Hi FR,
So a brief update on the auditioning front.
I have now heard the ND555/555PS in 3 different Naim-based systems. It has the very rare ability for a streamer to present a wonderfully natural, flowing, almost analogue impression of the music. We take it for granted with Naim these days, but it also times beautifully too, as in rhythms are spot on without any slow or lagging basslines. Very few other companies seem to manage this aspect of music reproduction quite as well. The ND555 also presents a clear and stable image of the musicians, all of whom are placed fairly and squarely in between the speakers.
Resolution is very, very good, yet the ND555 doesn’t encourage a forensic analysis of individual instruments. It made me want to sit back and enjoy the harmonious whole performance, rather than to focus in on specific instruments or musicians. So, does it out-play a CDS3/555PS? Yes it does. There is a clear Naim house sound to it. It betters the CDS3 to me by being incrementally better in every respect rather than step-change better anywhere. I will have to think hard about whether it is worth the cost to change, even with the power supply already in situ.
Meanwhile, a brief foray to the dark side led to the picture below:
The new Moon 780d v2. A fine thing it is too. Built like a battleship and comes with a very good Moon Mind 2 app.
Comparing different music sources, I tried a range of tracks from 3 sources: the Audiostore Prestige 3 server with its 2TB SSD and flac files; the remote Synology DS716+ NAS drive with 2 WD Red+ hard drives and its AIFF codec files; and the same songs on Tidal. There was a clear and consistent preference:
- Dedicated server with SSD sounds clearer, tauter, more natural and more musical
- Synology NAS drive is a bit looser in the bass and slightly slower.
- Tidal is in a close third place
Then, I compared Roon with DSP disabled to Moon’s Mind 2 app. The Moon app is consistently a little bit more natural, dynamic and engaging. This is consistent across all 3 sources and with many tracks. It’s not a big difference but it is always there and is worthwhile.
Finally, I compared the 780D running the Moon app and music from the Prestige 3 server (i.e. the best setup) with the recently serviced Naim CDS3/555PSDR.
The 780D times very well. The CDS3 only just betters it by sounding that bit more “organic”, or smooth and slightly less tiring.
So the ND555 betters the Moon 780d v2 to these ears, which it should given the difference in price. The 780d v2 is a great value streamer but it won’t be finding a home with us.
More to follow…