The endless audiophile search continues!
1 Like
My budget +/- 12.000 euro for an used / second hand Dac/Streamer.
Donāt hesitate if you have a suggestionā¦
Thanks!
Second hand Rossini will be maximum I can go, Vivaldi out of reachā¦.
Thanks!
Maybe NSC 333 . If you go to Versailles studio hifi event the next week, they are demonstrating Naim new components.
They can sell Naim during this week with 25% decrease.
1 Like
552/500DR seems plenty of grunt for my S5mkIIs.
PS Martin Collums reviewed the S5mkii speakers in Hi-Fi Critic (paired with 500DR). Jonathan Honeyball chimed in with some notes of his own, describing these speakers thusly:
It goes deeper into a soundstage, and defines it more cleanly than anything I have ever heard, including the finest ribbons and electrostatics. This has come about because of Magicoās obsession with the computer modeling and analysis of vibration and energy flow within the speaker, to a level that seems to be streets ahead of anyone else.
I post this only to address the notion that there is not a match. Two of Englandās finest reviewers seemed to rather like the pairing.
2 Likes
I agree that NaĆÆm and Magico are not a happy marriage, they donāt complement one another. I feel that Naimās design brief is not making a Krell competitor. If Naim is Porsche Cayman, US muscle amps will be heavyweights like a Lamborghini Aventador.
Just traded-in my 333 for a Linn Selekt DSM Edition with dual mono Organik DACs. Linn is a bit more than 12K depending on the config. Just my humble opinion, I think NSS333 is the weakest link in the 300 range. And not to mention the firmware situation, where a streamer section which everybody is saying doesnāt matter for SQ, has issues and behaves differently when you select/deselect different inputs or open streamerās web management. Absolutely crazy.
3 Likes
Congrats for your purchase. So you keep the 332/350 and have a Linn streamer now?
I have heard the KDSM and liked it.
I am also in an uncertain position. Have the Nds with dual ps, and heard itās no more serviceable. Not sure yet what I will do in 2,3 years. Donāt know if the Nd555 will be serviceable too.
Could go for Linn, but will loose a lot of money selling the Nds and my 2 ps. Paid 6k + 10k+ 5k=21 K, to sell the whole maybe 10k max. More 9k.
1 Like
Thanks @frenchrooster! Yeah latest KDSM worked just beautifully with 332/350s in my audition. Wasnāt that good without the preamp though, so wasnāt an option due to huge price.
Based on this demo, I ordered a much cheaper Selekt Edition with those mono Organik DACs hoping to have a similar experience as with the KDSM. Fingers crossed 
Not sure what to tell you, you know best what sound you like, but Iām rather disappointed in 333 sound wise. If you liked Linn, Selekt DSM has many options to pick the best value config for yourself. After hearing KDSM, I knew I just had to get the Organik DAC option.
2 Likes
Iāve got a pair of Organik DACs in my Selekt Edition DSM, but went with a pair of Stereo Out Amp Cartridges.
Awesome bit of kit.
Enjoy yours when you get and looking forward to seeing your photos.
DGā¦
1 Like
I presume you mean not updatable for changing online streaming services and security etc, an not that it cannot be serviced if it goes wrong or hardware like capacitors deteriorate?
The answer is to separate the transport/renderer and DAC: that approach makes most sense: you can choose the best DAC for your ears/wallet, thereafter it need never be updated, whike th front end would be much less costly and less of an issue if/when it ceases to be udatable. Thereās an obvious DAC I could suggesr, but others of course as well.
1 Like
Cheers @DiggyGun! Your posts on your Linn journey really helped me a lot to understand the hierarchy of their streamers and in the end to pick an option for me. 
I was hoping I could reduce my box count and go for a KDSM directly into the 350s but it was so much better with the 332 preamp. Regarding the amp cartridges, that never was an option for me as I love the 350s and their power. 
No, I mean servicing ( like every Naim components, every 10/15 years). Changing capacitors and other things.
Naim announced recently the Nds and Superline are no more serviceable.
So I presume the Nds may very probably decrease in performance after 12/15 years. Mine is from 2016.
So used as a streamer or just dac , connected to a transport, the Nds needs service at some point.
Does an NDS needs servicing?
Gary
But repairable, yesā¦
1 Like
I would have thought that only possibly power supply capacitors would benefit from periodic changing, but I donāt think it has an internal PS? Otherwise my own expectation is that most if not all the electronics should be good for 20-30 years or more, as it is hardly a highly stressed device.
It was on the list of components to service before.
If it gives any peace of mind we had our 2011 nDAC serviced. All that was replaced were the PSU caps, which an NDS doesnāt have.
Screen failure might be the first thing to hit. If naim canāt provide screens thereās a well documented procedure involving a French seller on a well known auction site which many people have used.
So thereās no caps inside the Nds?
Looks like there are Tants but no reservoir caps - theyāre all in the PS. The big reservoir caps are the ones that will most likely need a scheduled change.
2 Likes