I see things as half full myself
Need I say that some Naim boxes are also half full but don’t recall which ones
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There seems to be some mixed up thinking in all of this.
The Auralic pictures show two different Auralic devices - one looks to be an Aries (streaming transport only, no DAC) and the other is looks more like an Altair (older model perhaps because the new ones look different inside?) which is a streamer, DAC and pre-amp.
The space in the Altair is so you can add your own hard drive.
And finally, to give a different perspective, I auditioned various Naim, Linn and Auralic devices. All were good, but my preference was for the Auralic which extracted the most detail from the music. Each to their own on these things, but to say that one device is much better or worse than other is too simplistic. They generally sound different and which you prefer will depend on personal preference.
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I have an Auralic Altair G1 with a 2TB SSD installed. No LAN cable connected just the analogue out to the 252. I also tried the linn akurate DS with katalyst DACS. Also excellent but at 3 times the price. Never tried the NDX2 so can’t comment. To me the Auralic is a wonderful bit of kit that works well with Naim.
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Similar findings for me, but eventually the Auralic Vega G2 had to give way to Linn Klimax with Organik upgrade. But all are good. It really does come down to personal taste.
Roger
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I completely get the upgrade from the Vega to the Klimax and it definitely is an upgrade. I heard the Klimax through a Naim 500 system and it was absolutely stunning. My dream system would be ATC50 actives with a Linn Klimax. Beautifully simple system that I’m sure would sound amazing. Ignoring the cash outlay required, the other thing stopping me from realising this dream is that I need a bigger room to accommodate the ATCs. Not sure I can stretch to a new system and a bigger house. Must work harder, must work harder…
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They are full unless stored in a vacuum.
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I was tempted to quote the “Empty vessels ……” phrase
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I am strangely drawn to this music streaming lark now with the Auaralic system. So much so that I am starting to wonder if my unused Lotus along with my advancing years would fund me at least demoing a Rossini. 
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Well, that would make the ND5XS2 three-quarters full of technology. I reckon at the end of the day it’s the SQ that counts…
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Yes and I much prefer the naim sound to Auralic sound more musical and more rhythmic
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Precisely and I am perfectly happy there with Auralic in a Naim system. Compared to a cds3 I do not note the usual complaints that it is boring, too hifi, too much resolution and with an unmusical presentation and unrhythmic, too much colour and not enough bleached harmonics blah blah blah
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A small to medium step forward has occurred in the last 24 hours.
My birthday is in January and apparently, there may be an ND5 SX2 in my goodie bag that day:crossed_fingers:t2:
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Judging by the fairly hefty toroidal and neat layout, the second photo is of a Naim device I think…
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Unless I have missed a picture on this thread you are absolutely correct. Auralic vs Naim is in that pic.
If you are not likely to have at least superfast FTTC… which in rural areas is funded by the government and your county council (your parish council can/should be able to give details here) then there is 4G broadband or for those areas without 4G on an external antenna on any provider (not many now) there is Satellite broadband. The latter has become more effective and affordable, and as long as your are not into real time online gaming can be excellent. Satellite broadband covers all of the British Isles.
So luckily in 2022 in the UK if you want broadband suitable for audio streaming you can get it wherever you live… using one of the possible delivery platforms. (PS first gen Naim streamers may struggle with Satellite broadband irrespective of bandwidth)
We were so fed up with Virgin media broadband failures and the time taken to fix we switched to a slower BT service. Virgin were unable to visit for 3 weeks…….BT sent our package which included their 4G hybrid broadband overnight. The 4G worked fine, and after 10 days we got the proper connection……
did not notice the difference, and that was with 2 netflix and a Qobuz account using.
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I have been thinking about getting back in touch with BT. Mainly because they might have a bit more pull with OpenReach and help getting our Fibre switched on.
Hybrid 4G/Terrestrial broadband might improve our current performance, although 4G isn’t exactly reliable out here either…
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I did manage to find an openreach map of Colchester……with timing for fibre by postcode, worth a google.
Annoyingly Gazza they installed it 3 years ago, they just won’t switch it on and won’t tell us when they will🤷🏻♂️
It’s maddening to see the High Speed Fibre terminus right outside my living room window and have to put up with less than 2 meg most of the time🤦🏻♂️
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If you look on the openreach map for your area……nothing is down as completed…….2021 to 2026 timing.