I would go for Nd5xs2 with Naim Dac or sell the 300 dr and get Ndx2 / 250 dr.
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An ND5XS2 and a Chord DAC would be my choice, if budget permits stick an MScaler in between.
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In which case the only function of the nd5xs2 is downloading files from the internet though. Iāll never know why one would pay thousands for this
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Roon (optional)+HQPlayer can come close or even better regarding cost, SQ.
Get a 2ndhand Chord Qutest (about Ā£900) and a Bluesound Node (Ā£549).
The Node you can try for 30 days and will only have to pay postage to return it. The Qutest will sell for close (or more) for the price you paid. This way you can see if you are happy with the SQ of this setup (as well as the functionality) AND, if you are lucky, your local dealer may have an ND5 XS2/NDX2.
I tried a ND5 XS2 against this setup. The Node/Qutest stayed.
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Too much faffing about for me and I donāt subscribe to Roon but I have read positive reviews on HQPlayer, as in this hobby always nice to have alternatives 
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The new Node 3 does looks like an interesting product and having previously owned the Node 2i I know how good these streamers are, the Qutest is hard to beat for the money!
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Iām afraid the 300DR is here for life. As is the 282. That is the foundations of my system. I can build on those to my hearts content in the future. Not to mention the fact that by selling the 300DR I will lose money. And the NDX2/252DR will be more expensive.
My Technics 1200G is here for life too. CD player and streamer will likely be changed a few times in the future.
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I have heard such philosophy quite often, especially here in Naim forum. I can understand the first part of it but I dont and wont agree with the second part Iām afraid. You can buy a 10k streamer but if you attach it to a 1k amp and Ā£500 speakers you aint going to get a better sound than if you spent 2k on a streamer/4k on a pre/4k on an amp/3k on speakers. But letās not go down that route because it will open a lot of cans of worms.
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Chris, I can assure you that I am not the type to lose money like that. Research (including the vast knowledge in forums) is part of my decision making. There is a saying in Europe which roughly translates as ālisten to a 1000 people and then act on your own decisionā.
My amp, preamp and TT are sorted for life. CD and streamer are the only ones to sort. spending more than 2k on a streamer or 1k on a CD player is out of the question. 
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Exactly my thinking as well.
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yes, letās agree to disagree. btw, my comment is based on my own experience, not based on what a 1,000 people have been saying here.
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Well - while it makes the DAC redundant in the ND5XS2 it is still roughly 40% cheaper than a bare NDX2 at a similar level of performance. It also gets you all the Naim features like system automation, automatic input switching and the Naim App (if you use it). Now you could argue that you could also get something as good for 40% less by just adding a very good DAC to a Buesound Node or similar. Which is also true.
Anyway, i think under 2K the combination of a Bluesound Node and a Chord Qutest is hard to beat, as others have mentioned.
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You are right Clive, I should have clarified things better.
So I have using the Nova + 300DR until now. Nova served as pre/streamer for Spotify and had a Hard drive with lossless copies of all my CDs in it as well. The TT was connected to that too.
I have kept all my CDs as well but CD player gave up a while back and I havent bothered to replace it yet.
I was conscious that the Nova, despite me being happy with the sound it provided, is digital and I have been missing out on that analogue sound from my TT. So decided to trade in the Nova and get a 282+HCDR instead. That will allow me to get the best out of the 300DR and the TT. As well as the CD player adn streamer when I buy them.
Now, in regards to sources: streaming is primary in regards to listening hours. I only use Spotify Premium. At the same time I tend to listen to Spotify when I am working or cooking or doing other tasks. So it is rarely done in absolute absence of external noises.
TT and CD will be mainly for serious listening.
Like you I discover my music mainly through Spotify and then out of the ones that I really like I will buy 40% on vinyl and 60% on CD.
Nevertheless I am hoping to get a good enough streamer so that I dont miss out too much on SQ.
How āfuture proofā is the NDX? In the context of the speed of technological changes nowadays. And what shops (not ebay) in the UK can it be found second hand if I decide to go for it?
Thatās what I meant, if the only thing it does is downloading files and sending them to the digital output, it seems itās a bit of a waste; of course the NDX2 even more so. If one already has a Naim streamer and prefers a different DAC, then why not, but I wouldnāt buy either an ND5XS2 nor an NDX2 just as a transport. Of course you have a point with the integration into the Naim ecosystem, I forgot about that with Roon and all.
Something which I have actually been thinking about as well. If I invest in a decent quality DAC I might use it for playing CDs through a transport as well. Can I connect more than one transport to a DAC? I.e. a streamer transport and a cd transport?
That sort of thinking does apply to me (i.e. upgrade the DAC). I will never spend mega money (over 2k) on disposable technologies such as streamers Iām afraid. I might be wrong but thatās how I feel about it. But i would be happy to invest in a good DAC from the start.
I have never understood Roon despite reading on it quite a bit. And like HiFiman I dont want to spend extra Ā£Ā£ to subscribe to it.
I guess it depends on the dac. The Qutest has three inputs, two co ax and an optical.
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