ND555 curent wisdom - simple set up

I dont know if they have stopped the CD5si. Lots of information on the VAM1202 shortage HERE

Same price as Melco N1Z/2EX-S40, without a ripper…

I also recently purchased an Innuos Statement and PhoenixNET. I think they are excellent products, a big step up from the Synology NAS that I was using as a Roon Core.

The Innuos Sense v2 app is really good and that’s what I am currently using (rather than Roon). If you have read @Michaelb’s excellent thread then you probably already know that you need to get Innuos to enable a plugin to get the Statement to stream to the ND555 via ethernet. That feature is still in development but is working well for me - you don’t get album art on the ND555 display and I don’t know if that is possible or not.

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I have the mid level, N1zh60 mk2. It’s the hdd one. The ssd top price is double the price .
SSD are very expensive, specially with 6 TO storage. Some say the N10, hdd, with external ps, at 8k, sounds better vs the 12k ssd.

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Thanks Delta, I did read the thread and note the need for a plug in until Innuos come up with a solution. From Innuos site, there seem to be varying levels of success with the plug in which is a bit of a concern. I’m used to CDs so the bells and whistles will all be new to me. As such, album art would be nice but not a show stopper. The main thing is the lack of Sense/UPnP streamer integration doesn’t result in any loss of sound quality.

Yes, there is a bit of a risk with using stuff that is not fully released. But it is the most requested feature and having spoken to Nuno (‘Mr Innuos’), I was happy to go for it anyway and, as I mentioned, it is working well for me. I was using the Statement as a Roon Core for a while as well which worked flawlessly. I think it sounds better with the plugin but I haven’t done extensive A/B testing.

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OK, have messed about with this, just streaming from Qobuz using the Naim app and PhenixNet in the loop to ND555 on the one hand and then through Statement with the PhoenixNet again in the loop and there is a difference. Sometimes it’s really very evident, complex symphonic works hold together better, but equally so do “busy” pieces, such as Ugorskaya playing Bach’s Inventiones No. 4 in D Minor, where the pace and rhythmic interplay are clearer and more incisive, maintaining the tone and contrasts of the piano better. On Sirota’s Rebel Souls playing Geronimo’s Free on Propaganda, the interplay is clearer, the brass tones more complex, complete and therefore expressive. On Orchestra Baobab’s Mouhamadou Bamba, the instruments and singers each inhabit a space of their own, the tones are clearer, stand out more individually and consequently the interplay between them is easier to follow, the base lines and rhythmn are also more propulsive. The difference it is quite striking there. It’s all just more realistic and alive. There was a much greater clarity and sense of sound against silence on Goldfrapp’s Lovely Head. The effects on that track were much stronger and more astonishing with the Statement. The same goes for Meola & Co. on Friday Night in San Francisco, where the instrumental tones were more detailed and present and distinct and the rhythmic interplay more dynamic. On the other hand, the rather poorly recorded album Beautiful Broken by Heart sounded its usual muffled self on both.

I’d hoped to faff about with some hard rock to end the comparisons but my clients have had other ideas.

Is this a significant and readily apparent difference? In most cases, yes, it is.

It begs the question, if considering a staggered purchase, should one go PhoenixNet first or Statement first? In terms of bang for the buck, I strongly suspect PhoenixNet, but I’d have to do more faffing to have an idea of which makes a bigger difference on its own. That will have to wait…

All I can say at the moment, with Friday night still playing straight to the ND555 via the PhoenixNet at the moment, I have absolutely no regrets about buying the Statement…

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Thankyou Michael for the comprehensive answer, much to think about.

Gary

You’re welcome. I’ve got say I wasn’t expecting such a big difference for Qobuz. I’m certainly at a bit of a loss to explain it…

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Thanks again. I have sent a note to Innuos too.

My dealer seems oblivious to this problem and still waxing lyrical about how good the software is. I havent asked how he has it connected but he confirmed he has no Naim equipment in stock for me to audition with.

Excuse my ignorance but does that mean for the best sound quality you are only using the ND555 DAC?

image
Sorry Elfer, couldn’t help myself :joy::joy:

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Ooops…

For me this thread highlights the frustrations associated with high end (expensive) streaming products. Ignoring analogue interconnect/amp/speaker interfaces it is difficult to know what a 100% optimised ND555 (or whatever) should (could) sound like (and if you did then surely that is the combination of servers, switches, etc. you would purchase) which results in lengthy discussions about alternative ways of getting a digital signal into the streamer. I have a Node 2i / Qutest with rips being on a Terramaster NAS that, for the money, I am extremely content with. However I am even more content with my CDX2 as I know that - aside from PS options - it sounds exactly as it was designed to sound. There are no variables at play.

No. This does not bypass the ND555 streamer, connecting to it in the usual way by Ethernet.

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Just the power cable and interconnect to the preamp! Plus of course the Bedini clarifier!

But I know what you mean. The whole everything makes a difference to streaming stuff drove me absolutely barmy in the beginning. I’m not sure I’ve recovered yet, to tell you the truth :slight_smile:

But then it’s no worse than the heady days of turntable, arm, cartridge, tracking force, azimuth, mat, support, Zerostat, brush, record cleaner etc etc discussions of the golden days of vinyl…

Agreed - and what a pain that all was as well!

Interesting - this happened to me at the beginning with Melco and Naim App - then a few years ago an update to ND555 Firmware and App made it all work beautifully - always getting correct pictures.

  • Then a few months ago following another Naim update of Firmware/App - it all stopped working right - the same problem you report. Debug with Naim and they are blaming Melco, even though I did not change anything on Melco and re-booted it - no joy.

So it can work - but not for me now with Album Artwork - unless I embed the art in the metadata file of the music - then it all works fine with correct Artwork.

It is a shame, as in my system it sounds great and not worth me changing the Server just to get the artworks fetch from the folder.jpg file in the Album directory to work.
I’d like Naim to fix it but I’ve given-up! :bear: :frowning_face:

DB.

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I have maybe 1000 albums on my Melco, and perhaps 10 where the cover is lacking. It doesn’t bother me at all.

It is more that it did work perfect - then mysteriously does not now for Artworks.
Playing music just now and it sounds beautiful as a system - and the Melco was chosen by me to compliment the signature of my system, to which it does an excellent job.

It is a minor gripe on aesthetics and usability prompted by realizing it was not just my version. :thinking:

Do you still use Melco direct to streamer or via PN switch now - and do you still prefer the AQ Diamond to connect?

DB.