Hi all,
My humble system are Supernait 2 with Hicap, ND5XS and CD5si, my next upgrade plan are to purchase nDac or XPS to the ND5XS, can anyone kindly suggest should I add nDAC or XPS? If I should add DACbfirst, should go for nDAC or DAC v1? thank you very much for your help.
Paul
I’d get an NDX2.
NDX2 would be a good option, but at a considerably higher price than an NDAC, which I think would probably give you the biggest sound quality boost for the money.
I very nice upgrade would be the NDX 2 but eventually you would be looking for a XPS DR to go with it. No experience with the nDAC.
Having moved on to putting all my CD’s on a NAS you may consider trading in the ND5XS and CD5si towards a NDX 2 and then a XPS DR latter on.
Recommendation based on my experience, my current system is: NAS > XPS DR > NDX 2 > HiCap DR > SuperNait 2 > NAC A5 > NAIM Ovator S-400
A second hand Chord Hugo gave a different sound compared to the native output from the ND5XS. I much preferred it, far more detailed. Used with a SN2.
Have since got a ND5XS2, which is a huge improvement over the original. I still use a Chord with it though, in this case a Qutest.
I can’t answer your specific question, but in case it provides food for thought: I had an ND5XS. I tried the XP5XS power supply as an upgrade, and the difference was very small. I swapped the PS for a Chord Hugo DAC instead, which made a significant positive difference, with a noticeably more natural sound. (Some people suggested it was a more analogue sound.) I would be quite comtent with Hugo still if I hadn’t unexpectedly had the resources to upgrade beyond it.
The XP5XS was a lower model PS than the XPS, and the Hugo is not an NDAC, so take from that what you will.
This is another option, had an idea before about Hugo, but not too sure how it performs as not yet have an audition, since the comments are excellent on Hugo, this is a very good idea, thank you
@seakayaker thank you very much for your advise, trading in the 2 boxes for NDX2 is a good idea too, currently own Proac 1sc final edition, though about S-400 many times before, will certainly look into that, thank you
There are lots of 1st generation Hugos about, and you could easily pick one up for £500 to £600. Try it, and sell it again for what you paid if you don’t like it. You may or may not prefer it to an NDAC, I’d say that is largely down to personal preference. Either DAC would work well from the SPDIF out on a Naim streamer. One thing I like about the Hugo is that you can reduce the output level to give the volume pot on your Supernait a larger usable range, making it much easier to use.
I had an ND5-XS until last year. I upgraded to an NDX2 and that was a huge improvement, not only for sound quality but also for the new streaming platform. I would definitely recommend doing that over adding nDAC/XPS to ND5 if funds will allow. The NDX2 can then later be upgraded with a XPS-DR (which I have also since added).
Thank you so much for your advice!
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