NCD 555 PS PSU Vs NDX2 + power supplie

Hi-Fi Corner
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Which would you choose?

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Hi, can you clarify what you are asking? ā€œNCD 555 PS PSUā€ is a bit confusing!

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Hi, Chris. Sorry for any confusion. What gives the best SQ: an NCD 555 player or an NDX2. I realise that all opinions are subjective.

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I presume you mean ND555, which is a clear improvement over the NDX2, as it should be for the price.
The performance of the NDX2 varies considerably depending on which power supply you use, but even if you run it with a 555PS it doesnā€™t match the ND555.

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There is a CD555, which is a CD player. There is an ND555, which is a network player. There is no NCD555.

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Plus with the ND555 you can if you have the cash add a second power supply for the ultimate SQ.

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Cheers. Yes, I mean the CD555

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Sorry, Chris. The CD555 player.

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If I wanted to play CDs Iā€™d choose the CD555. If I wanted to do streaming Iā€™d get the NDX2. The CD555 needs a 555PS to work. The ND555 was the successor to the CD555. The NDX2 is a step lower.

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Thank you How would you compare the CD555 to the NDX2 SQ?

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As I said, the ND555 is the successor to the CD555, so youā€™d expect the CD555 to be better than the NDX2 with 555PSDR. Itā€™s not just about SQ, but about how you want to listen to your music. The network players can play internet radio and can access web streaming such as Qobuz and Tidal, as well as playing you own stored music. All a CD player can do is play CDs. It depends on what you want.

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One thing for sure, thereā€™s a huge price difference between the two. Even if you compare ND555 (obviously with PSU) vs NDX2 + PS555DR

I, for one, find it worth and justified to upgrade from NDX2 bare to ND555, didnā€™t even bother to try the PSUs (neither XPX DR nor PS555DR).

But if budget is a constraint, I think even a bare NDX2 worth its price and good enough (and I was using it with the 500 series gears), which over time you can gradually step up with PSUs, or NSS333 and perhaps ultimately to ND555

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I have had an CD555 and ripped CDā€™s in the streamer had better musicality.

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Just to confirm - you preferred ripped CDs played through the NDX2 over the same CDs from the CD555? Both with PS555DR?

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I had a 555 PS DR on the CD555 and the NDX was better even without the 555 PS DR.
The problem for CD players is that they read the disc wrong and have to interpolate in real time.

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OK - thanks

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Thatā€™s interesting. which streamer?

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NDX and NDS

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Having owned both the CD555 and ND555 I can confirm that they are pretty much at the pinnacle of Naim design philosophy. Run with one 555PS they are good, run with two they are both exceptional. If I was to criticise I would say that the CD555 can sound just a touch mechanical compared to the ND555. Youā€™d never know unless you heard the ND but it should be expected as the CD is dealing with all that extra mechanical energy of spinning a disk at high speed and trying to read it! Compared to an NDX2 both are quite a bit ahead. Iā€™m afraid ā€˜source firstā€™ still rules and there ainā€™t no easy way round it!

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Thatā€™s why an accurately ripped CD played by a streamer is better than a CD555 even if it has a fantastic DAC and output stages.

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