Just read the last Absolute sound magazine, review on the Ideon Absolute dac ( 30k). The designer himself recommends using a good analogue preamp with it, even if the ideon has a volume control.
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“Through 35 years+ with Naim I have learned and heard how system balance must always be of highest priority. Tbh. contemplating getting the S1 into my system did cause myself to worry, how everything else would cope. I know my room is now very good, but…”
Yes indeed system balance is of great importance. changing one crucial component such as a pre as the heart of a system may expose other components shortcomings. I found this coming from a different angle. After a long period over a decade or so without changing much I had my old 500 serviced and dred with a major pleasing improvement, only to add two more to go active soon after. The move to active was always lurking somewhere in the back of my mind and eventually materialized. The improvement of detail clarity and musical presence was remarkable. At that point I couldn’t imagine that a 552dr could be holding back something. Exchanging my 552 with the S1, first as a trial was an immediate revelation of how much further musical information and detail has been eclipsed or conversely how good the amplification with active 500drs really is. I really wasn’t prepared to the impact the S1 had. But it didnt stop there in terms of system balance.
Although the dbls at first seemed to be capable of transferring all the massive refinement the S1 in combination with active 500s brought to the game a lack of clarity did become evident. So I embarked on my dbl refurbishing project which a very pleasing result. I won’t go into too much detail about fettling the tt along the path. A final comment on cabling should not be forgotten. At that level it becomes clear that standard naim cabling is not up to the task anymore, not only for a CD555 …
oh … and bad recordings still sound bad and shortcomings with the recording become more obvious …
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Well going to have to slum it for a few more years with the 552dr lol
But it has just got better apparently, as its got some new toys hanging from it.
Apparently its made quite a difference and opened it up nicely, cant wait to get it back.
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Hi Peter,
No doubt the Magicos would benefit from a NAC S1 in the amplification chain. But I never considered it to be an option. Well, I recall having said pretty much the same about a second 555PS 
For the moment, if I manage to close the deal, I’ll dedicate our resources to building a house. It’s a 7 digits project… 
But It’ll include a perfectly shaped dedicated listening room 
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Hi Thomas, nor did I! 
Hope your plans come into fruition re your future dedicated room. ATB Peter
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I had a nice early night, and feeling refreshed after a fine sleep I have rebuilt my system this morning. It blows off the early morning cobwebs and is a great workout!!
System sounding is good as ever, and if I squint real hard I can see an S1, however when I open my eyes I see my glorious 552 singing it’s heart out!!
Coffee and breakfast next then more music is in good order for the day. I seem to have a problem with my phone as i reentered my dealers numbers again and again it seems to of gone. Pesky phone, wife what have you been doing with my phone 
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Me neither 
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Replacing the 552DR with its bigger brother will happen if, and only if, I’m able to achieve the first goal : a nice, perfectly shaped listening room with the flattest possible frequency response. In terms of cost we’re beyond a NAC S1. Something like :
Not sure it’ll happen. The COVID situation slows everything…
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Hi Thomas,
Certainly a nice even spread of modes and nearly no destructive baddies and smack bang in the middle of the Bolt area 
Would you consider to preempt where your bass absorption will need to be and incorporate it in the room design looking part of the room? Probably don’t need to ask…
Very exciting prospect, are you considering windows high up maybe?
I hope you will start a ‘ from scratch’- thread here as and when 
Don’t worry about planning for the S1, that just drops onto the floor somewhere!
Best Peter
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Out of interest I put in my room values:
Mine is an L-shape, so this does not accurately predict what I have, as a corner is ‘missing’ (the width increases from 15 ft to 19 ft at the Speaker end of room, so I think they ‘breath’ better with the extra space I found), but it seems to work OK with the S1 and system - trial and error positioning of Speakers and listening position years ago found one of the available sweet-spots.
…but veering dangerously off-topic!
DB.
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Very good room DB, but as you say…
Good listening Peter
Unfortunately, AMROC works for perfectly parallelepipedic rooms only (no doors, no windows and fully reflective walls). It’s an approximation. Measurements can’t be avoided. But it’s a pretty nice start when building a room from scratch and when decisions have to be made.
I checked the math for non-parallelepipedic rooms. It isn’t out of my reach, but it is complicated. So I never dug into it. While not obvious, measurements are much easier for that matter.
Trying several listening and then speaker positions is certainly the best way to go 
Buying building land isn’t easy in Switzerland, especially in my location. It’s terribly expensive, and pretty rare. If I’m lucky enough to close the deal I’m on, then designing the listening room will probably be the funniest part. I already made some 3D sketches.
The listening room will be built in the basement, which means adding a good thermal isolation in order to avoid condensation and therefore keep humidity under control. As for the windows I’ll probably have something like that:
The room will be completely treated with a maximum of absorption and the necessary diffusion in order to keep some liveness. So no flat walls, at all.
I could do the treatment myself, but let’s face it: even though I have a solid understanding of acoustics my practical experience is almost inexistent. So I’ll probably hire someone, at least for proper measurements, building advices and choices of technologies to apply.
As for the S1… that would be nice. A pair of Magico M2 would also be nice But the Mk2 version, if there is one. The NAP 500 DR probably won’t be able to drive properly the actual M2 Mk1 
But a full Naim Statement would! 
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Someone probably already asked you, what about a full Statement?
Probably not tomorrow, but later… a toy could replace another
The S1 pre could well be the preamble to a full Statement
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Indeed Thomas, 3 lit-up obelisks standing proud with one Fraim stack for the 555 next to them is high on my Christmas list. 
Sadly once you no longer have an income coming in every month, you have to be sensible and show restraint, something I clearly haven’t been particularly good at as of late.
The amps will be out of my reach realistically, but I’m in awe every day as to the uplift the S1 Pre has brought into my system. The replay is stupendously good and is still improving. ATB Peter
Hi DB, out of curiosity do you know what Kw the transformer is in the Pre S1 ? ATB Peter
S1-Active with 500 is less expensive than Passive full-Statement - and they do sound different.
I prefer overall the Active with 500DR option, but the full Statement Passive is stunning in its own right and is a neater solution.
Comparing the two Options - the S1 Monoblock Amps do give a lot of the ‘life and scale’ of an Active system but still remaining Passive. The S1 - 500DR Active does this differently and IMO overall better in terms of clarity, timing and detail - but it is a trade-off against other excellent musical qualities the S1 Monoblocks have.
They are both excellent paths to explore for upgrade if funds permit, but since I already had the Active and generally like to improve on what I’m used to hearing, then for me remaining Active made sense - as well as cheaper enough to fund the ND555 upgrade and have change over.
DB.
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No - but I did talk to the Designer at an event a few years back on why it was so large - and he initially hedged his answer that it ‘just sounded better’, but when I suggested it was to reduce the ‘mains sampl-window’ where the diode conducts to recharge, because the current can be larger, then he said that would be a part of it all - together with ‘tuning’ the LF resonant charge circuit of the Inductance of Transformer to Reservoir Caps; certain ratios work musically better - all about having resonances away from music-bands.
If the conductance time ‘on’ to ‘off’ ratio is very small then the time the Pre is connected to mains is also small and the voltage ‘shape’ produced on conduction - to be integrated to DC voltage is also easier with fewer harmonics. It all adds-up - a good Linear Supply can get crazy big for a relatively very small current demanded, but the Pre needs an even quieter supply than the Power Amp, which does also need the higher dynamic currents.
DB.
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4kVA, if I recall correctly.
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In Rolls-Royce language ‘adequate’ 
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