has anyone compared the NDX2 vs. the Chord TT Dac with a decent streaming transport (say the nd5xs or maybe even a cheaper one like a Node Nano/Wiim ultra?)..
I accidentally sold off my dac-v1 and my son has taken my chord qutest and now i’m left without a dac for my office…
Sounds like an extremely smart son! I’d take the Chord TT Dac as well 
I would not cheap out on a transport. If you went with an NDX2 you can use it as a standard streamer and then add the Chord. I suspect the NDX2 as a steamer will sound warmer than if you added the Chord but I have not auditioned the Chord. You can also use the ND5xs2 as a streaming transport with the Chord TT.
He got the chord qutest. Looking at either the ndx2 or the chord TT - but adding a good transport into the dacs getting expensive….
If cost is an issue just use the ND5XS2 as a streamer until you can afford a DAC.
I use my Chord TT2 with a Nait50 into ProAc Tab10 Signatures and run Roon using my MacBook Pro as a streamer for both Quobuz and a NAS hard drive. It works well and sounds good at little additional cost.
Yeah / my son took my unused nait50 too. So he’s running a chord qutest into nait 50 into Tablettes..
But he still mostly uses Bose headphones
Why would you want to add a streaming transport to a NDX2? Surely, unless you want redundant components in your system, the answer is the NDX2?
That setup into the Tab 10 is outstanding. The Bose headphone is a step down. It may well be beneficial to keep the noise down on a system with no volume remote and a young man.
I’ve had both, and I would go with an Innuos streamer +TT2 over the NDX2 all day long.
With the current low prices, preloved ND5xs2 and nDAC could be an awesome combo for less outlay.
Your profile reveals you already have an ND555 + 2xPS555.
So you could have a mini ND555 …
How about a Chord Hugo2 (secondhand if need be) and that would leave you a good slice for the streamer.
I’ve used an NDX2 with a Mk1 Hugo, Dave, and briefly with a TT2, as well as the NDX2 alone. I found the Hugo a nice but modest improvement (others reported here that they found it a huge improvement but I was a little underwhelmed.) I found both TT2 and Dave to be a huge improvement.
I would say that the sweet spot would probably be ND5XS2/TT2 (I found the ND5XS2 as good as the NDX2 using the digital output).
I would add that this forum seems to be somewhat fixated on the NDAC and Chord DACs. They are certainly good options, but there are many others out there.
You could also consider the NDX2 with a potential future power supply upgrade. Personally I much preferred the DAC upgrade option, but others often use this upgrade option.
Good luck with your choice.
Spent some time in his room today. First we took the PC apart which needed cleaning up from the inside. Hadn’t been ever opened up since we got during Covid. Now it doesn’t whine when we play a video game - and doesn’t throw our superheated air. Yeah - thick layer of dust on the air filters.
And then cable dressing.
Got a simple system ready to go.
Node X (wireless) → Nait 50 into Proac Tablettes. It’s a good sound and no Ethernet switch audio nervosa…
We tried the chord qutest - just more cables and confusion and I don’t think he could be bothered with an extra box and extra connections to think about.. don’t think it added that much in the context of his system specially with a noisy PC next to the HiFi gear.
Hey skip - I think we might have met on Chris’ weekly calls.
What’s the transport you use into the TT?
That is one neat little setup!! Hope your son appreciates what he has there.
I use a 13” MacBook Pro running Roon as a streamer.
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