The NDS is a fine player and generally held in a higher regard than NDX2.
I use mine with an Innuos Zenith so I have quobuz, Internet radio and stored files all within easy access via the excellent sense app and supported by a 555dr it sounds really good.
Not really sure how I improve on it but I guess it would be interesting to see how the new 333 sounds against it.
I have listened to the ND555 and whilst a little bit better than NDS ,to my ears, it wasn’t worth the extra cash. Very over priced for its actual performance .
No doubt this forum’s fantastic… There are a few people on here who have probably forgotten more about hifi equipment than I’ll ever know. That said, though, if im spending thousands of pounds on products, I’m trusting no one or nothing apart from my very own ears…
Doesn’t sound like you have much choice though mate so ill wish you good luck
Dugby, that makes perfect sense and I am so sorry to hear about the difficulty of obtaining demos in Oz. I hope the distributor situation gets resolved soon.
It’s so easy for those of us in the UK to assume dealers are as commonplace everywhere as they are here, my apologies. I can see why you rely on opinions and reviews more heavily in that context.
I hope you find valuable information here and elsewhere to help to make a decision on your upgrade path soon.
At the risk of misdirecting this thread, the way in which a good dealer network has collapsed in Australia, permanently damaging the Naim (and Focal) brand with longstanding customers, is a disgrace as well as a lesson in how not to handle your customer-base if you want repeat business. I don’t know where the fault lies, despite reading all the comments on this, but someone (or more than one) has messed up.
To get hifi in Tassie, I literally bought on eBay in the UK, waited the requisite 6 months, and then paid DHL to ship. If buying new stuff, I would do the same, even if it meant parking boxes with a dealer. The amount that Cymbiosis and Grahams (to pick 2 obvious and top quality UK dealers) do business with Australia suggests that I am not the only one.
Having to go to these lengths now is ridiculous when there were good dealers (most obviously in Melbourne and Sydney) for many years.
If sticking with Naim, the NDS is great, but get one with new screen and mint. You really need a 555PSDR to get the best out if it. And if using apps like Qobuz maybe a Lindeman Limetree Bridge 2 as @Blackbird says. The NDS does not have the latest streaming platform so we are suggesting to use as a DAC.
NDX2 is very good too with 555PSDR. Not as good sounding, but latest streaming platform.
So depends what you want and can get hold off in Hong Kong.
I have had the NDS as DAC and used with ND5XS2 as streamer into it. Sounded very good.
Now with ND555 and 2 x 555PSDRs.
The NDS with Limetree may be the answer with 555PSDR.
I got the ndx2 from the uk as reported earlier in the thread . It was new , full 2 years warranty from sevenoaks and my son brought it over from london to hk this week so quite fortunate.
Sounds great , with my xpsdr, 250 dr / 282 hcdr on proac D40r speakers. My son will take the old ndx back to london with an old nait 5si i got my hands on here in HK and ive just managed to get my hands on older proac speaker , the response 2.5 in Sweden that will be shipped to london to complete a nice system for my son.
as a Finance professional, it was easy for me to assume bits are bits, and a stream downloaded from Tidal has to be the same sounding one, after all my Chord DACs are connected through optical and isolated from the streamer.
Well I was very pleasantly surprised when I plugged in a grounded CISCO 2960 ethernet switch (from a bog standard ungrounded/unmanaged switch), and thanks to @Simon-in-Suffolk, for his advice, the circulating ethernet current is now going to ground instead of my AV and music systems at home… Movies look and Music sounds like it should now. Not day and night, but enough to make quite a big difference in enjoyment of both movies and music to me. Probably the very best upgrade I have ever done in terms of $/value.
Just my 2 cents, before upgrading streamers, do give a grounded ethernet switch a go, might be just what that was holding things back…
I know this might irritate and annoy some people but I can only report what I hear and see.
The Response 2.5 is a super speaker but IMO very demanding of amplifier - my 135s wouldn’t really hack it despite assurances from Naim and from Proac. I had the 135s checked by Naim / and the 2.5’s checked by Proac … but the required drive just wasn’t there - in my room at least. OTOH an afternoon with the 2.5 at a different location, and Krell KSA80 in charge, was memorable. (I now have a NAP500!) I often wonder how these 2.5s would sound now with the 500.
Hi ,
i have heard these in my friends system with his 202/ 150 and ndx and they were just amazing . Taking a punt , but at 900 euro from a verified owner and checked out by a friend , they should be ok!
Will report back once the system is setup
Cheers
Very similar power output on paper - everyone told me it was a great match, and to begin with, it was … but I began to build a little library of tracks that I could only play at moderate volumes … and one day it suddenly dawned … this isn’t working. After getting everything checked I went back to Naim speakers and the problems vanished.
It isn’t about watts. it is about the stiffness of the power supply, how it handles the load of the speaker, and a 135 has a single transformer per channel, also regulated so a lot more stiffer power supply rails than a Nait 5i. It may sound ok with the unregulated Nait due to the way the amp may respond under load. Ignorance is bliss and until one has heard how a Nait 5i sounds with more compatible speakers, one doesn’t know. In any case, this seems to be yet another mullet, a Nait driving 4,500 US dollars (2005 prices) worth of a speaker.
The Proac 2.5 has quite a low sensitivity of 83DB at 1m. Which may explain the problem of driving this. On paper though it doesn’t seem to have bad impedance dips.
Having also heard this a few years ago, it is the one speaker I have heard in all the speakers over 2 decades that would give me a instant headache within 5 minutes, the bass was out of control and boomy when driven off a NAP 180.
I still am looking for Proac speaker that I like, after hearing them so many times, I just remain of the opinion that I won’t get my credit card out for them even though I try to keep an open mind because they are very well priced.
It doesn’t mean they are bad, speakers are personal, I like my Dynaudio speakers but many do not like them.
But a 5i integrated amplifier cannot be compared to 2x135 mono power amps.
You will need a preamp/psu and the final cost will be much higher.
5i is Naim’s entry level amp and 135 was flagship poweramp back then.
Watt specs says little if nothing, but many use specifications to rate performance.
Nothing could be more wrong.
I admit it can be confusing if new in Naim land.
Thanks for the inputs folks: to clarify my ask,
I am putting together a system for my son in the UK based on 2 components which i have already and a budget say 1000 GBP for a NAIM amp
1 i have My old ndx which is very good , just got a new NDX2 . Selling the old ndx in HK will get me nothing so the idea is I keep it in the family .
2 I have the proac response 2.5 speakers already in Europe , can ship them to the Uk . I absolutely love those and wouldnt want to sell them.
What I am looking for is a good preloved Nait to complete the system within the budget and i don’t really have the opportunity to test the combination in HK or the UK before i buy.
Choices online indicate
1 Nait 5si for 600 GBP here in HK or
2 An Other NAIT in the UK , i have seen a NAIT xs2 for gbp 900
I have no experience with NAIT as i started my Naim journey about 8 years ago with 272 and then the classic separates 282 / 250 hence looking for guidance
Thanks for your insights
(I replaced NDX2 + 555PSDR with this. Took 3 seconds to convince me)