ND5 XS 2 arriving soon

Yes, I really like Tidal and I use it mainly with IPad 2. TIDAL has a quality that comes close to Hi Res. I also have a subscription to Spotify Premium for many years and I rarely use it. I keep Spotify for the Range Rover meet app. I’m thinking of getting the new iPad air 2019 because of the processor speed. It certainly does not benefit music. I know, more money spent. However I’d like to have the ipad always on nearby to see the covers of the songs being listened to. Is your OPPO a blue ray? Do you think I have a Pioneer (maybe similar to yours?) BDP LX 58 multifunction and I never thought of using it for hifi music or Tidal. Good to know, to keep it still and use it in other rooms …

Hi Andrea, I am not familiar with the Pioneer but I assume that you can access the internal DAC via a USB port. You could add an external hard disk drive containing music files and see what you think. The DAC in the Oppo is very good and it has 2 hdmi inputs - I use one of these inputs to connect my iPad. You need an adapter cable (hdmi to lightning) to make it work.

Is the tidal function on the Naim app as easy to use as it is on iOS?

Yes, I will use my iPad to control the app and display album artwork. It is good to know that I will be able to control the volume from my Nait as confirmed by Mr.M.

Do you have a cable photo?
My Pioneer :
9658765

Hey there. I’ve been meaning to thank you for suggesting a look at your system photos, but I don’t recall which thread that was! Anyway, the Q4 Evo in bamboo looks splendid (as does the rest of your room and system). Does it sound as good as it looks?

Hi Andrea, unfortunately your Pioneer does not have an hdmi input socket

The photos are located here which is in the System Pics 2019, NO. 937, dated March 5th.

When I bought my original system I had them sitting on a couple of old end tables and the recommendation from forum members was to put the Naim Amp & Streamer on a hifi rack. My dealer happened to sell the Quadraspire Q4 and I opted to go with the slighty higher priced bamboo shelves after reading reviews. I also ordered a set of the QX7 sound enhancer and heavy duty floor protectors for the rack spikes to sit in.

Yes, there was an improvement in the sound and just as important was it added a very nice visual presentation of the system. The bonus was my wife thought it was a great purchase as well for the visual enhancement alone.

Good luck with your decision.

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You might want to compare Tidals’ “Master” setting to their “Hifi” setting.

In my experience, the “Hifi” is superior, anti-intuitive though that seems…

Masters files are in MQA. Whether they sound better or not is a matter of great debate. I also think Hifi CD quality sounds better than MQA.

Well, got the unit today, hooked it up and am pretty impressed so far. I am playing lossless flacs from usb drive and tidal.
I have my Oppo connected to the cd input via rca and the ND5 to the HDD input via 5 pin cable to my nait xs 2. When I change from usb to tidal or any other setting it changes my nait to the cd input - in fact any change seems to revert the amp to the cd input - am I missing a setting somewhere?

Actually, I think I have the answer myself but will have to wait until I get home tonight to try it.
I have only ever had my Oppo connected to the Naut XS 2 so never paid any attention to the input numbering. However I now think that in the Naim world preamp 1 means the first input, preamp 2 the second etc. I should set the app to preamp 3 not preamp 1 (will actually change to the tuner input which is preamp 2).

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Rather than ND5 XS 2 arriving soon for use with my Nait XS 2, an NDX 2 and Supernait 2 will be arriving soon!

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Wow! Awesome. What happened there?

I have a Nait XS 2 amp which I have been very happy with for a couple of years or so, playing lossless Flac (cd rips) and hi-res files through my Oppo 105 and into Neat Motive SX1 floor standers.
I have been reasonably happy with the sound but know there is better available.
I bought an ND5 XS 2 streamer two weeks ago which has a non-performance affecting fault so it will be returned.

I am enjoying the sound more so than via my Oppo - I would describe the difference as possibly missing some small amount of detail but compensating by being a more ‘together’ sound. I can still follow individual music strands but find myself hearing tracks more as a whole rather than highlighted sections (surely what we are all striving for?).

Before changing my speakers I am convinced that there is more performance to be gained but at what cost? I consider myself to be very fortunate to be in the position to drop a few grand on improvements, maybe as much as £10K and then eventually half as much again for speakers (in the distant future). This pales into insignificance compared to some people but each of us are on a path and seeking to get the best possible for our respective budgets.

There are many conflicts or rather ‘differences of opinion’ in what the basic principles that need to be applied. These range from maximising the source quality even if current partnering equipment will not fully expose the benefits, to maximising the number of boxes with PSUs etc. Also, I am not hearing so much these days of minimising the length of signal paths - Naim would appear to advise bouncing the signal through as many boxes as possible!

My (not necessarily very scientific) research leads me to understand that the addition of power supplies certainly changes the sound and particularly for those fortunate to be able to afford the 500 series or even statement products. Whether these changes add to the musicality of the sound or reward the investor with more of ‘what they are looking for’ or indeed both, is down to individual preference/experience. One thimg for sure is that the law of diminishing returns in terms of performance gains versus price paid is prevalent.

I have considered the (differing) advise of several reputable Naim dealers, all of whom’s opinion I respect (ouch! apologies for the poor grammar!). It is apparent to me that the ‘Naim ecosystem’ would drain an awful lot of money and have people striving for improvement until they reached a full statement system! In no way do I mean this as a criticism rather that there are precautions required for us mere mortals with finite finances - it would be easy to get sucked into the ‘search for the holy grail’ and end up in a similar position to people with gambling debts if you had to seek finance for your project :slight_smile:

Thankfully Naim have a range of quality components for all but the most budget of requirements. I personally made the decision that I would limit the number of boxes pyrchased and then maximise my system within these confines.

The NDX 2 is the only choice as the 555 would require 2 boxes (and £20K!). Yes, it has display circuitry that I don’t need but it is the only way to get a better DAC than the ND5 XS 2.

For amplification the current best integrated (minimum number of boxes) is the SN2 - 10 watts more than my Nait XS 2 and several other improvements.

I have concluded that the two box system is best for me with the, benefit?!, that I could still add power supplies at a future date should I wish.

I may also consider trying a Chord Qutest or Hugo TT 2 DAC at some point in the future.

On to value for money, what do we get with Naim products? In my opinion all Naim products have a no nonsense family look that exudes quality and minimalism. I personally think that Naim looks fantastic - sealed boxes with no fans that do not run warm. Let’s not beat about the bush, Naim is expensive but you do get excellent engineering. Being designed and manufactured in the UK means that we are going to pay a premium but in my opinion it is worth it - R&D is not cheap and we all expect Naim to keep abreast of technology while maintaining the product integrity that we all like. It must be easy for them to consider cheaper foreign manufacture in a similar manner to a certain premium vacuum cleaner manufacturer that abandoned the workforce in Scotland.

Anyhow, back to the point, the RRP of my Naim system is nearly £8.5K and I am pretty sure that I could get great SQ for a lot less but I accept paying a premium to support a great UK company with great products (I am starting to sound like a Naim shareholder!).

I am listening to Hans Theesink’s album Bridges SACD rip while I write this and it sounds superb - it can only be better when I get the NDX 2 and SN2! Yes it is not the most demanding album for a system but Naim just makes it so musical. I equally enjoy far more complex/busy albums as well.

I am happy that I have made an informed decision, put down what to me is a considerable amount of money and am happy that I have been able to show constraint. I can’t wait to get the new NXD 2 and SN2, get it run in and then prove to myself that I have made the right decision - no pressure then!!

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Brilliant post, I’ve heard the NDX/SN2 at shows and it’s a fantastically musical pairing, so I’m sure you’ll get the musical enjoyment you deserve from it.

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Thanks Eoin, your positive findings with the pairing just make it harder for me to wait until the end of the week!

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Great write up, you could be hi-fi journalist :clap:. I pretty much match your journey, though from a Nova, and reached the same conclusions. I’m very happy with the result, a throughly musical combination. I often catch myself smiling, toe-tapping or up dancing. And wanting to play more music, always a great sign/sound.

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And that is exactly what it is all about! I really want to be content with the system and not consider upgrades, just play and forget.
I did also consider a nova as a single box solution particularly as it has an hdmi input so I could have connected my Oppo and used either the Oppo or Naim DAC. While I am sure it is very capable I know that the two box system will sound better, as it should for nearly twice the price.

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it is an amazing two box toe tapping solution …just need some nice speakers to fiinsh it off…
B

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Are future firmware upgrades to the NDX2 likely to change the audio presentation in the significant way that it does with the Unitis?

I wouldn’t think so, the Uniti issue is due to the all-in-one nature and how the components interact. At the moment, my Nova is sounding great to a Bluray concert.