Definitely a keeper for me(albeit we’ll see what gets announced in Munich 
) I agree with @nicnaim and I’m glad his dealer confirmed. Some folks I trust a lot have also said the same thing. I do think the NDX2 is fantastic but I couldn’t afford it and personally the screen wouldn’t be used in my situation.
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Kind of… current Naim streamers can run in two modes, one or the other, but not both at the same time. There is analogue signal out, or digital signal out… (so one mode will always be ‘redundant’…)
I use my Naim streamers in digital signal output mode … essentially using the streamer as a ‘digital transport’ to drive a separate DAC, as apposed to an analogue signal renderer.
As far as preamps… it was the other way around… I wasn’t convinced that certain sources, like Chord Electronics’ DAVE, sounded their best when feeding a Naim NAC such as the 552.
I hope that helps.
You will have introduced several improvements… not only using an analogue converter that is of the same essential design as in the NDS and ND555, albeit a less refined and earlier incarnation, but you are also decoupling to a fair extent your digital streamer from your analogue converter … this is nearly always beneficial in my experience, not least helping (but not always eliminating) vagaries introduced by your home network.
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Ah, too late now … I decided to remove the nDAC (now re-homed 
) and have accepted a simpler arrangement: NDX 2 / XPS-DR.
I still have to face the argument that replacing the 8yr old NDX with a new ND5 XS2 feeding the nDAC /XPS-DR would have been a more cost-effective upgrade (better overall?) but the decision was taken.
And despite a number of issues re: the NDX 2 (mostly re: the Naim App) I’m thoroughly enjoying its performance … and I love the picture screen (notwithstanding its UI could/should be improved).
Nonetheless, thank you for commenting.
…And all of of it separately and individually DR’ed with the dirty great mains transformer within the NDX 2 turned off. Some of it even being double regulated post it’s internal transformer.
This was the same with the CDX2. I could never really understand this odd approach as far as modular design goes.
As i understand it the XPS DR is many upgrades in one when connecting to a source player it’s designed for. With the CDX 2 and NDX 2 taking full advantage of this at every stage. Ridding the player of it’s magnetic radiating and mechanical transformer hum from it’s sensitive low level digital electronics is a significant but added bonus. Then there’s this for all of the separate stages within the players:
Features
- Four isolated transformer windings with six low-noise DR power regulators - configured as two isolated regulators for digital at +15V, isolated +/-10V for DACs and isolated +/-23V for analogue stages
- All-new Discrete Regulator (DR) configuration, delivering Naim Audio’s best-ever standards of stable, low-noise power
Yes that’s clear but what i am talking about is the largely redundant stuff in the CDX2 and NDX2 internal power supply that is no longer used anymore. I agree it’s nice to have the upgrade flexibility but in hindsight it just seems like a complete waste to me
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Buy a decent cable to connect your phone to your hifi and open a free Spotify account of course the sound quality won’t be perfect but for the cost of the cable £20 or £30 you will be able to try out streaming you will get ads of course with free Spotify or at least you used too but it is just an experiment.
The NDX2 costs £5,500. The XPSDR costs £4,300. A transformerless NDX2 would cost let’s say £5,200. £5,500 or £5,200 is an awful lot of money. If only the transformerless version was available, the cost would be £9,500. What do you think that might do for sales?
I was never particularly happy with the CDX2 sans power supply, as it sounded a bit unnatural to me, but the bare NDX2 is just lovely and more than enough for most people I’m sure.
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Interesting. I never really got on with the CDX2 and 202/200. Part exchanged them for the system that i have now bought in 2004. I don’t know the NDX2 so cannot comment. In anycase i opted for something else which i am happy with and from my perspective it works very well in my Naim systems and only cost me €2360
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No problems… I enjoy my ndx2 as well… the colour screen really works well … I love the visual cues … now I wonder if Naim will support the more recent animated album art… that I rather like.
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NDX2 with XPS Dr not a worthy upgrade for me. Did the demo thinking I’d be buying, left with alot of money in my pocket for a short time.
Used the money to change to a 282/250 DR. Now that was an upgrade…
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You have the NDX2 popeye?
You were seeing what the XPSDR would do ?
That’s funny I’ve not heard the NDX2 without the XPS DR, I do know it made a huge difference when added to the NAC272.
I was talking to Harry about the NDX2 ( I can here you laughing from here)
He said whatever I do if and when
I make the move , keep my XPS-2 , it makes a huge difference to the NDX2
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A “transformerless”, as you call it, NDX2 should be far more than a £300 difference … or then why would an XPSDR cost £4300? (I know, the box…: )
In any case the XPSDR did not do much for me when added to the NDX2 apart from a mild improvement in dynamic contrast, I would too use the NDX2 on its own considering the duplication and redundancy of PSUs and the huge relative cost.
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And in Harry we trust. 
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Here we go lads. Strap in for the ride…
Your ears are always right!
For me, adding the XPS to my NDX2 was worthwhile, but it also involved 52, Supercap, 250 and B&W 804 D3s. Nothing revelatory happened but we got more boogie and more suddenness and a bit more airy space. The upgrade was a bit more than what I remember from switching my old 82 from a Hicap to a Supercap.
So that’s a smaller upgrade than the Karousel or 82-to-52, but bigger than the non-zero uplift from switching from WiFi to an Ethernet cable for the NDX2 input. To put it another way, the ND5XS2 is probably one rung down in sound from the NDX2, and that is a similarly sized rung down from NDX2 plus XPS.
On the other hand, if you don’t notice a difference between A and B, in your house and with your kit and music, be pleased - because in that case saving money is surely the right answer.
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