I’m considering buying an ND5 XS2
I haven’t heard one yet but the reviews are great.
I’m also reading about great results people are having by connecting one to a power supply (i think XP5 XS was mentioned).
The question is, can I do this on the cheap?
I’m running a Supernait 3 and Monitor Audio Gold 300 5g
Thanks in advance!
If you want to do it cheaply then best look to buy secondhand. Try to buy through a Naim dealer though so you get support and some warranty.
I don’t think you can connect the ND5XS2 to an external power supply only the original ND5XS. Am sure others will correct me if I am wrong!
You are, indeed, correct young man.
Not only can’t you do it for cheap, you can’t do it at all. If you want to do something that will stand you in good stead for the future and won’t cost the earth, install dedicated mains. Use the search and you’ll find dozens of posts about it.
I’ll suggest you go and actually hear one. Once you do i doubt very much you’ll be exploring PSUs until you hit on a NDX 2 upwards.
The cheaper option is nd5xs2/ndac/xps. A lot of people stop at just the nd5xs2/ndac which is considered at least as good as an ndx2 by many and costs less. I agree that you should demo what you can and buy secondhand. I’m personally on a waiting list with my dealer if they ever get an ndac in, I may start looking more actively next year.
An even cheaper option is a second hand ndac at £1000 and an primare NP5 streamer at £500.
Sounds very good. A can’t imagine an nd5xs2 comes anywhere close to it.
I have to admit to some confusion here with people talking about ndac.
I assumed the dac in the nd5 xs2 would be all i needed?
The ND5XS2 is a streamer/DAC. However, it has a digital output so could be upgraded with an even better DAC, such as Naim’s own DAC.
What is your current source?
I’m pretty good at doing things on the cheap so my effort would be get the original ND5XS for about £600. Add an NDAC and then in future add an XPS to the NDAC. Would be interesting to know how this would stack up against the ND5XS2 or even the old NDX or NDX2?
So I have got an NDX/XPS and I did have the ND5XS when I first got into streaming. The original NDX and ND5XS both sound very good and would match your Supernait 3 well. I am not familiar with your speakers.
If I was new to streaming and wanted to buy a streamer now would I consider buying one of these models second hand? Probably not. The OLED displays panel has a tendency to fade and it’s a hassle and costly to send them back to Naim to get them replaced. Quboz which is the streaming service I use is not built into the streamers and I have to use a workaround (bubble upnp). It’s native with the current streamers.
A while back I did consider upgrading the streamer and a dealer suggested adding the Ndac as a worthwhile upgrade. I debated for a bit and then concluded that I really didn’t want a three box streaming system and I would be better off buying an NDS instead.
If it was me I would go and listen to a ND5XS2 and a NDX2 at a local dealership. Whilst your their see if they can add an XPS onto the NDX. You can then make an informed choice about how far you want to go. You can always ask the dealer to give you a bell when an ex dem model or used streamer comes in.
In the long run you might find this cheaper than keep swapping and changing because you haven’t got quite what you want!
Obviously this is just my opinion and others I am sure will disagree!
What is the problem with your EverSolo A6 DMP? Are you looking to replace it?
Well that depends, your original message suggested you wanted to make additional improvements such as an external power supply. As others have said you can’t just add a power supply to a nd5 xs2 but you can improve it via the ndac which will also allow you to add a power supply
The gen2 based devices (ND5XS2/NDX2) offer a much more open/airy and detailed presentation when used for internet streaming. Plus they support FLAC internet radio and (soon) Tidal Max.
We tried various things with a 272, but an NDX2 as transport into a 272 really is a big improvement in internet streaming SQ over the 272 itself.
The gen1 streaming card is easily improved on, by using a naim or third party streamer.
nDAC/PSU can be thoroughly recommended with any good quality modern digital source.
I have had the ND5XS and now NDS. They are very good but found that neither worked with Tidal and were slow with NAS. I had alot of problems with connectivity.
Very recently I purchased an ND5XS2 to use as a streaming transport into the NDS which I use only as a DAC. The NDS is connected to a 555PS.
For me this sounds amazing and has excellent connectivity. I am now using Qobuz and the NAS works fast and everything is seamless.
I wouldn’t recommend an ND5XS or NDX or NDS as they are old streaming platforms and are incompatible or problematic with newer apps. Others have had success with them, but I tried alot of things and was told by Naim that it is internet issues.
Now with ND5XS2 and NDS as DAC I am happy.
I was using the ND5XS2 bare for about 2 weeks and it sounds very very good by itself. However it can be further improved with an NDAC and power supply or completely different DAC.
Quite a few guys on here use Chord DACs.
I bought the ND5XS2 mint for just under £1800 from dealer. It’s only a few months old.
Good luck with your decisions. I would recommend the ND5XS2 as a starting point. And then see how you get on.
Other option is spend a bit more and get an NDX2. This has improved DAC, a display and can be improved with the addition of power supplies later on.
There’s nothing wrong with it all.
I’d say it’s very good, but I have a return window on it and I just want to see if I can do any better whilst that window is still open!
It’s disappointing that the Gen 1 streamers seem to be so easily and regularly verbally bricked on this forum. In fact they are great value these days if you choose not to compare them to the latest offerings. If you simply want a streamer for a Naim system on a budget then what else it out there to compare with an ND5XS or NDX for £650 to £850. Ok you are limited to Tidal or Spotify. Both work fine with Tidal and Spotify as far as my experience goes. Streaming ripped CDs is pointless in my mind when they are all available on streaming services and I don’t have an extensive CD collection. Bluetooth is available on later NDXs and let’s not talk about Roon. If you are looking for a sub £1k streamer for your Naim system and understand the capabilities of the Gen 1 then don’t avoid them. Of course if you have a budget of three times their cost then the later stuff should be on your shopping list. The word Cheapskate is in the title of this thread to be fair. You know what? my LP12 only plays records! 
The problem is Paul, as explained mine did not work well and not at all on Tidal. NAS was slow. So from experience how can I recommend?
Tbh now I have ND5XS2 this is how it always should have been. I wouldn’t want anyone to go throgh grief and frustration I went through.
Others have had more success. You may have been lucky. Me, less so.