what a beast!..it could replace at least 5 of my Naim black boxes…wonder how it sounds…
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I normally use a ND555 but my dealer loaned me a NDX2 when my ND555 went back to Naim for repair. The NDX2/555ps is a superb combination and sounds excellent however in my system and room the ND555 is much much better as one would expect.
It’s a shame you cannot demo the ND555 and make a judgement based your listening experience.
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If you can afford it why wait. You will only continue to wonder how it will sound. I feel that we all make purchase decisions based on what we can afford and what we think is going to provide justification for the outlay. It sounds like you can afford it, and have justified the price. Once you have it you can be pretty sure that there really is no better. At that level I feel there are only differences.
Life can be short. You don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
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Staying away from any Transparent cable would be my choice. The Naim factory DIN-RCA HiLine will be superior or SuperLumina. Chord Music would be my first choice.
I believe that DIN adapter is for a turntable…a different connector.
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Me too!
MA12000 It’s a great piece for value, much cheaper then your naim boxes , it’s $19000 Canadian dollars . Half of the price of any naim 500 series.
I think Naim is not about the numbers on watts , but definitely powerful enough for most speakers on the market and very attractive in sounds.
MA12000 sounds warm, powerful, slightly to the soft side, because it’s a tube preamplifier, but also integrated with a powerful solid amplifier, so a lot of power for most floor standing speakers.
Also those tuners in front are very convenient, they can bring you as much bass and volume as you want in a bigger room, or tunings to the sound you prefer. It’s a nice package.
It’s a good all rounder for different types of musics to me , I can listen to it all day without getting fatigued.
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I wonder how the McIntosh MS500 compares with the Naim streamers, aesthetic synergy aside.
Preliminary reading indicates largely good for the intended audience. I’d be inclined to give it an audition, with McIntosh amplification. Maybe you have done.
I admit I have a nagging fondness for McIntosh gear, AND for synergy in general. My first “crush” was on a C26/MC2500 system in the 70s. Never owned any, yet, though.
Once you buy into Naim + Fraim, mixing brands feels less appealing. Diabolical genius, that, Naim!
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Thanks for sharing form your experience.
And yes, it is a shame for no chance for demo the ND555.
The problem is only around 5 audio stores in Vancouver Canada , most of them carry different brands, only one of stores carry Naim products, it’s the biggest audio store here.
They had full 500 series on demo for a short period of time 2years ago, but not many clients bought the 500 series at all, so they sold the whole set for demo. and then they sold the 300 series demo next.
They only keep Atom, star, nova, ndx2 and supernait3 left on demo, these products are much more popular here.
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agree
And yes, I will continue wondering how it will sound specially I have no chance to demo.
The problem is my speaker cables, power cord for my amplifier, RCA cable are all transparent reference line, I bought them as a full set together not long ago, and they are all calibrated between each other, Including RCA cable between Mcintosh amp with Naim streamer.
I only have one system at the moment. So I have 2 choices for now
- stay with the calibrated RCA between Mcinotsh and Naim.
- send my RCA cable back to Transparent , and recalibrated to DIN-RCA
I don’t know which one will give me a better result on sounds.
My NDX2 is using a Naim power line, so I can use that on ND555 also.
If I go on Naim separates in future I will probably get the full Superlumina for my Naim set.
The DIN out is preferred to the RCA out on the ND555. Ask your dealer to loan you a Naim or Chord DIN-RCA to try out and compare.
Yes, Powerline on the CD555 power supply is good.
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Ok, also I will try to recalibrated my RCA cable to DIN -RCA from transparent if it’s possible.
I haven’t heard McIntosh MS500 yet, I have only compared Lumin X1 with NDX2 in the store.
X1 is really transparent and detailed , but all the instruments and singer didn’t preform tougher as a group, they were all here and there. lost the spirt of music to me.
that made me stay on naim streamer without hesitate.
There are lot of Mcinotsh gears in my dealer’s, probably the most popular brand in the store, I will update with you if I have a chance to hear MS500 in future.
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I really like the look of all black Naim + Fraim with small green lights on, they look so cool and magical.
For people who are not into audio, they will defently have no cluse about how much they worth and what they can do. Low key to max but attractive.
My closit, watch , car are all black btw.
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Thanks, @S.L
I am old enough in this game that I am no longer surprised when “technically-inferior” components perform better than anticipated in their optimal arrangements.
Knocks against the MS500 might include the lack of bit-perfect digital output (which is a non-issue, if it sounds great), and perhaps the $6K US price (it’s all relative).
In favor: The McIntosh mission, and a uniform and pleasant user experience, not to mention “no blaming the other brand”.
Keep us posted. Interested in your findings.
Nick
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Enjoying the music is definitely the most important part. I’m glad you do.
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That is kind of you to say, @S.L
I can attest that my three uneven Fraims and nest of cables command little admiration, and no envy in my group — mostly pity for my patient wife, and the occasional polite observation that it sounds “quite nice”.
I, on the other hand, am in Heaven. 
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that make a lot of sense even to a beginner like me.
Mcintosh is like Rolex in the audio world I guess. If you have it, no matter how long you keep them they will always keep the value on market if you want to sell them one day, and you can always get them fix or repair after decades.
It’s interesting on eyes and ears for most owners.
Rolex, McIntosh, and Naim support are no small factors in the enduring value, and lasting appeal in the marketplace.
See also Harley Davidson — certainly not the ultimate bike for every purpose; but timeless, and great residuals for similar reasons.
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hahaha now I see you are really old enough in this game ! Funny Nick
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