I took delivery of the new ND5XS2 yesterday. Seems to be working well, still getting used to the Naim App. Couple quick questions though. The USB stick I installed in the back does not seem to be recognized in the app as none of the music I have on it show up when I click on the USB input. It’s just clocking. I have a bit of music on there but it was recognized by my HDX so not sure if i’m doing something wrong.
Also, I have this running through my nDAC which is then connected to my 552. How can I get the volume to work in the app? Do I need a separate cable since I don’t have the 5 pin din connected directly to the 552, rather the ndac?
About the USB stick, can your computer read it? Putting it in and going to the USB input in the app is all that should be necessary. (However, going to the Server > Local input is better because it displays metadata, if the files are tagged. The USB input only shows the bare folders and files)
For volume in the app you need a cheap cable with 3.5 mm headphone plug to RCA, mono or stereo is fine. It goes from streamer to pre. Then enable system automation in the app. Specify the input to which the nDAC is connected. (You can rename the inputs in the app which makes it easier to pick the correct one.)
Thanks for this, super helpful. I went in the Server>Local input and indeed I can see the music. I think some files aren’t showing up though so will need to put in my computer and make sure everything that I think is there, is indeed there! I’ll look for one of those cables as well to get the remote activated. Man, I feel so out of it on this whole new world for me on streaming.
The only other challenge is my internet. Not the best as I live on a farm but I did hardwire my router into the machine today so I’ll see how that goes tomorrow.
Ok, I got the remote portion to work, thanks again!
I am still struggling with the USB stick though. I have way more music on the stick than what is showing up in the app. There is a file folder on the stick labeled music which is where the music that is showing up in the app is located. The other stuff is randomly on the stick and not in the folder. I think I’m going to try and consolidate some of the music that is randomly on the stick and see if that works unless anyone else has ideas. The HDX didn’t have a problem accessing the music this way but could just be different operating systems I guess.
Not sure if this makes it any clearer, but lets try
If you go via USB input, then all you are doing is navigating all the folders manually looking for music. So for your own benefit, having folders tidied up helps here
Going via Local Music is what I think most people do. Here the device will read all the metadata on that Stick, then allow you to navigate via artists/album etc. It doesn’t care what folder the files are in. This process can take 20mins to read all the files, possibly more if you have lots. Just leave the device switched on then make a cup of tea before looking
Thanks, that is what I have been doing with the Local Music. Sometimes the music shows up and sometimes it doesn’t. Almost like the USB stick goes to sleep. When it wakes up though all of my music isn’t showing up. Some shows up in Composers.
I have quite a bit but I don’t think overkill, it’s 256 Gig stick that is about half full I think. Your screen looks identical to mine. I thought about the rebuild music database option but was scared to try and hope it didn’t wipe out the stick.
Correct me if I’m going mad, this is just a thought.
The ND5 XS2 manual is a miracle of paper-saving compared to the amplifier tomes so ends up very short of information. The Supernait manual states the single USB socket at the rear is reserved for ‘Updates’, whatever that might entail.
MyND2 XS2 also has a USB socket at the front of course. Could it be that this is the one to use, should the rear socket also be of restricted function?
I’ll get my coat…
I do only use the front, but I understand the back is also usable in the same way, and probably more people use this. When I demoed an NDX2 recently, I used just the back with the same stick, and it worked identically.
As you say, it was different for the older ND5 XS and NDX. According to that pdf manual, the front was “USB interface socket that enables audio files stored on USB memory devices to be selected and played” and the rear was called a “USB Update Interface”
Ok, after some different trials, here is what I’ve come up with. The ND5XS2 likes when the files are organized and categorized into folders. The HDX could read the stick and categorize them according to the different artists automatically. I’m a bit old school in how I would disseminate music files to the stick as I would burn a CD into itunes and then just drag and drop the files to the stick. The HDX did fine with this but not the ND5XS2. When I went and created a folder and put the music in that, it worked fine. Not a huge deal but worth noting.
I love the streamer though and still trying to get used to Quboz as i used to use Deezer on the Sonos, still have both actually hooked up. Need a faster internet connection in the house for Quboz to work appropriately with Hi-Res files. I live on a farm so not the easiest solution.
I’m wondering if this just put all files into the same top level folder, and I suppose you may be hitting various limits.
I assume you have a Mac, so firs question is, are you ripping lossless in iTunes. If not, I highly recommend you re-rip your CD’s and use a better software such as dbpoweramp (most people on this Forum use it) - we can help you further if you need this.
Secondly, another option might be to copy the iTunes folder to your stick. Unfortunately I can’t tell you precisely where this is as my setup is non standard, however if you navigate to somewhere like Music/Music/Media/Music you will probably find that all your music is there is their individual folders.
Yes you will need a cable to get the volume working. I don’t know about the 552, but if you check the manual it will probably say - the ND5 is a 3.5mm jack
Thanks for all of these responses again. I think I’m good with the file organization and will make do. I am really enjoying this. I think it was a great fit for my system and sounds really awesome! It is connected to the Ndac which is then fed by a 555 ps which I assume helps the sound but overall, I’m thrilled. Plus the ease of using my phone or tablet to control everything is fantastic.
I also had the internet company out this past week and have a better signal feeding the streamer so can now (knock on wood) stream hi-res files without annoying buffering. If this doesn’t hold up though I will look into Starlink.
No. Updates are firmware updates, which used to be done by a variety of different means that mostly involved connecting the unit to a computer. The new streamers and new Uniti all do updates over the Internet with no need to connect anything to the USB sockets. So the front and back USB sockets have the same functions.
