NDX & SUPERNAIT Thread

Not the isolation feet that would be applicable for your level of kit. You need the brass Quadraspire feet! :joy:

This made interesting reading on SL speaker cables.

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I posted that. After a week or so Iā€™ve gone back to the SL. Yeah, less boogie but all the other things made up for it.

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Just listened to new vinyl (KIWANUKA) through SN3 and was switching back and forth streaming Qobuz/Roon/24bit with NDX2/XPSDR. Maybe time to sell my turntable and recordsā€¦ so much more depth. I love vinyl, find it therapeutic to look at spinning around, plus makes me wanna sit down and listen to a whole albumā€¦ butā€¦ was surprised how much more the NDX2 brought. First time Iā€™ve tried it. Anyone else toyed between the two?

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Iā€™ve been thinking the same thing. The 252 + 250DR have been on my mind. But would the cost justify the sound. Not heard so donā€™t know, but other forums seem to be very enthusiastic on the uplift. Against the SN2 least. :man_shrugging:t3:

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@Mon Are you still liking the S40ā€™s? I sort of regret not hanging on to mine a little longer so I could hear them with the NDX2/SN3

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The S40s take a loooooong time to break inā€¦ Iā€™m talking monthsā€¦ in that time sometimes sound awful sometimes greatā€¦but wonderful little speakers. Plus I love the red birch Suit my London apartment so well. I had a roksan blak before which is very powerful but was muddy. I wondered if the SN3 would drive them as well. Itā€™s different. Theres a lot more separation in instruments and more control. Moments Iā€™m ecstatic and theyā€™re wonderful and sometimes I wanna try the 250DRā€¦ just to check Iā€™m getting the best out of them :slight_smile: having said that itā€™s probably the bugā€¦

The SL interconnect made a whopping difference to clarity. Powerlines more ooomph. Am a little gutted my vinyls donā€™t sound as good as my digital anymore :rofl: But thatā€™s more of a compliment to the NDX2/XPSDR. Iā€™m probably gonna stick with the system some more months as it continually improvesā€¦

What speakers do you have now? I think a lot depends on the room too. The S40s are the last thing I wanna part with at present (The look/performance/price). Have heard them with 4 amps, all very different sounds, but fully aware of their capability and need of time to bed in.

Also the thing about 80W is kind of nonsense. Itā€™s more current required. Transformer/components/craftsmanship etcā€¦ I tried them with 110W ampā€¦ that one had great imaging but really struggled to provide meaningful depth/bassā€¦

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No doubt one would expect it to be better, itā€™s hugely more expensive for starters and diminishing returns will be kicking in. There is a lot that can be delivered through the SN with source and cable improvements.

Itā€™s interesting thought, that many at this level have lesser sources (no PS on streamer, or no SL interconnect). I also use headphones a lot, so maximising everything up to the headphone stage level is worthwhile for me, Iā€™d really only consider separates longer term once they are upgraded and there was a headphone solution that utilised system automation.

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Yeah it might be wiser for me to try the hi cap dr and just be done. Certainly cheaper. I mean it sounds pretty sweet presently :slight_smile: naim have a great pyramid scheme in place :rofl:

Impulse control needed.

Also the XPSDR I wasnā€™t massively impressed when I got it in all honesty compared to even the SL interconnect. But if you remove itā€¦

I think they probably compliment each other. For me the SL added much more, but if the XPS DR wasnā€™t there?

Iā€™m running Spendor A7ā€™s which I always had, bought the S40ā€™s as an itch to scratch when I had my Nova, I liked the Dynas but I opted to keep the A7ā€™s in the end as I felt they offered more detail and presence and more low end too, perhaps I dident give the S40ā€™s long enough. The Spendors are good but maybe a little over detailed, I do recall the S40ā€™s been very good when cranked so I guess Iā€™m curious now that I have the SN3, I recall they had a really impressive wide sound stage too.

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The soundstage is amp dependent too. But yes with the SN3 you donā€™t have to sit in particular part of the room, it kinda fills the room. I auditioned some Spendor A4s or A5s (canā€™t remember maybe even A6ā€¦sorry) with the supernait 2, rega Ellicit r, roksan blak. Took them home and auditioned against the dynaudios with friends which were a lot fuller and an immediate winner, i liked the spendors a lot in the showroom but were airy and didnā€™t carry the depth of the dynaudios. Was a clear winner. But you have the more expensive spendors so couldnā€™t possibly give an opinion on them, am sure theyā€™re a lot better than what I audioned (which i really enjoyed until I got them home against the dyns)

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Iā€™m currently running my NDX2 bare with no psu, Iā€™ll probably look in to that in the new year so that may give an added boost. What stands are you using?

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The NDX2 alone is really really good as well. Dynaudio stand 20s (filled with sand)ā€¦ I got a good package deal on everything. I always haggle like crazy when buying, probably to the annoyance of dealers.

I donā€™t wanna sway you anyway. Why not audition some with your current setup? Itā€™s a pain but probably worth it. Maybe some well run in demo ones?

Also I originally got the grey ones. Got them swapped for the red. Which I really do adore, look stunning. Different folks different strokes anyway. Best listening yourself. But dynaudios are notoriously long to run in. Patience is definitely key.

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Yeh I had the grey too, they looked well but would probably opt red second time around! Iā€™ll see, itā€™s frustrating as I had a pair, Iā€™ll probably wait until I get a psu and see how I feel then as the Spendors are very good but I just have a yearn for something with a bit more balls. Speakers will always be a compromise though and if you actually get to nail it youā€™re very lucky I reckon.

Recently purchased a NDX 2 and SN 3 and having a little love/hate relationship. I understand they require some time to settle but for what these two pieces cost, they should sound amazingly good out of the box.

With a turntable (a vintage modded Thorens 125/Jelco/Orthofon), it sounded fantastic. Lots of headroom when using the Phono input and was able to bring the volume past 12 oā€™clock.

With a digital source, been dealing with an issue regarding the volume being too loud and not being able to position the volume pot on SN3 past 7-8 oā€™clock. (see photo). As I try to increase the volume, it instantly becomes shouty (if that term make any sense). No subtle or slow incremental change. I find it uncomfortable and need to dial it back.

As I am finding out, this is a very different sounding amp from the Nova. It seems dryer and has an incredible sound stage, depth and detail. When playing a low volumes with the NDX 2, it is very musical and detailed.

Maybe no longer a good match with my speakers but this particular combo or amp is hyper sensitive even with my Neat Xplorers. I moved the speakers closer to the wall (about 7" away from rear wall) and this improved things taking care of what I perceived as brightness/harshness coming from the NDX 2. I tried RCA interconnects rather the supplied DIN and same sonic results.

System is using NAC A5 speaker cables, Powerlines on the Melco N1A, SN 3 and NDX 2, sitting on a Fraim lite. System automation is enabled.

Iā€™ve contacted the distributor who are going to look into whether the volume pot can be changed or adjusted. I want the amp to be replaced.

This is the maximum position I can play at and I would consider this a little loud if guests were over.

And this is just the right volume, not overbearing.

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I have had my SN3 / NDX2 combo for a week. Also an upgrade from a Nova. My experiences have been similar to yours. I canā€™t turn my volume much past 8:00 with the NDX2 without it becoming excessively loud and the audio quality deteriorates significantly, especially the high-end.

Similar to you, it sounds good at low to mid volume levels, but it is definitely leaner than the Nova. I am hoping the sound will improve considerably over the next few weeks.

I was able to do a home demo of this combo. I hope my units will quickly sound similar to what I demoedā€¦the reason I decided to trade up from my Nova.

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Thanks for the reply. I have both units for a about a month, have put about 60 hours of playing time. Good to know I am not imagining this phenomenon. WIth the Nova and a 272N, prior to the Nova, I could easily hit the 10 oā€™clock mark.

Would like to hear from SN 2 owners with a NDX or NDX 2 combo who are experiencing the same issue.

I have a SN2 with a brand new ND5 XS2. No problems at all.

Yes, I have my SN2 with an NDX2 at around the 8am to 10am mark, never past 11am, which is super loud. I think this is common even with the separate pre-amps. If you run system automation and use the NDX2 remote, the volume adjustment is much more subtle than using the volume pot.

Anyway, sound wise, this is one heck of a system.

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