I have a 1st gen Supernait fed by a Rega deck plus Naim phono stage and a Sonos Connect.
I’m considering buying a NDX2 but don’t want to upgrade the amp yet. I assume the NDX2 and Supernait can work together and if so what type of connection would be best.
Also… Instead of the NDX2 would the NAC-N 272 work? I know the NDX2 is the better device and will listen to both when lockdown over.
Grateful for advice / views.
Welcome to Naim forum, nice place, nice people
All Naims work with other Naims, NDX2 & Supernait is an excellent combo.
The supplied with NDX DIN interconnect is all you need to connect the 2 boxes
What do you plan to have for the network, NAS, web steaming, ethernet, wireless.
Very similar setup here based on SN3 + NDX2. The connection between the two devices is a standard 5 pin DIN analogue interconnect. The NDX2 is supplied with a Naim standard DIN to DIN interconnect, beyond that numerous options are available, I personally use a Naim Hi-Line type cable as one example.
Thank you. Most likely ethernet for access to Spotify, Tidal, Apple etc.
OK, no problems, but don’t overlook local streaming of your own music from a NAS or other local storage.
I’ve tried some web streaming, but have fallen back to only NAS streaming & it’s better SQ, plus web radio via Naim iRadio
You’ll not go far wrong with an NDX2 in terms of the flexibility of supported sources.
I use mine for multiple things; streaming from Tidal/Qobuz, streaming from local Roon server, streaming from my laptop using Airplay, streaming from my phone using Chromecast, listening to Internet radio which Is surprisingly good despite it being relatively low quality.
You can also plug a USB stick or hard drive directly in to it and it has multiple digital inputs and a digital output should you be inclined that way.
It can also be further enhanced by a seperate power supply, most typically an XPS DR but also with the potential to support a 555PS.
You can of course also add a HiCap to your Supernait which is a nice uplift.
I recently upgraded a Sonos Connect with a ND5XS2 feeding in to a Nait XS2. What a difference that made 
If you’re going ndx2 in to a Supernait you’re in for a real treat
With a much better streamer than your Sonos, you will notice a big difference between lossless streaming from Tidal or Qobuz and lossy Spotify/Apple Music. I would not necessarily agree with Mike-B that streaming from local storage is better. With Tidal CD quality on the older Naim stremers, yes, but not with an NDX2 in the right setup.
Give it a couple of months as it gets better and better!
Mine was bought as an ex demo unit from late 2018. I don’t know how many miles it has on the clock but if it sounds better in a few months then that will just be a bonus because it sounds mighty fine right now
With the original supernait there is also the option of using the ndx2 as a transport and feeding a digital signal to one of the digital inputs. I assume that’s the question: do I use a digital or an analogue connection?
As others have said, there is a 5 pin din interconnect in the box. You can also use the Bnc digital output on the ndx2 to one of the coaxial digital inputs. (You select the active output via the Naim app). I don’t recall if there is a bnc converter in the box, but you would need a coaxial digital lead bnc to rca, or rca both ends plus an adapter.
The question then becomes: which is best, ndx2 dac or supernait dac? I would lean towards the ndx2 but I suppose you’ll have to try a digital connection to the supernait and choose the one you prefer.
There is also the option of connection via rca interconnects but with Naim the din connection would always be the preference.
Thanks. V interesting. Humour me here so I am clear - din will mean NDX2 d/a converter is used whereas a digital connection doesn’t, and ndx2 feeds signal to Supernait d/a.
And thanks to everyone for responding so far.
I would say that the DAC in the NDX2 is almost certainly to be superior to the DAC in the Supernait, probably vastly so.
The DAC in the original Supernait wasn’t especially well regarded, albeit quite useful for improving other sources.
The DIN out puts from NDX2 are analogue as are all the Supernait inputs, you do not need to involve the Supernait DAC. And all you need is the DIN-DIN cable that comes with the NDX2 to connect the to the Supernait.
And per trickydickie, the DAC (d/a as you call it) in the NDX2 is way better than the Supernait, I proved that very clearly with my own NDX & Supernait.
I’d say without overwhelming you with a myriad of potential options, it’s almost certainly going to be the preferable option to use the NDX2 as both a digital transport and a DAC (it does both, hence being called a streamer, handy) and to connect it to your existing Supernait using the analogue output on the NDX2 in to an analogue input on your Supernait.
The potential for confusion lies in the fact that both the NDX2 and the Supernait 1 have a DAC, taking a digital input and converting it to an analogue output. You can use the digital inputs on the NDX2 as well for other kit including your Sonos connect (optical S/PDIF) and the NDX2 will convert them to an analogue output to your Supernait.
As mentioned earlier in the thread, all Naim source products ship with a Naim standard 5 pin DIN analogue interconnect, a hand made (by Naim), high quality cable that will have you up and running out of the box. If you at some stage feel you want a more capable DIN cable you have more options from Naim with the next step up to a Hi-Line then beyond that a Super Lumina cable.
This type of cable is not exclusive to Naim, many companies produce them but I’m sticking to just discussing the options specific to what Naim offer here.
Both your Supernait 1 and the NDX2 support external power supplies, which will enhance the system.
Fraimlite and Fraim racks are worth considering.
A powerline lite ships with the NDX2 but you can use the higher quality Powerline mains cable to again give further system enhancements.
This all leads you over time to then enable replacing the Supernait with either the 2 or even 3 (which also has a MM Phono input) version of it, or maybe something different as your budget allows at any given time.
Thanks for taking the time to reply - really useful and seems I need to double my budget!
NDX2/Supernait is a great 2 box system. Sure, you can upgrade it in a number of different ways, but you absolutely do not need to buy Fraim, Powerlines, Superlumina cables and external power supplies to get it to sound good. If you’re going to double your budget I would think about trading the Supernait for a 282/250.
Also very good points, in fact I’m running a two box system just like that with a SN3 + NDX2 and yes it’s pretty decent and will likely keep me happy for a while now. You can always fiddle about with almost any combination of kit in a Naim system and can often do it in smaller steps and reuse kit as you go of course.
I think in the case of the OP, just adding in an ND5 XS2 or if financially viable, an NDX2, will be a wholesome improvement on a Sonos Connect and the SN1 internal DAC.
Did you ever decide what to do? I am in the same situation, Sonos Port into SN1 with HiCap, have been happy with it for years.
I am very glad I stuck with the Sonos when I went streaming circa 10 years ago, but now it feels like the tech has caught up and isn’t going to be obsolete overnight (famous last words!).
So an ND5 XS2 will be arriving for home demo shortly.
I recently switched from a Sonos Connect to a ND5XS2. I always thought the Sonos was the weak link in the system and the ND5XS2 confirmed it. With the Sonos I couldn’t tell the difference between a CD quality stream vs mp3, that’s how much of a leveller down the Sonos was.