Have many users made that comparison at home?
Or are they guessing?
The DACās have a very different signature. The ND5XS2/nDAC is a bit darker and smoother while the NDX2 is better with PRAT and engagement. Both excellent but one may work for you better than the other. The down side with the ND5XS2/nDac is when you add the power supply itās 3 boxes and 3 power chords.
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Thanks for the detailed response. I really want to keep the box count down which is why I was wondering whether the DAC in the NDX5 is good enough to feed with a CD transport. The reason I got the Star was for the CD player which does get used a lot and sounds great. Was also thinking at the time that no interconnects and mess but you know how the wish to upgrade goesš
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Itās so sad, yet common on audiophile sites, that some disgruntled customer uses his vendetta against a product to spew their pejorative vomit into the online black hole, yet here we areā¦
As someone who had an SN2 for years and then bought an SN3 in 2019:
The SN2 did sound a little more bass-heavy. It also seemed louder at lower points on the dial. What loudness I achieved at 9:00-10:00 on the SN2, I need closer to 11:00-12:00 on the SN3. But then the SN2 felt like it lost steam after 12:00-1:00, so perhaps the SN3 just has a more linear volume pot?
The SN3 added the MM phono input, which my wife wanted, and it added more refinement across the spectrum, especially in the top end. Adding an HCDR drops the noise floor further still, adds more refinement, and adds a little more quantity and quality of bass. It also images better than the SN2 to my ears.
Do I miss the SN2? Not a second. I never looked back. And the wife is happy.
Both my SN2 and SN3 were/have been flawless. No transformer hiss with my ear nearly pressed against my Contour 20 speaker. No defects. No quality concerns. Just flawless.
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Itās a fair question. See other threads for more comments.
I have not done a proper poll of responders or checked their rigour, and I am aware of the cliche that āthe plural of anecdote is not dataā.
I have simply noticed several apparently sensible people saying toughly this on this forum, and have yet to notice an anyone saying the opposite. How many tried any blind testing, for example, I have no idea.
On the other hand, while these two options may be regarded as equivalent for SQ, several have commented on their having slightly different flavours -see @nicnaim here - and there seems to be some consistency about those qualitative comments too.
Now of this replaces using your own ears of course.
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Wow! I never get mine past 9.30ā¦Canāt imagine what 12 is like!
I wanted to stay out of this so not to perpetuate a thread that seems totally bonkers, other than to say the SN3 is an astonishingly good integrated amp with oodles of PRaT.
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I have an SN3 and ND5 XS 2 and am extremely happy with the sounds they produce. To describe the SN3 as inferior in any way is just plain wrong in my view. Sure, many other amps are better, many of them are much more expensive too, but the SN3 rocks to my untutored ears.
And Iāve never taken mine past 9:30 eitherā¦
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Itās probably been said already but if you want more bass or more mid then itās a personal preference and a good match of speaker and the right placement is important. Iām not one for auditioning several units but if you have specific requirements then you must audition different combinations in your room rather than blaming a particular component if you donāt like the sound.
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I would reach for my wallet if you werenāt twisting my arm so hard. Iām opening ebay while writing this.
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I looked at NDX as well but I am all-in on Roon so it would have to be one of the newer models.
This may be handy if reviewing options:-
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Not heard that before. Excellent!
If I understood you correctly, then-
ND555=NDX2+NDAC+555PS?
Couldnāt agree more with your post, only difference being Iāve never dared to go anywhere near 11, youāve got me thinking now, Iād expect to see my drivers flying across the room.
I wish.
We run exactly that combo, but I suspect an ND555 it is not. However, it is a very fine digital source indeed.
Our dealer did say there was no point upgrading to ND555 unless we got a 552. I think our current digital source is the perfect match for our 252/300.
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Yup same here. I canāt fault the SN3 in any way. It will be interesting in how Naim will be able to improve on it. My guess is even āmoreā powerā¦
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Does the Nait50 ābeatā the SN3?
I wouldnāt know, only having heard the SN3, but the plaudits on this forum for the 50 make me wonder.
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Itās not necessarily correct or incorrect though since data is still meaningless. Only once put in context and interpreted it could become meaningful (information).
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Iām assuming any new nait will have to have the new power management to allow full standby like the 50, so wouldnāt be a bit surprised if the 50 is used as a basis for any new super nait - now wouldnāt that be peachy!
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Er, summer term has finished.
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