whats the best bang for buck to get the best from the ND5 XS2, hi line or power line?
A Hiline. I use one with with my ND5 XS 2 & NAIT XS 2 and think it’s a good improvement over the supplied interconnect lead. Mind you, when I ran my current streamer with a NAIT5SI the improvement was less so but still good nevertheless. Maybe you can trial one before committing, that’s what I did. I don’t know about the PowerLine but when I mentioned it to my dealer they all agreed that the Hiline would give a bigger bang for buck in my system.
I have sent my Hiline off for repair a couple of times though, so do bear in mind it’s fragility…
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If you don’t already have dedicated mains I’d do that first.
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I would say Hi-line first too. Powerline adds slam, hi-line flow.
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Short of drifting off to suggest 100 other things (just sell a kidney and buy an ND555), I’d +1 on a Hi-Line first.
I have both on mine, Power-line does smooth things out a little but I’ve felt
better gains from other things including adding a Hi-Line.
SL IC on NDX 2 + XPS DR of course is what you ACTUALLY need…
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Cheers naimies!
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Might as well say the OP ACTUALLY needs a Porsche 911 GT2RS when he’s only asking about a Boxster. 
Sweet! I would raise a few comments in the office with those bobby dazzlers on!
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I would go with the powerline first.
Just to be sure for yourself of what a better quality supply from the mains means within your listening.
Do that first and then try the hi-line.
If you prefer the hi-line, then you have saved a tonne of money invested in upgrading to power supplies.
Simples.
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Not the shoes @TOBYJUG?
I think lets also factor budget here as well, I’ve been in this situation plenty of times in the past, you think, hmmm I’ve got a few hundred quid I can spare, I’ve finally got my Credit card to £0.00, time for some Naim stuff!
Then, referring to my joke earlier in the thread, people then pop up saying, “Sure your Black Box X or Cable Y is OK but what you really need to do rather than spend what you likely have on a modest (yet still costly) upgrade is go spend £5000 on another better black box”
I think if you want a quick fix you’ll get more out of a IC change than spending probably a similar amount on a Powerline.
This is in my personal experience and based on having borrowed both and tried them in a similar setup, NAIT etc.
It’s definitely worth going to a dealer, ideally the sort that smiles when you walk in and offers you a coffee, and get them to do cables at a sensible price either ex-demo ones or those a customer may have let go during a trade in.
You can find Hi-Lines used but the Air-Plug connectors are as delicate as a ship in a bottle model and if you end up with one from someone thats yanked it about by the wobbly parts, inevitably there’ll be bits snapped or loose, repairable but at additional cost, of course.
Powerlines by comparison are harder to rough up and I’d have no reservation buying/using a used one dealer or owner. I did mine last personally having done other things first, as @anon4489532 pointed out earlier, a radial circuit that isolates your kit away from internal noise sources helps any system if done properly, specifics are debated to death elsewhere on here.
Same goes for racking, I went through everything from Ikea to Fraim and 10 steps between but it can and does help stabilise your system, improvements becoming more apparent the higher up the Naim ladder you go, thankfully NAIT’s are quite forgiving and flexible with placement and cabling but improvements are applicable none the less.
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Cheers . My rack is isoblue and I have the streamer and amp on naim glass, cups n balls…I’ll see what my dealer has in exdem I think.
I have an Isoblue rack, boxed up and looking for some love currently, but they are good I found and look nice too.
Think of your predicament as (me as an example):
What I can afford - A CD from a charity shop
What I can spend - Everyone loves beans on toast!
What I can get away with - Did your black boxes have a baby again?
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An Hi-Line eyes closed !! It add a lot of natural and good detail that made the musical message much more emotional.
My vote for the Hi-Line
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I put HiLine and PowerLine on my NDX2/XPSDR. The HiLine went on first and makes the bigger difference.
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As far as I remember, Naim did not previously charge for repairing a HiLine cable
In which case I stand corrected and apologies for the inaccuracy.
I’m not employed by Naim nor have I had course to have any of my Naim cables repaired so if this is the case then that is a bonus!
It’s probably worth discussing that directly with a Naim dealer and them confirming it directly with Naim on your behalf as depending on the level of repair required charges may apply, postage at the least perhaps.
Good catch sir.
I previously wasn’t charged for a HiLine repair but it was five or six years ago so I would agree that it’s worth discussing with your local dealer first to see if the situation is still the same.
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What with everyone panic buying in the UK and struggling to even buy loo roll who knows what may apply!
I just have to hope the lovely folks at Naim HQ are getting my new SN3 built and shipped to me.
We may not be able to wash or eat but if I’m confined to home I at least want good quality audio to comfort myself in these testing times 
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