Anyone more interested in the sound than lifestyle features who are wanting to see if they get on with streaming could do worse than get a used first Gen ND5XS. Hard to beat for the money.
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It may seem like itās being dismissed but the ND5 XS2 is fantastic on its own. I ran a ND5XS2 with my SN3 for well over a year before I stumbled upon a nDAC. Adding a nDAC to a ND5xs2 just makes it sound more fuller with more presence. Itās not that the standalone product isnāt lacking itās just adding the nDAC itās just more organic. Where the real magic occurs is when a PS is added to the nDAC. Hope this helps
Sorry for the thread drift.
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Clearly everyone has different experiences but I found the Zen Stream to be an absolute faff to setup and was suitably unimpressed with the SQ even after I had managed to get it to work. The BlueSound N130 itās streets ahead in every respect imo
I replaced a node 2i with a Zen Stream and the improvement in SQ was obvious even to non-audiophile ears. IMO this thread is not that much about how good the ND5 XS 2 may be but about how poor the node is sound quality wise.
Yes.
Feeding Naim dacs and amps with a Bluesound Node is like Rick Astley doing the opening set for Miles Davis. 
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Lol 
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Just watched Rick Astley covering The Smiths at Glastonbury. A lot of fun. You are almost cool, just for one day mind
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I have the nd5 xs2 for a couple of years now (upgrade after node 2i with external DAC of +/- 1000 euro/$/Ā£) and have experimented with it as a stand-alone streamer-DAC but also with serveral DACās of +/- 2000 euro/$/Ā£, the way I use it for nearly two years now.
For me as a streamer (and platform) only it would already be worth at least 2/3rd of the price of the product, even if you donāt take into account the brand and heritage of the product. Just on value. It is that good as a streamer and platform.
The DAC part of the nd5 xs2 is good (not exceptional) and I put it on the same level as stand-alone DACās starting from 800 to 1000 euro/$/Ā£ with no pedigree like Naim (so I mean very good DACās that are very reasonably priced at 800-1000).
It is very true that you can upgrade the analogue output of your streamer setup (nd5 xs2) by adding an external DAC but then you better be prepared spent at least 2000 euro/$/Ā£ (new price) for it of less for an older but very good product. Then the upgrade can be truly significant (upgrade soundquality wise). I now use a FPGA DAC with external PS with upgraded fuse etc. It all lifts the nd5 xs2 even further. But indeed, it all starts with a good source and the nd5 xs2 is all about that.
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In what way?
I also changed recently Bluesound Node to ND5XS2.
ND5XS2 is feeding Hugo1 > SN2.
More everything. Iāve enjoyed.
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It just simply sounds better, but I am thinking of one of the big potentials of the Zen Stream is that you can take it to another level by utilizing the HQPlayer DSP algorithm. Just in case you donāt know what the HQPlayer is and what it can do, just visit its web site or Roon lab.
My first streamer was the Node 2 and I thought it was an excellent unit for the modest outlay.
I then upgraded to the ND5XS2, bought off @Toon I believe. Sold the Node.
Still have the 5XS2 and very happy. I am using it as a transport at the moment connected to my Technics amp. Sounds wonderful.
The Node is a great product for the money.
The app is a joy and you can experiment with DACs and PSUs.
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Support for NAA is nice but it is hindered by the 384kHz limitation. To get the most out of best HQPlayer filters you need 768kHz. It does work extremely well as a roon endpoint.
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Yes, itās true, max output sampling rate is 384khz or DSD 256.
Has anybody tried using an Innuos server as transport into an ND5 XS2?
Or the other way around streaming or playing off the hard drive through the ND5 XS2.
Does/would it improve on SQ?
An interesting discussion. Several posts mention the nDAC, but when I look at my dealerās web site or even the Naim web site, it looks like Naim donāt make any stand alone DACs. Did I miss something?
Itās discontinued but can be gotten second hand.
Naim Product History pageā¦
Itās a great resource.
The nDac was in production from 2009 to 2018.
If it got discontinued 5 years ago, and was introduced 14 years ago, itās about as certain as anything can be, that better, lower cost DACs are available now. (It must have been introduced about the same time as the first iPhone 
).
The reason Iām interested is that I am completely replacing my No 2 system: currently Bluesound node 3i, Topping E30 DAC, Rotel 1520, and B&W CM1 speakers. The centre piece will be the NAIT 50, which my dealer tells me is now ready for pick up or delivery. Iām thinking that the ND5XS2 could be my streamer for this system. If it is better than the Node + E30, Iāll be delighted.
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That is close to heresy on here, to say that there is something better than Naim. I may have mentioned it once or twice but I think I got away with it. 
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