I have heard a used NDX/202 combination against a N-272. Both bare bones, no extra power supplies. To my mind the NDX/202 sounded better. I would expect a NDX2 to be better again. So I’m with Seakayer here.
Ripped CD’s sound fine, (I have a standard computer and use a NAS), and I find that once you get your head around a library of music on a NAS, it has huge benefits as regards useability and also just getting to grips with all your music.
Rich,
Stay put, until you know what you want to do. CD is still great, until it isnt enough for you — then there is vinyl. After that, digital services are promising. After that, local storage of music files can be a fun diversion for the so-inclined.
It is all fun, if you want it. I confess, I like it; but I am in a minority, hereabouts.
I brought in Spotify before the kid did — that may be my best legacy, for better or worse.
Nick
Morning Rich
as other have said look at streamer, it’s not a daunting as I thought, I moved from my CD player to NDX in 2014 and never regreated the move, there are some very good SH on the market at the moment
I started with 202 with HCDR and then went to 282 in 2016 working on the source first, which has always worked for me, I had a 200 in my system for 12 years before I went up the slippery pole, 282/200 work really well together
as for storage i went NAS, with QNAP using Asset to control the UpNP, sitting in the chair with your music collection on hand works for me - as others on here use dBpoweramp to rip which is not an expensive software
enjoy the jouney!
I love my Core, but. Recommended the Innuos because it can access spotify etc, the Core does not. You also mentioned not spending thousands…the Core is £2k.
If you were to get the NDX2 you’d still need the 202 and Hicap. Were you to get the 272 you could sell the 202. How many boxes do you want?
If you are confident to rip CDs on the computer you can just have a Nas and won’t need the Innuos thingy.
I know it’s yesterday’s technology, and has received bad press from a few diehards, but I find, as a device which rips, handles 95% of metadata faultlessly, stores, streams and transcodes from FLAC to WAV, my UnitiServe 2TB does exactly what I want. Second hand ones are as cheap to buy as the alternatives being discussed here. As someone who has no interest in Roon, Tidal or Spotify I need look no further!
Box count isn’t too much of an issue, its the loss pf quality which is the concern.
Intend to contact my local dealer to set up some demos
Moved to NDS / 252
Exactly used unitiserve and ND5xs2, with these two you do everything … I use unitiserve with great satisfaction, too bad that naim no longer supports its dedicated app
Hi,
Had nd5xs and cd5 side by side.
The former is better and that even before the firmware upgrade.
Just place it onto a fraim glass and gets you a very good source.
What s more No need to waste the hicap on the cd5 ,in fact your nac would get a considerable lift.
You would need a good nas,though.
Hi all, just an update on my investigations.
Last Friday my wife an I demo’d A 272, running through a 250DR and into a set of PMC’s (can’t remember the model) then an NDX2 running through the 272 with the same power amp and speakers.
In both bases I didn’t feel I got the same depth and “Naim Sound” that we were looking for…but the James in Bristol Audio T was awesome, and after discussions, he suggested do go down the ND5xs2 / NDX2 route plugged into my existing pre and power combo and a suitable cd ripper / storage device.
So now planning the next demo.
Thanks for all previous advice.
Hi Antonio…I have another hi cap powering my 202.
Hi Rich
How did your demo of the NDX2 and ND5XS2 go? How did they compare with your previous 272/250DR demo?
Bob
Your system is not dissimilar to mine (Cdi/NAC102/HICAP/250/SBL) and I have had my toe in the water of streaming for ten years with a Logitech Squeezebox. The Squeezebox is now discontinued but it enabled me to get up and running and rip my CD’s to a NAS drive (Netgear Readynas) and I now have various Squeezebox radios around the house which is enjoyable.
What I realised recently is that despite the Squeezebox not being as good a source as the naim CD player or indeed my Gyrodec turntable, the whole family were using it 80% of the time to play music because it is just so convenient and easy. Thus my best sources were only being used for 20% of the time. I decided that moving to a better streamer was a priority and after investigating all the options decided to buy a secondhand NDX from a Naim dealer.
From what I gather, the newer streamers are better sounding and also offer built in support for things like Roon library management. On the other hand there are various ways to integrate Roon and other services anyway to the older streamers and like you my primary interest was in enjoying the music I love in the very best possible quality, not fiddling with apps!
I have to say although I have just for the first time subscribed to Tidal on a free trial basis and so plan to try Roon too, I am blown away by how excellent the Naim app is at controlling the streamer, browsing the library and giving artwork and background information on each artist I play via my ipad. That is a huge step up from the Squeezebox I used to use and the sound wuality too has taken a giant leap forward.
At the end of the day much comes down to budget. I really wanted the NDX2 but at £5000 it just felt like a step too far financially. I wasn’t keen to go for the ND5 XS2 because I see my system as built from components from the sort of middle tier of naim’s range although in fairness I suspect sonically it might have been a match for the NDX anyway. I also didn’t like the lack of front screen because that’s how I used the Squeezebox most of the time.
I guess if you want to preserve the naim sound (as I do) then you should consider first a NAS - and there are lots of options for storage - and then:
NDX (£1600-£1700 secondhand)
ND5 XS2 (£2200 new)
NDX2 (£5000 new)
Personally I have elected to keep the naim CD player partly for flexibility (as when a mate brings around something they want to play) and also because it gives me a known very high quality source for benchmarking against.
Streaming done well is a fantastic way to listen to music and I am a total convert. What I am struggling with though is the notion of not owning all the music I love going forward. I’m unsure whether I really want to pay Tidal £20 a month to be able to listen to new music or whether I would rather just do what I have always done and keep buying music and ripping it to the NAS. The thing I don’t like about subscription services is that I’m not convinced that what I am hearing from the NDX yet from Tidal sounds as good as my ripped CD’s do and secondly if my income ever falls (e.g. retirement) if I stop paying the subscription I lose my music.
As a middle aged bloke I think I am struggling to adapt my behaviour to match that of my daughter who listens to everything on Spotify and doesn’t really see the need to own anything! I’m from the generation who loved having big music collections all nicely catalogued and indexed and I’m struggling to break the habit!!
Jonathan
Even apart from that, if you have music you want always to be available, a subscription service is a risk because it relies on them remaining in business and retaining the music you want indefinitely, or otherwise being able to find another source. But online streaming can be good for new music discovery, or if you only have transient interest in something.
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