happy Vodka and Farad users on here but I couldn’t get on with either of these. I found the Vodka just too ‘hot’ for my tastes and I tried the Farad LPS twice but couldn’t get it to sound as good as the stock Chord SMPS that comes with the switch, so I don’t think you are hearing things and can understand why you might find no switch and stock cable better.
Funny, i’ve never found the Vodka cables too ‘hot’ in the frequencies. Always smooth and engaging.
Going back to the MeiChord Opals and direct into the router helps my system sound more ‘authentic’ (which i’ve missed) for want of a better word. Same as going the WiFi option.
Yet removing the Vodka and the switch suddenly removed some ‘glare’ from your system that allowed you to enjoy the music again? I think can understand why based on my experiences with both.
Sort of, but there’s more to it than that, the timing also improved, amongst other things. Not just the Vodkas but also with the switch taken out, as well, Vodkas or not. The Farad calms everything down in that combo. Direct into router is better, and with UTP Cat 6 cables such as the Opals, even better.
P.S. i’m pleased with the outcome. It means i can now sell the Vodka cables ( which still fetch good money on the used markets), switch & PSU.
That was exactly the reason I struggle with linear power supplies on ethernet switches. They don’t seem to react fast enough and, whilst I find the music becomes calmer, it also becomes less ‘rhythmic’ and lacking drive by messing with the timing. Stick a good SMPS on the switch and you’ll get all that back.
Yes, that was my findings as well. Taking the switch out altogether improved things even further. However, i do have an iFi Elite into my after market TP- Link AC2100 router, therein lays the gem
I’ve not messed around with my router PS as some on here have had issues when they’ve done this but isn’t the iFi Elite an SMPS, which probably explains why it works so well?
