Finally achieved my dream system!

I could see adding an nDac or NDS to the ND5XS2, but why would he swap out the 252?

Me too. I had Ayre, Conrad Johnson, Bryston, and others, but once I tried some Naim products there was no turning back. Just sounds like music reproduction should. And the way that the amps, preamps, PSs, and streamers are all carefully engineered, tested and tweeked to sound great together, makes the purchasing and so much easier and more satisfactory.

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I think he is talking about swapping their position on the rack.

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No, no and no! For the love of God, please put back the standard Naim lead and have a listen. I tried 3 MCRU #75 cables (0.75m) in my system a few months ago and they completely messed up the sound. Even a single one of them on the HiCap was enough do “damage” to the sound. So please do try the Naim power lead again.

A nDAC is also a worthwhile upgrade on the ND5XS2, at a reasonable cost compared to NDX2. It does require an extra shelf though.

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Referring to rack positions. Sorry if out of context a wee bit and not clear.

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I took my MCRU mains cable back (the next day) because it really buggered things up.

@NO-QUARTER , @cdboy .
Oh, now I get it. Thanks for the clarification. :slightly_smiling_face:

@david1111 Same here. I had Spectral, Ayre and Rega before arriving at Naim. It just fits together as a system. However I have deviated slightly. Chord cable. Isotek Power and Cardas headphone cable.

Another great thing about Naim is that it frees me from equipment tweaks. The equipment just sits on the shelves of my SolidSteel racks.

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There are plenty of wholly unnecessary feet and isolators that you can play with if you feel so inclined. People swear by them.

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@HungryHalibut i will pass. Feet and isolators drive me nuts. I can hear differences with different positions but I am always left at a point of indecision. Also with eye-hand coordination issues, they generally present a host of problems for me.

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Very wise.

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Yep, I’m the same that way, and I have deviated a tad as well. I also don’t bother with the special feet and supports either.

I’d just swap the ND5 XS2 and 252 around.

Congratulations on saving and building your dream system.

Please excuse the random poster who took the opportunity to knock your dream system and suggested a couple of upgrades, completely off topic and a bit of a middle figure to your celebration. At least you’re in good company with others.

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Depending on how you mean ‘unnecessary’, there may be many CD players and turntables out there too.

I got a 300DR to replace a 250 because of how it sounded. A 52 replaced an 82 for the same reason - not necessary, but clearly better and made music more involving and enjoyable.

I replaced speaker spikes with Isoacoustic Gaia feet for the same reason, and I think many have replaced a sideboard with a Naim Fraim support for the same reason - not ‘necessary’ but clearly better.

If people choose not to investigate whether 6 Naim boxes sound better than an Atom, I won’t criticise them. Much the same who never compare Qobuz and Spotify, or a 6-way power strip from Tesco with a Hydra, or different supports. On the other hand…

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I agree with HH and would also replace the streamer with an NDX2 and XPS. That said enjoy what you have and file the option under ‘aspirational’ for now. Something tells me you will eventually crumble at some point in the future :rofl:

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Thanks all, appreciate the nice words and advice. I’ve managed to get the cables sitting more comfortably. My main problem to solve (and it’s far from a deal breaker!) is that my Burndy cable sits on the floor.

My Fraim is made up of 3 Fraim shelves and 2 Lite shelves - the compromise I’ve made for collecting second hand over time - and the Burndy cable length is clearly designed to sit unfurled on exactly the same height as 4-5 full Fraim shelves which are taller.

Something to improve over time :+1:

Ps. I currently have the two 75s plugged into both the Supercap and the 252 as an experiment. It sounds very good to me so far, but I will play around with various configurations (including all Naim cables) and report back.

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Ps. It looks like the Sarum cables are touching the walls in the photo. They are not but only ‘just’!

I should also add I took the advice and the 252 is now above the ND5.

I also forgot to include my Rega P1 in my system list. It’s currently unused whilst I bed everything else down. I don’t listen to vinyl that often so went for the base model to be sensible for once :flushed:

Thanks Mike, appreciate that. Always open to feedback and advice; but as you say, I’m content with what I now have (and it’s a lot).

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Out of interest, what input do people generally use on the 252 for a streamer? I’m currently using the HDD socket. I’ve selected that on both rows of the front control panel and muted the second row. This is all new to me so I won’t be offended if I’ve got it completely wrong :+1:

Its a real pity such a nice setup conflicts with mediocre streamer/turntable sources.
I’d just put in a Naia if you find a nice offer. :grin:
More likely a P8 or P10.

Standard cheap cables and a better source will wipe the current setup, only use fancy cables once everything else is in order.

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