Naim NDS - still a good used buy?

Hi-Fi Corner
64

Good decision Andy. You are better off spending the money on the 500DR as the value of these top streamers plummets as the tech moves on and it moves on fast! Before long the ND555 values will fall rapidly in the same way as the NDS did as the next version comes out.

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65

Simon, is that better sound quality as well as the benefits the new platform the 5xs2 brings?
Seems odd to me to plug one streamer into another…

Gary

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66

I switched from nDac to NDS and for me the NDS has a more natural detailed presentation. Maybe occasionally the nDac has a more driving presentation but for me this is at cost of naturally.

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67

It’s as per earlier post, the NDS as a streamer is rather limited, but as a DAC is very good. Makes sense to potentially front it with a modern streamer and use it as a DAC if you want full streaming capabilities.

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68

I have NDS (from new) and recently subscribed to Qobuz Studio Premier, using Mconnect HD player app to stream upnp to NDS…pretty damn good…
Gives the streaming section of the NDS some more longevity…and the NDS DAC sound is very nice…should keep me going until the ND555 replacement comes out…

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69

Thanks Simon, get it!

Gary

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71

For an NDS owner who wants updated streaming services I think Roon can make a lot of sense. Of course you have a subscription to buy, and you may or may not like the UI, but it might be neater and cheaper than adding an ND5XS2 or NDX2.
What it will give you is Qobuz (including 24 bit streams), lossless iRadio which is a big improvement on the common MP3 and AAC channels, lossless multiroom etc. Potentially a cost effective way to add current services, sound quality and functionality to the aging NDS.

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72

Oh right, I see. I thought Roon was just a library/cataloguing service.

73

I’ve skimmed through the responses here. It will be good buy if it fits in your system, particularly at the current low prices. Although the used price is considered to be low, take note that it may continue to plummet with time. If you purchase it and decide to sell it in 3 to 4 years time, the price would be lower but the damage would be a lot lesser than buying it new.

The analogue old school amps without any digital circuitry built in would fare a lot better than the digital components of streamers and streaming preamp etc.

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74

It is that as well. It merges all your digital sources (local stores plus Tidal and/or Qobuz) into a seamless single library. It’s also a server (alternative to UPnP), a DSP, etc. Not everybody needs or likes it, of course, but it just occurred to me that in the context of this discussion it could be a useful way to keep a 1st gen. streamer a bit more current.

77

Basically with streamers and dacs you want the latest stuff. The reason it is so cheap is because is outdated. Probably the usability is not great and can not imagine sounding that good either. Just go for a bluesound or Auralic. Much more fun.

78

İf you are not info Roon/Qobuz it is a very good value unit, when Spotify becomes 16/44 then it will be perfect for Spotify users getting a very good dac and a streamer that gets the job done

79

I can assure that I don’t. What do you have that makes an NDS not sound that good?

80

Have you actually owned an NDS before making such a comment?

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81

I’ve been a dedicated Roon user since it launched. I’d have an NDX or an NDS already if they worked natively with Roon. Now that there are workarounds for that and the price has tumbled I’m struggling to see a downside.

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82

I don’t need to have owned it.It is 10 years old tech. You don’t buy 10 year old pc :).

83

So by saying ‘can not imagine it sounding that good either’ you are just making stuff up.

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84

No I am making an educated guess :slight_smile:

85

I agree.

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86

The only thing I would never buy used is a dac or a streamer, you always want the latest tech.