Another vote for trying to clear some more space in your listening room. I always feel sad when I read ‘I’ve spent an awful lot of money but I’m still not happy with my system’ posts. While I enjoy my Naim Audio system, I have a £99 Panasonic mini system in my bedroom with a pair of Gale mini bookshelf speakers left over from a previous system. Every night when I go to bed, I put a CD in, turn off the lights and listen until I go to sleep. I have the volume set very low so as not to wake anyone. I love that little Panasonic system. Best £99 I ever spent in terms of VFM and I can enjoy music with it. Last night it was Gong. Tonight will be Grateful Dead.
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I remember auditioning the SF Cremona speakers back in the day and thought they were beautiful. I also recall that they needed space around them, needed a very controlling amplifier and were neither bright nor fatiguing.
Given the above, may I ask an obvious question, namely do any of your Naim boxes, especially the 250 need a service? Our 135s needed a service every 7 years or the system started to sound a bit relentless and tiring.
The NAP300 is a good idea and a lovely amplifier but I would be careful to ensure that you avoid bass boom with the extra low frequency output that the 300 will bring for your Cremonas.
Hope this helps, BF
Hi,
Yes serviced and DR upgrades in 2022 - and much better for it!
R
Thanks, I’ve checked and the speaker cables are NAC5. Fortunately I would only need 3m of Superlumina😃
So many options, I may need to butter-up a local dealer to let me audition some s/h kit as it becomes available!
R
Really if you want better sound you need to totally change the furnishing in that room… if thats not domestically possible can you create a more dedicated hi fi space somewhere?
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Apologies for the noob question. But after recently acquiring an NDX2 and an SN3 - which I’m currently really enjoying. I’ve been perusing the Forums, and seeing what opinions are out there regarding upgrade paths. This has provided me with much food for thought, but one aspect which is confusing.
As a clear upgrade for the NDX2, it seems the perceived wisdom is that an XPS DR would work well and elevate the overall performance. Although, if I wanted the ultimate available upgrade, a 555PS DR would be the way to go?
The thing I’m confused about is this: what is the difference between a 555PS DR, and a CD 555PS DR? People seem to be using these two components interchangeably, and I’m not certain whether this is erroneous, or if I’m simply missing something readily apparent?
Thanks in advance,
Dan
Dan, they are one and the same.
IIRC, Naim didn’t rebrand the CD555 DR to just a 555PS DR due to costs (safety certifications, etc).
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Ah, thanks for the insight!
So what is the difference between an XPS DR, and an XPS2? Is the latter a newer version or a similar non-DR model? Some of these model numbers are so ambiguous!
The XPS2 is an older model (ca. 2012 and earlier) without the DR upgrades.
Basically the XPS 2 is an Olive XPS in the Classic casework, IIRC. @Richard.Dane can confirm (or deny).
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XPS is the older, pre-DR model. I wouldn’t bother with the XPS. The DR is a worthwhile upgrade though. Having said this, if you can stretch to a 555PS DR this is well worth the extra expense.
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Agreed - from everything I’ve read, but the ‘stretch’ isn’t exactly small to a 555PS DR! 
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Definitely not in the U.S. I never considered a 555PS DR for that reason. Too much of an upcharge. In the UK it’s more of a buyers market I think.
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Good to know. If I can manage/afford an upgrade, I think it’s likely to be an XPS DR then.
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hi @thedanadamsusa before you do that, if you have not done so already, I’d highly recommend adding good power cables and connectors. It did a lot for my NDX2 and SN3. Naim Powerline, Furutech, Ansuz would all give good results. Plus a Furutech wall outlet - a surprising but excellent installment.
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Vertere Redline cables are a step up on power lines but not ax expensive as others. Worth trying out - dealers will loan.
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The olive XPS isn’t the same as the Classic XPS2. It is incompatible with 1st gen streamers including the NDX, so I assume it’s also not suitable for the NDX2 although Naim documentation doesn’t mention it.
The XPS DR is also quite different: the DR upgrade basically involved ripping out all the internals and replacing them.
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The XPS2 was all new with a larger dedicated transformer (the older XPS used the same TX as the Supercap).
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Yes, you can’t use the old Olive XPS with Naim streamers, although it does work very nicely with the Naim DAC. Considering that you can get a serviced Olive XPS for under £1k it can make a lot of sense as an upgrade for a DAC owner.
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Indeed - perhaps @thedanadamsusa should start off with a DAC upgrade!
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For anyone who’s had the opportunity to contrast and compare. Bearing in mind the upgrade path for a discrete PSU for the NDX2, has clear financial implications, may I ask? With a starting point of NDX2 and SN3, what percentage of improvement would I likely experience with;
An XPS DR; 10%, 20%, 30%?
An 555PS DR?
I fully appreciate all these things are entirely subjective, but I am interested to hear opinions from folk who have actually heard these components in concert.
Many Thanks,
Dan