So I’m contemplating getting better SQ than I already have with my ND5 xs. Since the NDX is no longer selling I can’t demo it before purchase. The main reason I’m in for an NDX is the dramatic price drop on used machines. I can now buy one at about 1700€ which doesn’t set me back that much when selling my ND5 xs.
So what is your thoughts about the difference between these two machines?
I know consensus around here is that the new streamers outperform the old ones but at a significantly steeper price compared to a used NDX
To my ears the NDX is quite a large step up from the ND5XS, so if you’re happy with the functionality of the old streamers, I would say go for it. There are, of course, other upgrade options you could consider, such as an external DAC or PSU for your ND5, but that means adding an extra box.
When I moved on from CD playback (CD5XS) i auditioned the ND5XS, NDX, and DAC. The ND5XS was better than my CD5XS, the DAC was better than the ND5XS, but the NDX was better than both*.
The ND5XS and NDX were connected via ethernet and the DAC via BNC.
The NDX is a brilliant product: I am extremely happy with my pre-loved unit replacing a UQ that I was using for streaming. Paired with an external DAC, NDX is a relative bargain (incidentally, I also made the same observation recently, having paid around 2.5K chf last year) for what it offers, relatively speaking, of course. Go for it. Cheers, Vik
Congrats! It is a wonderful machine
If you can, try TIDAL… I upgraded my NDX last Christmas with the latest DAC/Streaming chip (24/96) and I´m really happy with SQ via TIDAL (even if there have been some issues in the past).
Okey so now the NDX has been up and running twenty some hours. I presume it has stabilized and is performing as intended. It gets power from a Powerline connected to a Musicline Netzleiste and is playing through a 202/napsc/Hicap DR and 200 DR. Speakers are Spendor D9. Apart from a second Powerline on the 200 all cabling is Naim standards.
Compared to my ND5 xs with which I’ve lived and loved about a year or so it’s a worthwhile improvement. It’s bigger and bolder and smoother at the same time with deeper insight into the music. In a hifi-kind-of-way I’d describe it as more resolved and detailed with more drive and punch, with more air inbetween notes and transparency. It’s difficult to describe sound in my first language (swedish) and hence even more so trying to do it in english. Well I hope I got my point through albeit being not natively speaking or for that matter writing in english.
Just felt I would share a reflection or perhaps more accurately a finding. It seems the NDX made a sudden leap forward after about a week. It’s quite an obvious change to the better. Making me think the NDX is a lot better than the ND5 xs. Is this also your experience or did my hearing change?
Hi Lucifer, that is a very interesting finding. You have the NDX which was a ‘pre-loved’ unit yet you still found it improved after a week or so. I would have thought that all burning/bedding in would have occurred when used from new. I wonder if this means that without regular use Naim products temporarily lose their peak performance.
I have just got an NDX 2 and am loving the sound (this is only day 2!) so far and am looking forward to it really settling down. I imagine that the SQ of the 2 will not be much different to yours so you must be really enjoying the SQ!
Going by this thread you have had yours for less than 2 weeks - please keep us all informed of your findings as clocks up a few more miles.
