I’m sorry that’s absolute tosh and let me ask one simple question; how did you and your friend arrive at this conclusion; did you each listen to exactly the same piece of music at regular intervals at exactly the same volume and take copious notes on every aspect?
No need to be sorry. Maybe you haven’t experienced burn in but I and many others have.
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Yes I have, a new NDX2 5 weeks ago, a bit flat when first fired up but singing beautifully after a couple of weeks. But of course as you work your way through your connection you’re hearing stuff with a different presentation. That’s the explanation I’m afraid!
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Are the sidewalls at asymmetrical angles Relative to the Speakers and the listener?
I can’t really see what the Naim boxes are resting on, but they seem rather close together.
Did you describe the supports That they are standing on?
Isn’t it the same, given its the same DAC chip types and SHARC support for the upscaling and filters?
The ND555 has a revised streaming board with later technologies, to add support for later WiFi & Airplay standards, a bigger inbound buffer memory for Internet Streaming services with HiRes content, namely Tidal Max and Qobuz, the ability to drive a colour screen on the front, changes in Remote control technology (Bluetooth over IR) and Roon Ready status (RAAT support).
There are some additional DR type regulation on the analogue output board (provided by an under-board within the brass isolation mechanism). This all on the Socket2 supply side.
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The PCM1704 DAC chips are graded to a higher specification in the ND555, not to mention the PCB mounting on the floating brass sub-plate. I don’t pretend to be a technical engineer (far from it) but from gleaning over the ND555 white paper, the stepping in the clock frequency is much improved in the ND555 along with the DR regulators in the power supply.
“Whereas the ND 555 operates as clock master for audio signals ‘pulled’ from a network, with an S/PDIF input the signal is clocked out by the source component and that clock has to be recovered and de-jittered by the receiver. The ND 555 does this using a refinement of the method first developed for the Naim DAC…In the Naim DAC stepping of the clock frequency was achieved by providing 10 selectable fixed clocks, which gave quite large intervals between available clock frequencies. In the ND 555, by contrast, fractional divider clocks are used to provide much finer gradations of clock frequency to allow much closer matching of the incoming and outgoing data rates. In this way the ND 555 is able to adapt its clock frequency to that of an S/PDIF source while completely decoupling its DAC circuits from clock jitter generated either by the source or within the S/PDIF interface.”
As a long time user of the nDAC but never hearing the ND555 myself, I’d be surprised if Naim’s flagship streamer didn’t sound better.
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Lots of things influence the sound quality. The actual chip is only a small part.
The analogue stage in the dac has more influence than the chip.
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I believe they are all the same stock. I understand Naim made a bulk purchase of the PCM1704K chips originally used in the CD555, the nDAC, NDS and ND555.
The NDS has the same brass isolation system as the ND555, but the ND555 will have a higher mass sprung due to the additional board with the additional power regulation for the Analogue stage.
The NDS and ND555 takes the same connection for 555 power supplies. It then up to the user, whether they have the DR or non-DR version of the 555, whether one supply is used for both Socket1 and Socket2 or separate supplies feed them separately.
The revised Clock matching mechanism, is only really used if the input signal is not a quality signal and easily be matched. If you feed it from a good S/PDIF based source, then the Clock will be immediately locked. Of course this feature only applies to a S/PDIF based input using the streamer as a standalone DAC, and as a network player where the data stream is coming in over UPnP.
Naim have not talked much about the Roon Ready implementation, but the observation is that it is not as good as the UPnP input. And this seems to be the case, as Naim seem to never demo the ND555 within a Roon environment, always with a Naim Core, which is providing a UPnP stream.
You may find, based on how you use the nDac, how it is powered. what is providing the digital signal, etc. that it is capable of similar SQ to a ND555 in a similar configuration.
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I’ve seen it said on here more than once that the DAC chips were graded and better sounding ones were used on more expensive streamers.
@feeling_zen did you say that?
By the way, how does the NDS compare to the nDAC, did it more or less retain the same sound signature and was there an uplift in SQ? I’ve always thought about making the change.
They are both great.
The nDAC rocks a bit more and has more bass, the NDS has greater clarity, detail, refinement to my ears.
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I repeated it. It did not originate with me. I think Richard said it initially.
I beleive Naim grade all their components even capacitors and such to grade them as reject, 5i series, Uniti, XS, New Classic, 500, Statement etc.
But at the time, the 2 top products for the PCM1704K DAC chips were the CD555 and the NDS, as the reference CD player and reference streamer. 
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Did you remove the transit screws from the bottom of the ND 555? Just checking…
Hi freedomsounds
I’ve just had a closer look at your photo and it looks you might have stacked three pairs of Naim boxes right on top of each other.
As you also note it looks like the cables behind those boxes will perhaps be touching each other and/or the floor or wall.
It’s likely that your system will get a large boost in sound quality if you can get it onto a proper rack with one box per shelf, and do the standard Naim cable dressing.
Good solid racks can be had pretty cheap on eBay.
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Thanks Jim 
I am just adding to the chorus of voices with what has been already played out here. I made moves over time the in the last phase of my system meant I had a nd555 and a 300dr with BW 803 d4s. I had my old friend the 282 with two Hicaps. For some reason I did not really consider the difference a preamp could make…. Seriously the biggest upgrade and jump in terms of my listening experience has been buying a 552. 
. I cannot express how big it was. So many like here had highlighted the 282 bottleneck but I ignored.
I now have the 500dr also and I feel I am here to stay for a long old while.
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Thank you for input, given your experience in having close to the same upgrade path as I have had is helpful. My experiences with the upgrade path I have had from a nova to a early 2000s classic system and to now the beginnings of a 500 system has been an interesting and enlightening but also even a little bumpy at times.
I just want to say that by everyday standards the system and more importantly the nd555 sounds great ! I just know from my experience here so far over the last 7 years of upgrading I can get a lot more of that Naim magic out of the system. I love the sound when I have everything tweaked. I had taken into account the defect of cable dressing not being perfect and the rack not being a fraim at this time comparing the sound of the older configurations and can tell that it’s not so much the dressing or the rack or the air around the black boxes and nether to more of an extent the the 282 w/non dr SC powering it, which considering still sound great most of the times but is also the weakest link in the chain at this point because they are the only pieces left over from when I started this journey. So, in the first month of the beginning of the new year I will upgrade the pre to a 552 and it can birth more surprises. Thanks all !
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Yes we have followed a similar path. I personally have loved every step and even the odd moment of confusion when I hit an issue I hadn’t expected. I think speaker isolation was the biggest learning for me. It made a world of difference and if you had told me before getting into this game that some spikes on your speakers could impact the basis I would have accused you of being on drugs.
I don’t know you but I am actually excited for you and your new year purchase- there are some amazing amazing deals to be had. I think I put it into a post on here but my first listen of the 552 brought tears to my eyes when I played a few more emotive tracks…. The music moved me more.
The one thing I also did was move on from the 805s with sub to 803 d4 and putting the Nap 500 in made the whole thing sing. Frankly I am now just enjoying the music but missing the learning and hunting for deals.
Anyway enjoy…… maybe I’ll get the second power supply for the nd555
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