I am here because i would like to start with my first Naim piece of equipment. I have lusted over naim equipment for too many years.
I wanted to start with the bit that i am missing in my current setup so i figure i start there:
Rega RP1 direct to A18
Arcam FMJ A18 connected to speakers
Marantz NR 1506, pre out used to A18 fronts
Front left & right speakers are Klipsch RP-150M
HTPC
Yes, all on the low end of the spectrum but we all have to start somewhere!
I am happy with sound from vinyl and arcam but i am not keen on sound when streaming from phone to marantz so i started looking at streamers from Naim.
Would a used Naim ND5 XS work within the current setup?
I am trying to find an economical way to improve sound with streams and also start with Naim equipment.
Sorry, i forgot to mention that. I stream from Tidal hi - fi or masters but i read masters / MQA can’t be decoded by these and that is ok.
I have a lot of old cd’s ripped to a HDD before missus convinced me to skip. all only at the highest .mp3 though sadly - 320 i think.
it would be nice to listen to the music stored on the htpc despite it’s quality (hopefully) as it spans a decade or two with lots of memories. Lately i haven’t been though, and just streaming.
Music genre wise - there is no boundaries. i have songs from all genres.
I did consider a second hand 172 used a pre amp with the fmj a18 as power amp until future upgrades permitted.
I wasn’t sure if the older version would suffer from any gremlins for the streaming with tidal or whether it works fine.
I am leaning towards getting the decent streamer / DAC such as Volumio Primo (also blue sound as been suggested), and then upgrading integrated amplifier later either Nait XS2 with an additional phono or the newer NAIT which I believe has phono built in.
I had the ND5XS as my first streamer and loved it. It’s a great piece of kit and available at good used prices. If funds permit you could consider the ND5XS2 which has the latest streaming platform. IMHO the ND5XS is a great place to start. I had the one with Bluetooth and DAB modules which was handy!
Do you have in mind a future overall Naim system?
Do you have a budget for that?
Be aware that one upgrade can lead to another.
A Nova would be a good all in one system or a Supernait 3 with ND5XS2 or even NDX2 if funds permit.
There are plenty of used streamers out there! Enjoy your choices.