I’m looking to upgrade my streaming solution. I currently have a MacBook Pro with a large music collection. I run USB out to a PeachTree DAC-IT into my Naim NAC 72 HighCap/180 powering a pair of Neat Elite speakers.
I’d like to spend around $1,000. It seems I can get a second-hand Nd5-xs for that price.
I would primarily be using a cat 5e LAN connection to access the music collection and would like to stream a some internet radio stations.
My question is will a nd5-xs work well in this environment?
The ND5-XS is very good. Bear in mind that as it’s a first generation Naim streamer, updates need a slightly complex process involving a laptop, and the screen will fade and need replacing. Its functionality on iRadio is a bit limited. It can play Tidal but not Qobuz. So long as you go into it with your eyes open you’ll be fine, but if you can add to the budget and get an ND5XS2 you streaming life will be easier and more enjoyable.
You may be better with a NAS for the music, rather than a Mac mini; something worth looking into.
As @HungryHalibut says, think about where you want to end up. It may be better to consider a later model streamer. That way you will have more options over what streaming service you can use and longer term support.
An iPad is good for controlling the Naim App to control the streamer.
I want to end up with something that sounds better than the DAC-IT and allows me to listen to my locally stored music and a few local seattle radio streams via published URLs. Right now my old Macbook pro seems to be giving me fits and needs to be regularly rebooted for the remote app to work.
If my current set up allowed me to do what I do and sounded as good as my CDX I would be happy as a clam.
Having had the ND5XS and the ND5XS2, the latter is much better and uses Naim’s latest streaming platform found in the ND555.
It’s a great piece of kit.
The ND5XS will need a new screen which will cost £350 at some point. I also found I had more glitches with it. The newer ND5XS2 was flawless. Also with no screen there is less to go wrong.
Here in Seattle the ND5XS2 goes for $3,000 used or $4,000 new. The ND5XS can be had for $1,000. It seems to me I can get the ND5XS and get started down the Naim Streaming path. If the screen goes out can’t you still control it with the Naim App on the IPAD?
Are there any happy ND5XS owners out there who are sticking with their original purchase?
I found the original ND5XS to be nothing special in terms of sound quality. Given that it also has limited streaming functionality and may require spare parts that become unavailable, personally I wouldn’t buy one.
My advice would be to either get an ND5XS2 or buy a better DAC to use with a Mac which will give you more versatility as a streaming source.
I’d also see if you can find a ND5xs2. I was in a similar position as you and I’m glad I waited/saved a few $.
The Nd5xs2 is really a great versatile device with the new streaming board. Ask around at Hawthorne they may be able to help. Don’t get me wrong the previous version sounds good from what I recall, it’s just the new streaming board really is first rate IMHO.
If the screen goes you can still control it via the App quite happily. People with dead screens tend to run into problems if they use WiFi and then need to enter passwords etc, which is done using the remote and screen. But if you use a wired connection as you intend, then you should be perfectly fine.
Naim have recently introduced their own internet radio service to replace the previous vTuner setup, which is somewhat glitchy. Everyone on the current streamers is using it, and it should be coming to the ‘green screen’ streamers such as the ND5XS in a while.
If your CDX is the main source then the XS should do exactly what you want. Just be aware that it needs to be on the latest firmware (4.8) and that updating is a bit of a faff. If you can stretch to the XS2 I’d recommend that you do. It will very likely sound better than your CDX, so if all your CDs are already ripped to Flac or Alac then it may be possible to retire the CDX.
Given your budget, I would be inclined to also consider solutions outside the Naim universe. A Wiim Pro (or Plus), would give you access to pretty much everything in terms of streaming. Combined with a nice DAC such as the Schiit Bifrost (multi-bit design, so in some sense it has similarities to nDAC), I would expect that the end result would be better than the ND5XS, for a similar financial outlay.
Mind you, I haven’t heard any of the two, just making assumptions based on technical specifications.
ND5XS is a nice, easy to use streamer, at least with own stored files (when I had one that was all I used it for). Of course it can be bettered, as can everything in hifi, but I enjoyed mine. As for Mac as a music server, in my case I started with a cheap NAS bought for the purpose, but it was noisy. Seeking a silent NAS I tried a Mac Mini, running (free) Serviio UPnP server software, which worked well with an ND5XS. It was connected in the same way, via a network switch. There was (unsurprisingly) no discernible difference in sound quality to a NAS I had used previously.
An alternative is to focus the money on a DAC buying the best you can, and that may have benefit as it is the DAC that determines the essential quality of a digital source. It way be of interest to know that I ended up going from tge above setup to using the Mac Mini as music renderer as well, feeding to a separate DAC, and have since upgraded the DAC but retained the MacMini and renderer. Tge renderer is Audirvana, which is library and playing software that allows you to optimise the computer including bypassing its limiting sound circuitry direct mode etc). My choice of DAC was Chord Hugo, which I found a significant improvement over that in the ND5XS notably bringing a naturalness to tge sound tgat I hadn’t realised was missing in all digital I’d heard before. However Hugo needed isolation to prevent Hugo being affected by the inevitable RF content from the computer. For that I used an inexpensive Gustard U12. (That is a particular issue with Hugo as it was designed without galvanic isolation of usb input). I now use a Chord Dave DAC very happily fed be the Mac Mini and Audirvana. I don’t know cost of DACs where you are, new or secondhand. I can recommend Hugo, with something like a Gustard U12 between Mac and DAC, but there are other DACs.
For reference my Mac Mini is late 2012 model: it has the benefit of non-soldered RAM so easier user upgradability - mine has twin SSDs and expanded RAM (more details in my profile), though I think I heard the latest may have gone back to being user upgradeable. I use it headless - no screen or mouse - controlled by Audirvana app or, for anything other than music play, using VNC software from an iPad. Headless was recommended fir best sound quality, angd fits well as a piece of hifi kit, but I’ve no idea how much difference it would make if not.
Can you get a Naim n-dac within your budget?if so consider acquiring one of these superb and upgradeable top shelf dac’s and feeding it from your Mac via an M2-tech hi face 2 usb dongle- this will bypass your Mac’s interference and transfer unadulterated music files to your ndac resulting in very high quality music from even mp3 files and rendering your Mac as purely a streaming transport