I’d like to upgrade my current system and I have few options in my mind.
The weakest link in the chain would be my speaker cables. Howevever, for around the same price, I could buy an external DAC (+ cable) for my NDX2.
So which would you choose? I’ve heard both options over time (without a direct comparison though). Both are great, but I can’t really figure out what would be the best move.
Thank you very much in advance for your thoughts!
What’s the rest of your system? Personally, I don’t think adding a DAC to the NDX2 is good value, or even particularly sensible, as it’s designed to be used as a streamer.
What dac you looking at? Ndx already sound good by itself.. looking at Frey 2 SC? In the long run, the SC wins.. you are using the Frey 2 interconnects, try out the Frey 2 SC and feel how it goes.. ultimate, balance in the system will benefit whatever cables you put them on.. so boxes are equally important to u leash the potential of the cables .. in this case , the SC.. 
I"m not sure how good is the internal DAC inside the NDX2. If it’s not very good I’d go with the external DAC first. If it’s good as suggested by naimophile then it will depend on what speaker cables are you using and if it’s really crap.
FWIW once I switched from Chord Epic SC to Signature XL, there’s no going back as the difference is significant, the Signature XL sounding much better to me. I then moved to Sarum T speaker cables but could still go back to Signature XL as the differences between those two cables although are in existence are not night and day. Both speaker cables still sound good and I often swap between them as I occasionally or regularly swap amplifiers in my system.
I agree Mike
I have done the comparison with the front end CD5XS as transport
CD into the nDAC - very good
CD into the NDX2 DAC - better
Flogged the nDAC to a mate he is using with his ND5SX2 streamer
If your NDX2 doesn’t have a PSU, then it might be the weakest link.
What is your current system?
We changed to SuperLumina speaker cables on an earlier system, but cabling tweaks generally only make sense once black boxes are optimised.
Yes am about to said that too.. the psu not only enhance the traits if the ndx it also make its low noise too.. meaning more details coming through
@Blacknote What are your current speaker cables and what are the proposed new ones? Also, what is the DAC that you are thinking of buying?
If you want a more rounded sound and not edgey , the SC ( Frey 2) can help you achieve that.. adding a sac may or may not do that .. even when you get more details
It’s all a bit of a mystery, as no-one seems to know what the rest of the system is…..
I think BN has 282, 250, totem ,ndx 2 if I not wrong
If you have NACA5 then keep it. Look at powerlines, Fraim and SuperLumina after you get an XP2DR or 555PSDR. Worked for me.
Sorry guys for the mistery, time zone issues as you might have guessed 
@Mike_S This is my little system: 202 / FC / 200 DR / NDX2 / Totem Forests. Most cables are Nordost (many Red Dawns, Frey 2, but speaker cables are Blue Heaven).
Why? Have you tried this option? I think the DAC worked beautifully paired with a 333 that was on display. Personally I think the DAC SQ was far superior to the 333, I was almost shocked.
@naimophile I know you like the Freys, I like them a lot too and they are always on the horizon. Unluckily I can’t test the Freys 2 at the dealer. I know I’ll have to look at both upgrades, it’s just a matter of time. But which one to go for is a little dilemma!
@ryder I think the NDX2 sounds great, I’ve enjoyed it a lot over the years. But the DAC I’ve heard if far superior to me and does not detract from the Naimness of the system, which is what matters to me. IMO, It enhances it, I think.
@JamesBKK Right now I have Nordost Blue Heaven SC, they are very good for the price, but it’s a bottle neck for sure. The DAC in question is the Ideon Ayazi 2. So far the best DAC I’ve heard (together with their more expensive options).
@Bevo the DAC + NSS333 sounded so much better, really impressed. To my ears it felt better than adding the NPX300. And the BNC, power and USB cables were far from being expensive (power cable was the one inside the box).
@IainO No PSU for the NDX2 right now.
Remove FC and buy NAPSC, job done!
Change FC for HC and buy NAPSC. Job even better done!
Roger
Personally I wouldn’t add a DAC to your NDX2. You don’t specify which DAC you’ve tried and liked.
I’m a little puzzled. You have asked for opions / advice and then when people have said not to do down the DAC route you dispute this and say the DAC you tried sounded really excellent and you were very impressed. So you’ve answered your own question.
It’s your system, only you know what its sounds like and only you know what you want from it. If you are very taken with adding a DAC then go for it. It doesn’t matter what I or anyone else thinks. Personally with your system I would now be looking at optimising the set up / installation in terms of rack, mains supply and cables etc. before doing anything else. Get all the fundamentals just right and then you have a solid foundation on which to build if you want to. But that’s just me and you may disagree and that’s fine.
You seem to me to have a clear idea of what you like so why not just trust your own ears rather than the ears of people who will never hear your system?
Then the issue becomes whether it’s worth keeping the NDX2, as it would be a relatively expensive transport. It would be more cost effective to part with the NDX2, get this DAC you like and grab a cheaper streaming transport.
BN , go with your heart and your preference.. you will enjoy your purchase.. enjoy!!! 
But which dac? Why can’t you name it?
@Christopher_M @PeakMan no chance right now to get any of those. But I feel I’d get more from cables or DAC to be honest. Still the HC is an excellent choice too.
@70sPete I think you’ve missed it, I mentioned it in my previous post. It’s the Ideon Ayazi (also for @frenchrooster). By the way I think I have clear thoughts, my doubt is whether to go for cables or the DAC. There’s no right or wrong answer, both are right. But which one to choose first? Maybe there’s no real answer to my question. And my system is luckily very much optimized, I’ve done it over the years and don’t think there’s much left. Room treatment, racks, main supplies and cables are all good I’d say, some are bottle necks like the speaker cable. By the way thanks for your very balanced reply.
@Mike_S that’s indeed one of the big questions. And you probably don’t know that I mainly (if not only) use local streaming from a UPnP server.
@naimophile my heart is sort of melted, maybe it’s the heat lol. I’m sure I will enjoy both, but can’t get both at the same time