The Ndac , when launched, costed around 3 k . The Marantz sa8005 less than 1k , as an all in one cd transport/ dac . So logically, both on the bluesound and Marantz the Ndac should give a clear and nice improvement.
Maybe it needs service as others have said. Many here have the Ndac with the Nd5xs2.
If you have a dealer who has the Nd5xs2, you can try your Ndac on it and see if it improves or not the Nd5xs2. If not it’s definitely a service problem.
1 Like
Or he simply does not like what the Ndac brings to the table.
There does not have to be anything “wrong” with the Dac, it shouldnt logically be obliged to do anything.
I love my ND5XS2 but I prefer my Arcam CD player straight to my amp using its own very old Philips TDA1541A DAC. Didn’t sound as nice going through the Naim DAC in the streamer.
1 Like
The TDA chips had a very rich, full, analogue style sound. We had a Micromega using TDA which we enjoyed for many years.
Having said that the transport into an nDAC I’d expect to be an improvement on the Micromega DAC but it’s not something we’ve tried.
2 Likes
Yes, you’d have thought so, but it’s not evident with the Marantz at all.
The servicing option is too much of faff, so I think it’s game over for the nDAC.
Though out of interest, I wonder what are the likely culprits in terms of components if servicing was the remedy?
A good point.
May be worth emailing Naim support with the SN of your NDac and enquiring if and when it has been serviced.
It may already have been serviced, so this is all a moot point.
Maybe class A Daran can do it. It’s just the capacitors I think.
I’ve had a chat with Darren, and he says it probably doesn’t need a service at the moment.
2 Likes
I’ve swapped the only Powerline I have from SN3 to the Naim DAC, and to my surprise there’s a pretty decent uptick in SQ from before.
Not quite sure why this is the case, but it’s palpable.
2 Likes
Have you ensured both Powerlines are fully connected? Its easy to get wrong as the jaws on the Powerlines are set as stiff as regs allow to ensure they clamp on as hard as possible. The trouble is, if you don’t push beyond the first resistance, they won’t be properly connected and may even be arcing. See the FAQ:
2 Likes
Thanks for the reminder, Richard. I only have one PL, bought when I first got my Nova, and I remember being a bit unsure of how to know when it was correctly connected.
I’ll have a proper look at the DAC and double check.
2 Likes
My thoughts exactly when I first used a Powerline on my nDAC. My only thought at the time was “source” first
2 Likes
I have MSB LINK DAC3 since last 20 years. Made in Taiwan no problem tilldate. Very good sounding DAC like analog sound. But there is no USB input, so I went for Topping D10S. After listenening for one hour the fatigue sets in. So I use D10S as USB interface. USB in to Coax out into my MSB coax in. MSB then goes into Naim 32.5/140 combo and wow what a change in sound. Will keep MSB till my last breath. There is also upgrade for upsampling kit to 24/192 but I am happy with 16/44.
1 Like
I have tried my best to get on with the Naim DAC but it’s really not doing it for me. Next to zero improvements when playing CD via Marantz SA8005, and marginal uptick with Bluesound Vault.
Swapping my one Powerline from SN3 to DAC did add something, but I prefer it connected to my amp overall.
So, I’m back to looking for something in the sub-£1K region. The usual suspects are still in the frame - Qutest, RME, Schiit & Topping at various price points.
One last throw of the dice for the Naim DAC was adding an Audiolab 6000CDT for CD playback but I thought that was a bit needless with the Marantz and Sony UHD still in the rack/on my shelf.
I’ve been very happy with my nDAC last 14 years of use. Step up from SN1 dac initially, added an XPS2 after a few years and last year a pre loved 555 and it gets better and better . . Current amp also a SN3.
Not tried any others to be fair.
1 Like
Stop it!! I’m perfectly happy with my ND5XS2 - DC1- nDAC/XPS-DR I don’t want to think about a 555PS
1 Like
Adding a 555 Dr to an Ndac puts it into Chord Dave price range. I would try one of those before committing to a 555.
3 Likes
My plan is NO plan!!! ‘must stay away from hifi, must stay away from hifi’. lol
2 Likes
Based on my limited experience, the difference is small to negligible when DACs are used with CD players. Noticeably huge difference when playing digital audio files (FLAC) from laptop or streamer instead of CDs.
My experience is with a Chord QBD76 and Musical Fidelity M1 DAC.
2 Likes