Sorry dear, it was Coronavirus that made me do it

My trade in of my 300DR towards a 500DR happened in the very first days of the work-from-home period. Been enjoying it!

And I’ve bought maybe 5 lp’s in the meantime as well.

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That is some trade up!! I can well believe that you’ve been enjoying that one!

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In my case it hasn’t been hifi I’ve ordered, but in the last week I’ve ordered a few bottles of wine. (Counts below are bottles, not cases!)
4 of 2002 Léoville-Poyferré
4 of 2008 Langoa Barton
2 of 2000 Langoa Barton
2 of 2008 Léoville-Barton
2 of 2009 Chauvenet Nuits Les Perrières
4 of 2005 Haut-Batailley
4 of 2008 Pavie-Maquin
4 of 2009 Batailley
4 of 2009 Haut-Batailley
4 of 2005 Boillot Volnay les Angles

(Edited to add the domaine to the Volnay.)

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Well done… way to go!!

Just received a top up today from Naked Wines. They’re only able to offer fixed boxes at the moment but I’ve yet to have a duff wine from them. However, you’re good for this weekend with that lot👍🏻

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Half comes here and half goes to a friend 200 miles away, we then drink a bottle together over video.

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Excellent. Perfect combination, Naim and good wine! Add a good bottle of single malt (or two) to that lot with the log fire and I’d be set for a few more weeks of lockdown!

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Not sure whether I can blame all the following on the virus, but since the middle of March:

Meridian 568.2mm & 621 for the surround system
NAPSC2 & Witch Hat S3 for the office system; currently tracking a couple of Headline 2.
Case of assorted Boudeaux from Virgin Wines (retirement pressie from work)
A goodly number of CDs
CTEK battery charger - I can definitely apportion the blame for this one!

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Iam used to being stuck inside I have mobility issues owing to a driver running me down on a pedestrian crossing
Thank goodness for NAIM CD player it is therapy for
Me
Take care
Brian

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Currently trialing a Chord Qutest against ND5 XS native DAC

ND5 digital out to Qutest that is?
What are you connecting the Qutest to your amp with out of interest?

Adding a Chord DAC to the ND5 XS2 and SN2 was something I had been thinking for the future. It would have to be compared to the NDX2 though as it would be one or the other for me.

Yes, BNC out of the ND5-XS. No name BNC cable on loan from the dealer. Analogue out of the Quest into Hi-capped SN1 is via Chord Chrysalis RCA to DIN. Nothing special, just one from from my cable stash.

The Qutest is a very significant upgrade from the standard DAC. Really surprised how much more detail it pulls out out of standard CD rips. Also takes away some harshness, soundstage is wider.

From some reviews I have seen, the ND5-XS2 is supposedly much closer to the Chord.

I’m curious because I did dabble with similar using a Hugo2 but ultimately I ended up with an NDX2 as I’ve been trying to focus on decluttering and reducing total boxes and connections compared to my setup of old hanging off my MacBook.
I also wonder why if someone is going this multi box route seperating transport and DAC, if you’d not get the same result from using a HifiBerry or Allo type transport. Buying an ND and then only using half of it seems a little counter intuitive even though I tried it myself!

How did you find the Hugo2 compared to the NDX2? I see your point about only using half of the ND, just curious as to the difference.

Not tried that, mainly lack of time/energy.
I did have it setup like that on the ND5 for a while as well as using my CD5 XS as a transport running through the ND5.
I have the Hugo2 in another room hanging off my Mac Mini Roon server then on to my AV amp so using the digital out on the ND5 was more tinkering than a long term solution.
I did ponder getting an nDAC or even a DAC V-1 for that AV system, more out of curiosity than anything and to see what it might do when combined with the Naim CD player which was destined for a new home but I can’t be bothered with the hassle of shipping it anywhere at the moment!
Another option might be to add the 2GO streamer to the Hugo2. I have a Chord Mojo/Poly I use as a Roon endpoint for late night headphone sessions and when out and about and it’s brilliant for that.
I don’t think you’d find the Hugo2 lacking as a DAC fed by an ND but now I’ve adjusted to the NDX2 I’m finding myself content for the time being whilst it settles.
Chord DAC’s tend to match well with Naim amplification but it’ll come down to personal preference mostly rather than a scientific absolute based on measurements, I have both and enjoy both but also appreciate not being stuck with one or the other if that makes sense!
I certainly find using the Mojo or Hugo for headphone listening very rewarding and effortless with the right headphone pairing, having young kids I have to switch to headphones fairly early in the evening so needs must!

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I think I’ll be settling with what I have now for quite a while. Probably get 2-3 years down the line before looking at the next big change. The screen on the NDX2 would be wasted on me as I would be using Roon and from what I understand, the streaming side of things in the NDX2 is the same as the ND5.

So if that’s the case, when the time comes, I may look at DACs to see if it can be improved further. Or, maybe not change any of that and go for a pair of B&W 805 d3’s to replace the CM6S2’s… although I really do like the sound and look of the CM6S2’s though.

I should send you the excel spreadsheet of all the wine I’m selling! We had “collected” many hundreds of bottles . . . then stopped drinking alcohol. It’s all in the wine store’s controlled storage, and I’ve not gotten to sell it yet. But it’s in the States.

How are wine prices doing? I don’t follow any more. But I understand that there was quite an excess in the market developing.

I think you’ll be fine where you’ve found yourself for a while yet. The only thing I use the NDX2 display for is as a clock occasionally! I have it set to play “lights out” same with the Supernait. It’s also true the ND products aren’t the same for multiple reasons, not least they use different DAC chips across the 3 versions and have different internal layouts, shielding/screening, isolation and the various power supply options.
I would add I find the Mac Mini running Roon + the Hugo DAC is pretty good to my ears, I also use Roon across mutiple products from
Naim, Chord and Sonos.
I’d expect you have plenty to look forward to with your new and improved system in the coming weeks.

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I know all about this feeling. Lockdown in NZ got the better of me and I took the advantage of the discount at Witch hat to order a Morgana interconnect for my NDX 2 and some phantom cable to compare against the 25 year old NACA5 I’ve been using.

I’m now eagerly awaiting their arrival…

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