I’ve swapped out the optical cabel for the Kabeldirekt coax. Everything else the same.
Much, much better 
The heft and involvement is back, I want to turn it up. It’s immediately apparent. Not sure I’m going to be able to tell the difference now, but I’ll do some more blind listening later after I’ve watched the footie.
Brilliant. I thought the cable was hokding things back. Maybe you don’t need to spend more!
A more expensive power supply like the Farad will take it up a notch. But you don’t need to.
Indeed. I’ll get my little helper to help me out with more blind testing later. If I can still notice a difference I’ll swap out the wall wart for the one on my other Lindemann so I can ditch the travel adaptor. I’ll then try the BJC cable to see if it improves things further.
I’ve compared a standard 30USD BJC coax with more expensive digital cables. Unfortunately digital cables also make a rather big difference even though not as much as analogue ones. A digital signal is still an analogue one although squared.
My BJC cable is an ethernet cable.
I need a 7m coax so that could get expensive. I’m looking at the QED Performance. They do a 7m RCA to BNC which isn’t mega money and gets good reviews.
The Kabeldirekt looks a lot of cable for the money!
I believe they are known to include a lot of plastics to make a quality feel but if you open them they are pretty thin on transmitting material. Pics to be found on Amazon for example. If you like what it does already I would try to solve it to get Bridge close to your setup and use a high quality 1m digital cable 
No compromising in your setup
The coax was a big improvement. And swapping out the two pin adaptor, wobbling away in its travel adpator, for a three pin was another big improvement.
Now I’m really enjoying the sound. As things stand, the NDS is perhaps sounding more organic and darker, but the Lindemann is a more open, bigger sound. It reminds of the the effect of a DR upgrade. Is it a touch more ‘Hi-Fi’? Perhaps. A better PS and interconnect may well sort this. Although, dare I say it, the NDS was sounding a little dull when I switched back.
I was mainly listening to Comfortably Numb and it was only towards the end I realised I’m listening to it in 16 bit on the NDS and 24 bit (Tidal Max) on the Lindemann, so that is another factor to consider.
I think I need to rest my ears now and go again tomorrow.
@Blackbird what settings do you have to Output Sample Rate Limit and SRC mode? Presumbaly you leave Airable Stream Audio on Premium?
True. BNC input makes a real difference. I used a simple AQ adapter to my RCA cable. The effect was remarkable.
As said before, a dedicated power supply also improves sound quality.
Now you start to hear what I’ve heard 
192k and native. Airable premium.
Yes pretty sure it’s a keeper. I’m a bit of a luddite when it comes to streaming tech.
NDS native, Radio Paradise streams at 44.1kHz 320kb/s.
Lindemann streams at 44.1kHz, 1138 kb/s
Presumbaly that means more of the good stuff with Lindemann?
Yes Lindemann stream CD quality (FLAC) in your comparison vs lossy 320kbps through NDS.
Presumably there’ll be no need to keep an Ethernet cable plugged into my NDS? I might as well use that one if I can move the Lindemann closer to the Naim units.
If you want to control your system automation then you need it in NDS. If you don’t use automation then you can remove it.
That’s what I have written some time ago, when I have tested the Lindemann Bridge II.
“The system works perfectly and is very stable. I also noticed an “objective” improvement of the sound: very clear, differentiated even with complex passages etc.
The big disadvantage, however, was that the Naim sound was lost. My NDX [1] suddenly sounded more like a Linn system. Perhaps technically better but boring!!! I don’t have this effect when I use BubbleUPNP/RPi. The Naim sound is fully retained here.”
In the meantime I have tested it again, with the same results (BNC input).
But! I didn’t use a special coax cable or PSU! It would be great if a suitable digital cable (and better PSU) would be the solution!!!
Currently I am using Audirvana with a Windows 11 notebook (kernel streaming) and additionally “Fidelizer” software (optimizing performance of a Windows PC). Sounds good.
Which output on the Lindemann did you use? Optical or RCA?
RCA. I have never tested the optical output.
I wonder if it’s the cable then. I’m just using a standard power supply that comes with the device.
Another possibilty: perhaps the digital input section of the NDX 1 is not as good as that of the nds?
I got someone to make me a custom Harmonic Technology Silver digital cable 75Ohm, with RCA → BNC for the connection between a USB->S/PDIF convertor, as I wasn’t sure if the digitial cable was the weak link there.
My CDT uses a RCA->RCA Harmonic Technology Magic cable into the NDS. And I have two other Harmonic Technology Magic Digital cables between the Tag McLaren DVD transport and AV Processor, and STB to AV processor, so I know this cable.
MCRU offer a custom cable service using a Harmonic Technology Digital Silver III Pure Silver Cable, but at £80/metre plus termination, a 7M run is not cheap, but…
This says it all.
I have experienced this every time I have tried other streamers my all-Naim system, including Node, Auralic and dcs.
That’s why I use an ND5XS2 into NDS via Naim DC1 digital cable.
It keeps the Naim sound and you get all modern services.
Stick with your initial (and repeated) insight, Stu, and get an ND5XS2:
“I think most of us with Naim gear have chosen it for that wall of sound/front row experience. It’s exhilaratting, but never gets tiring. It really draws you in and makes you feel at one with the music. Dare I say it, it has atmosphere! Just like live music I guess. There are more polished systems, with more detail, seperation etc. But they’re not for me and any change to my system must keep every last drop of Naimness.
Listening with the Bridge, at the moment, it’s not quite there. I feel a bit further away from the music, and it doesn’t have the same heft. It’s a bit more digital and less analogue. The sound isn’t quite so together and moreish.”
