I have recently acquired a second hand ND555 with a single 555PS DR. The dealer advised they had about 100 hours on them - this was reportedly in a second system (!) that did not get much use. It was fully powered down when not in use (I asked). The powerline cable was brand new and unused.
I’ve been running it 24/7 for 6 days so far, streaming Tidal. I searched for the forum but was unable to find detailed accounts of ND555/DR running in and how things change. What I’m noticing is that there is impressive clarity, abundant micro-detail and the sonic character oscillates between these two states: periods when it is all a bit over pronounced in the upper frequencies, rendering it a bit too much for my ears, and periods when, on the same tracks, the low end becomes quite heavy, like someone turned up the bass below 150hz up by 3db or so. It mostly stays in the former state but the latter happens at times. I once turned off the PS for a few minutes, to make some changes to my rack, and after a few hours of operation, it entered the latter and stayed there for hours, with thunderous bass that was a bit too much.
I wonder if other folks on here have had similar experiences - is this still running in? How long should I give it before I start evaluating other parts of my setup? Everything was very well balanced with the 333 in the same system before - but it did take more than a month to get there.
Is it 3.8.2 or 3.8.4 which was the one before 3.10?
Mine was als very new (6 months old). I have not noticed huge jumps but it was getting better over the first weeks up to 3 months.
Maybe you are are bit sensitive to HF and bass bloom due to…other topics you know. With 3.8.4 all is perfect with nd555. Give him some weeks to burn in and warm up. When changing from nd5xs2/ndac/xps to nd555 the signature went a bit brighter n my system - but very good resolved.
My dealer always says that any Naim kit, especially 500 stuff, needs at least three weeks of constant use before you make any comments about SQ. I would say from experience he’s pretty accurate. I also find that you get these little ‘jumps’ in performance at around three months and then again at six months. Odd but I had it with each piece of 500 stuff I’ve bought.
Notwithstanding the firmware 100 hours and 3 weeks you’ll be there, of course you’re still adapting to the sound as you hear different a different presentation to your music.
Thats more the length of time I’ve found burn in to take, months rather than weeks. I always find I can hear very noticeable changes for around 3 months then after this the changes gradually become much more subtle.
I personally wouldn’t be trying any other changes just yet as @gk_audio will be trying to hit a moving target.
you know. With 3.8.4 all is perfect with nd555. Give him some weeks to burn in and warm up. When changing from nd5xs2/ndac/xps to nd555 the signature went a bit brighter n my system - but very good resolved.
Maybe try another brand when you are at it.