Heresy Warning! Anyone using an NDX 2 with McIntosh amps?

I use an ND5XS2 as my streamer into a Nagra integrated. However, I don’t use the DAC in the ND5, so I connect the digital out of the ND5 with Naim’s DC1 cable to my Chord Mscaler/TT2. From the TT2 I use the XLR outs to connect to the XLR inputs on the Nagra.


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Welcome to the forum. That McIntosh amplifier looks wonderful.
I bought an NDX2 last year and it is a very fine streamer - love it.
I added a Qutest DAC as an experiment and found I preferred it to the internal NDX2 as it produced slightly better detail and soundstage…… but it’s a personal taste thing and soundstage is my thing.
Then added a Chord TT2 and M Scaler …… that was a whole different league in every way. Finally replaced my faithful Musical Fidelity 308 pre / power with a Gryphon Diablo 300 integrated - I needed something that could really manage the massive impedance swings of my B&W 802 D2s and the Diablo just works beautifully. A single box amp was important or I might have looked at Naim as the costs were similar for a 282 / 300 DR combo.
Main thing that really helped get the whole shebang to my view of great was buying and using the PS Audio book and Reference disks on set up. Best £52 I’ve spent. Soundstage stage is very realistic and “right sized”.
Oh, and the REL S510 sub really does something to the soundstage- subtle but you notice when you forget to turn it on.

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Thinking of adding the power supply for the NDX 2 before changing out the DAC, especially now I have dedicated 20amp AC lines and some very nice Cardas Power cables on the way. Electronica (Deep House, Drum & Bass, UK Breakbeat )is the only genre that I think I prefer the Chord Qutest with SBooster LPS (more punchy, & provides a better party mode!).
Definitely different in terms of the volume needed on the Mac to reach the same sound level, so presume the Chord is amplifying the output.

Just demoing the new Mc MA252 with my NDX 2 whilst my Supernait 3 is back with Naim for a fault investigation.

Only just set it up but I’m not unimpressed, very lush sound signature. Estimated 2 weeks to return my Supernait so I’ll enjoy the time listening :blush:


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I have NDX2 paired with Accuphase E600 class A integrated. Cables are Chord Epic RCA. Speakers are Piega Coax 711 with AU24 cables. A very beautiful sound indeed.
With my previous systems (Denon, Hegel, Monitor Audio) I had to turn volume up pretty much to get any decent feeling, but with this it is amazing that there is a fantastic engaging sound already at rather low volume levels. My ears love it!

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