I take it you mean me, rant, err I dont think so.
Just saying what I have experienced the last few days.
Also just for reference I have been told to leave it a few more days to complete its warm up and then if still not satisfied, take it back and see how it stands up against the shops demo model.
Certainly not ranting
you could try the dcs network bridge, connected to the chord combo. It would stream from the uniticore for much less money than nds/xpsdr and on the same level or better.
you are probably referring to me. I have naim components since 20 years and will continue. It’s a great company and i love its sound.
However there are many differences in same components after the production. It’s a problem to my eyes.
it’s the best thing to do! 
As someone who is approaching 6 months with a preloved 552/500 of circa 2000 vintage serviced almost 3 years ago but not DRed, I say the best advice with Naim kit is to get it setup as per the best advice and leave it alone to mature. I doubt your 552 is anywhere near settled in. You have a good streamer (NDS) and you should be wowed by it. I’ve been wowed in the last month as mine settles even with a humble nDAC + 555 DR receiving a very very high quality spdif stream from an Innuos Zenith.
Undoubtedly the ND555 is better than the NDS, but in your home absolutes depend on many more variables. Your quote makes good sense.
Phil
No, I simply do not know. You can find a lot of advice and different experiences about feeding Chord DACs with Naim and non-Naim transports in https://community.naimaudio.com/t/dave-came-round/3367/583.
I understand that you have so far compared a direct S/PDIF connection between the Core and the TT2 with a connection (again between the Core and the TT2) via NDS/XPSDR as a UPnP->S/PDIF transport and that you have found the latter to sound better.
This is not very surprising to me because the Core is advertised as a basic UPnP server and the quality of its S/PDIF output, to the best of my knowledge, has not been systematically compared to that of other devices.
It is possible that Core works better as a UPnP server than as a S/PDIF player. You could easily confirm or confute this possibility by connecting the S/PDIF output of the Core to the S/PDIF input of the NDS and then connect the NDS to the TT2 as usual.
If you decide to replace the NDS/XPSDR as a UPnP->S/PDIF transport, you have a number of possibilities. As ChisSU mentions, you could try the NDX (NDX 2) or the ND5XS (ND5XS 2). This would again mean redundancies as with your current system, however. Alternatively, you could also try something like the Sonore UltraRendu (then connected to the TT2 via USB), the dCS Network Bridge or, as you anyway plan to do, the mScaler.
I guess all these alternatives will sound slightly different and the question of whether one is better than the others is one that you will have to answer yourself.
In my system I am feeding a Naim DAC straight from a DigiOne Signature. I have tried a few alternatives (including, among others, a Sonore ultraRendu + Mutec MC-3+ Smart Clock USB) and I can hear differences but I find it difficult to say that one is obviously better than another. Thus, for the time being, I have settled on the most straightforward solution. Good luck and … please report your findings!
Thanks for all the advice and suggestions,I really appreciate it. I can try the Core BNC direct to NDS without much trouble, because yes, I was using UPNP from Core to NDS, then NDS direct to TT2 with my DC1 cable. I will add that today the Core direct to TT2 sounds better to me than when I first hooked it up, I wonder if the Core BNC circuitry is somehow burning in, or maybe my ears are just adapting to the new presentation? I do not like flipping back and forth between different connections, I would rather live with each one for several days to get a better sense of how much I like it.
Popping down to paul tomorrow at hifi lounge.
We will be comparing this nd555 with the shop demo model.
Also taking my nds down to compare.
So hopefully we will get to the bottom of it all tomorrow, and then we will see what direction i go in.
But looking forward to it all and part of me is hoping this nd555 is at fault, as if not i dont know what all this hifi stuff is about
very curious to have your feedback tomorrow or later…
I will listen to the Dave tomorrow.
Paul is also very curious as to what is going on.
But as i have found in the past, sometimes these things dont quite go to plan
Smart move Dunc.
No one has to hear a positive difference between the NDS and ND555, but there should be a difference.
Good luck tomorrow and let us know how you get on.
With my recent experience with the NDS as posted I will be interested on your findings.
Trust you have a good time and come to a positive conclusion.
Just to be clear, i am not expecting a night to day difference as the nds is a great streamer and the nd555 does use the same dac to a degree.
But for the difference in price, i do expect to hear a difference and that difference be a better one and not just different, if that makes sense.
a lot of members here found the improvement very important, like @Darkebear, @BertBird, @RipVanRadio, @Michaelb, @Bart, @Yeti, @Gazza…all have had an nds before.
I didn’t tried it at home, only at dealer place. So different, and not direct comparison with nds.
Anyway guys will let you know tomorrow night how we got on.
Perhaps your findings also depends on the kind of music that you have used to compare the NDS to the ND555 and on your listening room?
These are aspects that, to the best of my knowledge, have not been very much discussed in this thread but could at least contribute to explain some of your findings: different people listen to different kinds of music and listen to music in different ways and in different environments.
Anyway, I am looking forward to read the outcomes of the comparison at the hifi lounge.
I’ll be interested to hear what you think. Have you heard the ND555?
Actually I never had an NDS: I much preferred my CD555. Until the ND555 came along…
i will report of course. Yes, i heard it and liked it. However 11k more now to spend is too much for me. Maybe much later. I don’t know yet.
Have just bought recently the melco.
I home-demoed the NDS a few years ago and liked it - but it was not for me better than the CD555 I had - it was slightly perhaps better in some areas but far worse in terms of dynamic rendering and overall clarity and insight - the best streamer I’d heard to date then but the CD555 bettered it.
Then I had the same demo with ND555 and it moved the bar significantly past what the NDS had achieved and in many areas I felt it was showing me things my CD555 did not - and that was a new ND555 compared to a well run-in CD555, so I decided I liked it enough to change-over to ND555 and rip all my CD music.
Over time the ND555 run-in and really opened-out and I think now is ahead everywhere over what I recall from my CD555 - although I have very fond memories of many years excellent no-fuss service from the CD555 so it was an excellent product to own.
…the comment made above on music choice is pertinent - in that the strengths of the ND555 really reveal themselves in either older non-compressed non-bad-remastered music or good modern clean full dynamic-range music. On modern compressed music I’d not say there was much between the NDS and ND555 - the latter better still but its strengths really not being called upon.
DB.