Naim ND 555/555 PS DR

Music streamer/power supply ₹POR/ ₹POR

FOR

Impressive clarity combined with exceptional dynamic expression and rhythmic coherence

Fine build

AGAINST

Price puts it out of the reach of most

VERDICT

The ND 555/555 PS DR combination isn’t cheap, but it is the best-sounding digital streaming source we’ve heard

Naim is rightly proud of its ND 555 music streamer. It’s the first of the company’s streaming products to gain 500 series status, and in Naim-speak that means it’s the very best it makes right now.

The ND 555 is claimed to be a ground-up new design, but it still focuses on evolutionary thinking rather than trying to reinvent anything. Considering the success the company has had with that approach over the decades, that’s no bad thing.

If you spend lakhs on a music steamer, you’d normally expect it to work straight from the box. But that’s not the case here; the ND 555 doesn’t have a built-in power supply. You’ll need to add at least one of the company’s 555 PS DR outboard power units – and that costs lakhs more. You can add another if you’re really feeling flush, and the claim is of another performance lift.

So what we really have here (in base form) is a very expensive music streamer; and you know what? We love it.

THE FRUIT OF HEAVY INVESTMENT

Naim has been at the forefront of hi-fi streaming for years. It invested in the technology early, when most rivals (apart from Linn) hedged their bets. It has continued to pour resources into R&D to make sure it stays at the leading edge.