What cables?
And I never understood the design of routing the signal from 552 HU to the 552 PS. What was the reason for that?
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I don’t know the reason for why it was done like that, and the issue is the power and audio signal within the same “cable”.
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Correct earthing
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Which raises the question of mix and matching classic and new classic pre and power amps. Does that lose the benefits of correct earthing through the power supply?
Ah of course 
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I don´t think there will be a problem,there are new cables for that,I´ve heard.
One problem with Naim’s practice with the signal output via power supply likely has held back potential interest/sales because by departing from convention it ties people to matching power amp. I know Naim regards the two amp stages as part of a single amplifier, however many people prefer to choose their pre and power freely, one of the benefits of separate units being the ability to choose the best pre and power for needs and sound, for example where no Naim power amp fits their needs/preference/budget they might still like a Naim pre if free to choose. There are, after all, people who combine Naim power amps with other preamps.
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Yes,that’s probably a commercial thing to do so and go for balanced ,which have been a no no for Naim before.
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With the 500 keeping the power supply separate…and sorting the earthing…was the design priority that was the design rabbit hole. The 350 has the psu built in…now this is a different series of choices…So the tranny is closer to the vitals…but the impedance is less…and so on. Everything is a compromise…I would guess the 350 will have better transient ability…but maybe just maybe less ultimate resolving power of the 500…its only a guess. I hope someone here soon does a proper comparison… 
All I know is the 500 is a mighty fine amp…it will take some beating…
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Yep, the 500 is special with its unique bridge design, power supply and its ability to deliver, hard to describe if one hasn’t heard a 500 setup.
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I am sure it can be bettered but its quirky design…is out there…it just seems to deliver…despite its mediocre current/wattage. The secret seems to be its driving ability…
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The statements on the Naim website sure imply high current capabilities:
The NAP 350 is a pure class-AB linear amplifier, running from fully regulated DR power supplies; producing 175W into 8 ohms and 345W into 4 ohms. It can deliver peak power of up to 1.7kW to drive impedance dips of complex speaker crossover networks.
The website uses different language for the NAP 500 so one can’t really compare other than that the 350s deliver more watts into 8 ohms:
The NAP 500 delivers 140W per channel into 8 ohms and is capable of prolonged output into 2 ohms with no discernible impact to performance.
Actually Naim give more info, the declared transient max being 700VA - their until recent normal 5x rms into 8 ohms. On the basis of Naim’s published data, in terms of both rms and peak power, especially the latter, the 350 is notably more capable than the 500. That is what I find interesting about the 350, having 4 ohm transmission line speakers myself.
I agree at peak values…however that is not the reality in the real world…in reality most poeple use around 1 to 10 watts of power…its rhe driving ability in real world dynamic situations. How does the amp handle back emf … from the speaker etc.
Yes, 1 to 10 watts average is probably where most amps perform but the ability to handle transients is important so 1 to 10 watts could reasonably be expected to hit peaks of well over 100 watts providing the headroom is there.
100 watts is perceived by our ears as twice as loud as 10 watts so it is easy to see that dynamic recordings would exceed 100 watts.
From years gone by … I had an Audiolab pre power combo 100watt…this allegedly would deliver fast transients and over 40amps of current into low impedances… yet a humble Naim Nait absolutely wiped the floor with it…irrespective of speaker…so you are correct transients are important…but it is not representative necessarily of the specs. I compared the Audiolab with some humble 50 watt VTL valve monoblocks…which on paper had a pathetic current ability…but in reality they totally wiped the floor of the Audiolab…they were even snapping at the heals of a Nap250dr… So drive and the ability to work in the real world…does not neccessarily corrolate.I am not suggesting the 350 is not astonishing and fantastic…but figures are one thing delivering in the real world is another. Given Naims pedigree the 350 amps will deliver…
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Indeed – and things aren’t helped when you read the ‘professional reviews’, like that in HFN & RR, about the capabilities of the 350s, wherein they hooked them up singularly to the new(?) B&W 801 D4 Signature 'speakers (>£50k). The comments are that the 350s could drive them well in a controlled manner. But (and it’s just MHO and from having heard the bigger B&Ws over the years), you really want something akin to a Statement to drive speakers like this, and not something which can ‘do the job’ (£12k amps serving £50k+ 'speakers!).
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Power requirements were discussed in another thread, where am I posted this:
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I’m not in any way technical, but not everything may be being driven by technical advances. I get the impression that regulation may also be driving some changes. Maybe not, but not everything is necessarily (sonic) progress. My current Naim kit keeps the chill off a small room quite nicely.
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That depends on the speakers as much as the 500