I want to add a decent streamer to my system and my dealer has instructions to contact me as soon as a demo is possible. In the meantime I would like to hear from anyone who still owns an nd5xs2 after 12 months and has not felt it necessary to tweak it in any way.
Very happy owner (since May 2019) here. I use it every day, and am still delighted with it.
I demo’d it against the NDX2, and recommend you do the same. For me, the difference in SQ was not huge, but the difference in $$$ was!
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I’d say it’s a good match for the rest of your system. It’s a very capable source at its price point. I owned mine from new for about a year, it was traded in and replaced by an NDX2 ultimately around the same time I moved from a Supernait 2 to a Supernait 3.
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Ditto! Great match for your system. I still have my ND5XS2 but like I said on another thread I did enhance it with a nDAC. I ran with a Naim XS2/ND5XS2 until 2 weeks ago.
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I’ve had mine just over a year. I’m just about to sell it because I just purchased an nd555.
Honestly, I think it’s a great streamer… worked seamlessly with Roon, tidal and Qobuz. I never felt the need for a screen or a remote. Sound quality is great. I just decided I wanted to upgrade because… well because I just wanted to… not because of any perceived deficiencies in the ND5 XS2.
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Mine’s great! Probably looking at a 282 to replace the 202 then possibly a 250dr much later. But the streamer part of my system is superb IMO. Needed a bit of run in time, but not annoyingly long.
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Exactly the same thoughts! 
Thanks @cwhizz. Glad you’re still enjoying it. I was getting a bit worried. You’re only the second person who has not either sold it or been unhappy enough to have to add a separate dac. I’ll be glad when I get the chance of a demo.
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I wasn’t unhappy with my ND5XS2, not at all. I just stumbled into a good deal for a nDAC so I just enhanced it. The ND5XS2 is fantastic and great value for the money. IMHO if you stay with Naim, it isn’t outclassed until you arrive at the NAC282 level.
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Thanks Marcusman. I started this thread initially because I was surprised at how many people were getting rid of the nd5xs2 after a relatively short period but I also found the tweaks to be interesting. It’s a steep learning curve for me.
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Same here with mine. I run it through a qutest, because I trialled one and got it at a great price.
Naim do not make it easy to do a direct A/B test as you have to use the app to switch the Naims output even when using the digital out. So it’s not a matter of changing the input selector in the pre amp.
But the base ND5xs2 is by far their best sound value for money streamer.
I had studied pictures of the internals of this and the NDX2 and think the only difference is in the analogue stage.
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I’ve got one. It ain’t going anywhere soon.
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I’ve had mine some 14 months now (into an SN2) and remain very pleased with it - it just plays music very well, with the minimum of fuss. Especially since I’ve been working from home the last few months, it’s on several hours a day and makes me happy.
I’ve spent time fiddling with the ‘workflow’ (Asset or Minim? Can I cast direct from Windows 10? Is dbPoweramp the right ripper? etc) but felt no need to tweak the set-up, other than speaker positioning.
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I’ve had mine for slightly more than 15 months and am very satisfied. I also auditioned NDX2 and while I definitely noticed an improvement over ND5 XS2, it was not in my view commensurate with the substantial difference in price. I also view lack of screen as a plus (less distracting, less to go wrong). I was also concerned that this is a relatively immature technology, which argued against spending the amount required to buy the XS2.
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Sounds like similar reasoning as me. No screen is a plus, and do i want to invest £5K in a moving piece of tech?
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Thanks @Thegreatroberto and @Gromit1 I am glad that I am not the only one who thinks the lack of screen is a plus. I like simple. I do recognise that the other 2 Naim streamers offer higher sq but as usual that is reflected in the price.
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After my significant other goes to sleep, I like listening to music in the dark, minimizing as many distractions as possible. The screen would just detract from the experience. In any event, I use Roon, so there’s more detail and a larger display on my iPad if I need the visuals.