I would suggest starting with a total system tear down and rebuild. Make sure your Fraim stack is not overtightened. Slowly rebuild paying close attention to cable direction and keeping cables from touching each other. Before you power up, cycle the circuit breaker a few times to clean it. Then power up each component in 30 second intervals so the breaker does not become overwhelmed. 500 systems are delicate beasts, poor performance can be often be caused by a set-up issue.
If your sound is still not to your liking a dealer visit is warranted. I rejected my first 500 (20 years ago) as it did not sound good. The dealer/distributer quickly replaced it with a much better sounding amp which I still own!
If you are seeking new speakers I’d recommend you to listen to ProAc K6 Signatures.
I suggest doing all the usual things clean all plugs…by multiple plugins…carefully look at burndy routing…then possibly alter the order…of stacking… and try altering speaker locations. Also make sure there are no nasty switch mode psu’s on your ring… Have a look at your plugs screw connections make sure they a tight… There are allot of variables…tackle one by one…otherwise you will not be sure what the culprit was…I eventually tracked an issue with Roon on my system…it took me ages…I also understand plug-in order can also be critical…
If you followed my thread you will know I was at odds with my 500 DR when it came back from the factory. I wrangled with it for a few months before it started blowing fuses and finally failed. Since returning it’s been a completely different animal and I am very happy with it now.
That must have been a very frustrating process!!! - you must have reached a point where you kind of doubt your self (arghh)… in way the blowing of the fuses must have been a relief - and the final return to base even more so. I am glad things are better now…you must have reached a point of Karma! enjoy!!
You have no idea how frustrating it was, the amount of second guessing and trying to convince myself that it was alright. I love my music and at one point I hated my system and would rather listen to youtube on the TV, thankfully the problem presented itself and we were able to sort it.
Interesting thread JS. As an XS range owner, I had tended to think that buying a complete 500 set would be audio heaven. Seems not always. So I will watch with interest and hope it turns out for you.
Your NAP300 seems to have something for you with your speakers that the NAP500 is not giving you.
Just a random thought. I upgraded my 500 to DR, but only some months later re-capped the PS. I found the DR upgrade alone to be so-so, more sideways than upwards. But when the re-capped PS came back it was, here it comes the much over-used, a “revelation.” You could say either that the experience (a) proves the importance of the PS over all else, or (b) it shows that the DR only realizes its full potential with a brand-new, un-aged PS. I favor (a), because it has been proven time and again with Naim equipment over the years. But, in any case, the age of your 500 PS may be something to look into.
It’s funny how different people have different experiences. When I upgraded from the 300dr to the 500dr it was the best upgrade I ever done in the line of many upgrades. The 250dr to 300dr was not so much.