Not the isolation feet that would be applicable for your level of kit. You need the brass Quadraspire feet!
This made interesting reading on SL speaker cables.
I posted that. After a week or so Iāve gone back to the SL. Yeah, less boogie but all the other things made up for it.
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 Iāve tried it. Anyone else toyed between the two?
Iāve been thinking the same thing. The 252 + 250DR have been on my mind. But would the cost justify the sound. Not heard so donāt know, but other forums seem to be very enthusiastic on the uplift. Against the SN2 least.
@Mon Are you still liking the S40ās? I sort of regret not hanging on to mine a little longer so I could hear them with the NDX2/SN3
The S40s take a loooooong time to break inā¦ Iām 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. Itās different. Theres a lot more separation in instruments and more control. Moments Iām ecstatic and theyāre wonderful and sometimes I wanna try the 250DRā¦ just to check Iām getting the best out of them having said that itās probably the bugā¦
The SL interconnect made a whopping difference to clarity. Powerlines more ooomph. Am a little gutted my vinyls donāt sound as good as my digital anymore But thatās more of a compliment to the NDX2/XPSDR. Iām 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. Itās 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¦
No doubt one would expect it to be better, itās 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.
Itās 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, Iād really only consider separates longer term once they are upgraded and there was a headphone solution that utilised system automation.
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 naim have a great pyramid scheme in place
Impulse control needed.
Also the XPSDR I wasnāt 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 wasnāt there?
Iām running Spendor A7ās which I always had, bought the S40ās as an itch to scratch when I had my Nova, I liked the Dynas but I opted to keep the A7ās in the end as I felt they offered more detail and presence and more low end too, perhaps I dident give the S40ās long enough. The Spendors are good but maybe a little over detailed, I do recall the S40ās been very good when cranked so I guess Iām curious now that I have the SN3, I recall they had a really impressive wide sound stage too.
The soundstage is amp dependent too. But yes with the SN3 you donāt have to sit in particular part of the room, it kinda fills the room. I auditioned some Spendor A4s or A5s (canāt 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 didnāt carry the depth of the dynaudios. Was a clear winner. But you have the more expensive spendors so couldnāt possibly give an opinion on them, am sure theyāre a lot better than what I audioned (which i really enjoyed until I got them home against the dyns)
Iām currently running my NDX2 bare with no psu, Iāll probably look in to that in the new year so that may give an added boost. What stands are you using?
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 donāt wanna sway you anyway. Why not audition some with your current setup? Itās 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.
Yeh I had the grey too, they looked well but would probably opt red second time around! Iāll see, itās frustrating as I had a pair, Iāll 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 youāre 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 oāclock.
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 oāclock. (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.
Iāve 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.
I have had my SN3 / NDX2 combo for a week. Also an upgrade from a Nova. My experiences have been similar to yours. I canāt 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.
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 oāclock 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.