I’d suggest you get a simple unmanaged switch from Netgear or Cisco, for under £50, to give you the ports you need. Then connect the EE to the other switch and connect the Naim and music storage to the EE. This isolates the hifi from the rest. It’s what I and many others do, and it works well.
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So in my case that would be SKY modem/router to ‘cheap’ switch. Cheap switch to TV, Roon Nuc and EE8 then EE8 to NSS333?
Should I not also feed the NUC from the EE8 as it is part of HiFi? That just leaves the TV which is in a separate room to the HiFi - the extra ‘cheap’ switch would mean another mains cable in the small cupboard. So extra mains connection from cheap adapter plug vs less plugs but TV into EE8.
I have no interest in buying extra PSUs such as Farad 3 or similar.
I don’t know about Roon but my NAS is attached to the EE8.
So that just leaves the tv in my instance (everything else in the house is wifi). I wonder what benefit another switch and associated cheap mains cable would bring as opposed to any potential detriment of having the tv into the EE8?
You can wonder, or you can try it. It’s simply what I and others do. In the context of a £40,000 stereo, £50 is a mere trifle.
Indeed £50 is not much, or indeed £25.99 for a Netgear GS108, but I would then need a mains block in the cupboard as there are only 4 sockets available. Might be worth an experiment though.
Have an NDS with PS555DR. Trialled NDX2 years ago at home but was far too harsh.
Listened to NS333/NPX300 and NDX2/NPX300 via the new 300 series and B&W 804 D4.
NDX2 Stil harsh but less so. NS333 more bass, more warmth, better dynamics, more space, more color. Took it home. Burndis for old series are available.
If you preferred the NDS to the NDX2, the NDS333 is a must to consider.
The NS333 with the PS555DR sings.
At least in my set with 252, 300, BW804 D3.
Shame the buttons can’t be switched to green (the display can). ;-).
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Are you saying the 333 with 555 outperforms your NDS sonically? I know functionality wise the 333 will win, just interested in the sonics.
The approach has been the same on all Naim DACs since the NDAC. Essentially the digital filtering has been off loaded to the Analog Devices SHARC DSP controller - assuming that is still used on the new devices. So the oversampling and digital reconstruction filtering is done outside the DAC chips.
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Yes a better switch can help… but not necessarily just a so called audiophile switch.
If you have a home network with many modern devices directly or wifi connected then having a switch that supports IGMP snooping becomes preferable.
You can get these secondhand quite cheaply like the old Cisco 2960. Some more advanced ISP hubs use IGMP snooping, such as the BT Smart Hub.
You can always put an audiophile switch between the 2960 or BT Smart Hub and the streamer to tune the sound… but the key thing is you will have removed much of the wanted group traffic (multicast group) from being sent, if on your home network, to your streamer for it to process and discard. If your priority is to lower the ‘noise floor ‘ in the streamer this is a good thing.
This is real network optimisation as opposed to fiddling around with RF stub loading of analogue voltages on Ethernet patch leads… which don’t get me wrong, can be worthwhile, but it’s nothing to do with the network.
If your home network is simple with only half a dozen or so connections, minimal wifi connections including from mobiles etc… then unlikely to be of benefit… and then simply use a basic cheap domestic network switch if your ISP router hub hasn’t enough switch ports
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Interesting. Indeed I found NDX2 too analytic for my taste and love NDS so it would be interesting to compare NDS + 555PSDR with NS333 + 555PSDR at home.
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Many thanks @Simon-in-Suffolk for the detailed response. Your explanation is very concise but it may take me a few reads to digest as my networking knowledge is very basic.
I will see how I get on with the EE8 and May be back to pick your brains further.
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An EE8 being a so called audiophile switch is fine… it doesn’t do any network optimisation which is what I described above, it’s actually from a digital network perspective a very simple and basic device, but it can help reduce analogue common mode noise, and phase noise from the clocked voltages conducted through the Ethernet cables. This can otherwise couple into connected audio equipment, depending on the design of that equipment, subtly affecting or ‘tuning’ the resultant analogue audio performance
With cables, it’s not about ‘bits’ but good ol’ analogue voltages, currents and frequencies. Have fun with your EE8.
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Very interesting here…
Never heared the new streamers … the only new box I have is nait 50 and it is damn good.
Never heared a ndx2.
Interesting as well will the battle between nss333/555dr and nd555/555dr.
Are the new streamers offering a warmer sound than the classic ones?
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I hope not… the classic ones with the exception of the ND555 I found rather warm already… too much warmth smothers the sound and doesn’t let it breath… at least for me …
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Ok… I only know nd5xs2 and nd555.
The latter is neither very warm nor very on the analytical side. A lot of breath is there - that’s one of the main wow’s of nd555. And with nd555 there is a great difference between different recordings - the nd5xs2 is not so much differentiating
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Absolutely. Rides and crashes sound more natural aka more metallic on the diamond tweeters. Violins are better spaced. Old recordings of pianos have lost the glassy overtones. Snares are much more dynamic and sound more realistic. There’s overall better definition of voices and instruments, while keeping the warmth the NDS has. Bass control is amazing. Sound picture is significantly more three dimensional and separated from background.
Hi all.
Just some information on the Ns333 and NDx2. I have the new streamer currently on demo at home. It’s being used with the 555dr Ps. I’ve had the NDX2 for around 4 years so know it quite well and alway with the 555ps. My initial thoughts on the new streamer are increased detail a smoother maybe slightly warmer sound signature and less grainy. Sometimes the NDX2 can sound a touch harsh on some recordings. So all good but there is a but….it seems to lack the drive and weight that the NDX conveys it’s quite noticeable. The sounds is cleaner and smoother when the system is used at high volume but you do lose some of that slam and drive. The burndys supplied by the dealer are brand new so this maybe a factor so will give it some time but the streamer is a demo unit with plenty of hours on it so we will see.
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I found a similar difference though I used my NDX2 without PSUs. The NDX2 seemed to take key parts of the recordings and concentrate on performing those elements well. This would be drive, slam and vocals. The sound was always entertaining but did indeed harden at higher volumes. The sound staging was never fantastic but that never detracted from the enjoyment. I always felt that I wasn’t getting the whole picture.
The NSS333 on the other hand does not concentrate on any particular aspect of the recordings but rather just conveys everything that is happening. There is no emphasis on bass or slam - any bloat has gone and it just conveys the tunefulness and musicality of the bass. The midrange and treble contain a lot more information with no particular emphasis. I use the term ‘information’ rather than detail because detail can suggest clinical.
Sound staging would be considered improved though I don’t particularly like the term sound stage. Some refer to it as ‘placing instruments with laser accuracy’ but I ‘don’t find this to be a natural way to enjoy music. To me the important thing is to be able to hear all instruments clearly. They will appear in an approximate location but add to the whole rather than standing out. This is what I hear with the NSS333.
Yes it can sound a bit less exciting than the NDX2 but there is so much more information, rhythm and dynamics. The NSS333 is just so much more musical.
However, during my own listening tests, I found that the information could be a little overwhelming for the NAP250 (NC) and really needed the NAP350s to make perfect sense of it. With the 350s the decay of notes is more apparent.
There are many albums of all genres whereby the capability of the NSS333 allows the individual instruments to gel like a true ensemble. The musicality is superb.
With the 300 series being this good I can only imagine the extra musicality and control that a full fat 500 system would give!
On your point about burndies and burn in, yes that will be a factor but you are already hearing the main differences between the NDX2 and NSS333. If you prefer the sound signature of the NDX2 now, the burn in of the 300 series will not change your mind.
I base all of this on my experiences with my NDX2/SN3 which I had for 5 years vs my 5 box 300 series that I have owned for about 3 weeks. Purely my own findings of course and may not be the same as anyone else!
Enjoy your trial and please let us know what your final conclusions are.
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That’s a pretty good characterization of the NDX2 for me which is why I never got on with it, esp w/out a PS. I don’t understand your comment wrt weight though b/c my 222/555DR has all sorts of weight, your remark about the burndies may apply. I love the NC sound, more information, less grain/noise, more focused slam and increased space making the presentation appear more natural/real.
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