I can only agree on ND5XS2 being good by itself - but improvable. In my case, we found it plenty good enough for 82/HC/250, but not for 52/SC/250 or 552/300DR (which really shows the extra available from NDX2+XPSDR).
There are many other threads on Powerlines.
Many (but far from all) who reckon a Powerline a big step seem to have them on a smaller number of boxes.
Some also really rate them with (say) 6 or 8 Naim boxes, though that makes the cost enormous. In any event a star-earthed combined supply for all Naim kit (like a Hydra) is favoured by many of us with a lot of boxes (even though I have a Powerline just waitingā¦).
Many others reckon that the power strip they are using is the real key here, while others point to greater benefits for less Ā£Ā£Ā£ from getting a dedicated supply from meter to socket.
Guessing which if these will suit a particular set of ears in a given particular and room with a particular mains supply is probably hard.
This forum can be a funny place. A few years ago I recall it was quite common to read here that some heard no benefit from a Powerline. Recently that seems to be very rare, with loads of claims that they are a no-brainer upgrade, and make a huge difference even on Unitis.
Iāve tried them on a fair number of boxes over the years, and found the improvements they bring to range between subtle and non-existent.
I suspect that your ears are simply better than mine. Mind you, if you donāt need the grunt of a 250, many here have argued already that the Nait 50 is not merely a nostalgia purchase but is also a very very revealing amp.
+1 on an ND5 XS2, Itās a single box and acts as a nicely balanced source for your Supernait 2.
You could if you fancied add an nDAC and even a PSU for the nDAC later on as budget and interest allowed. You might also consider a Hi-Line 5 pin DIN IC between source and SN2.
A Hi-Cap DR on the SN2 is worth consideration also.
ND5XS2 gets you into true high res streaming service support via Tidal, Qobuz, etc.
Iād do the HiCap DR following that.
Big nDAC fan here - it was a massive (maybe biggest?) VFM upgrade for meā¦ Added benefit to CDP for your system. And still more runway remaining with future PS if you are inclined.
Itās f*@%ing great! Iām using a $70 Wireworld BNC to BNC. Itās all still running in, but my instant impressions are ā¦ no, I donāt want to make a fool of myself with āhifiā descriptions. The nude ND5XS2 is a terrific streamer; add an nDAC and the improvements are clear.
That takes me back, though back in the day for me it was an NDX and I went for the PS555 instead. Did rather enjoy itā¦ if I was to be critical not the most refined or resolved for Choral and some classical, but hugely entertaining with electronica and rock. You will have fun Iām sure.
I added a NDac (with a non-Naim power supply) to my ND5XS and the improvement was substantial. Later I bought a NDX2 intending to replace both the ND5XS and NDac. But I found the sound of the NDX2 rather underwhelming. The sound of the NDac was much, much better. So my NDX2 became an expensive streamer only into the NDac. Having listened to it like this for six months or so, I recently took the NDac out of the chain to listen to the NDX2 alone again. Not even close.
So, for me, the NDac is the star of the show. And remember, if your ND5XS has an ethernet connection, you can access hi-res Tidal using either Mconnect or Bubble UPNP as the controlling app. This is not reliable using WiFi to the streamer.
I have had almost exactly the same experience - kind of disappointing in a way in that the NDX2 was not even close. I really wanted to āget rid ofā an extra box but could not go back from the NDac.
How can a box that is so old be so good?
Some people might suspect itās the ānon Naimā power supply but I donāt think so. Iāve tried it on both NDX2 and NDac.
