No I use the naim fully as a dac I prefer it!
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Cheers 
Indeed. 
Hi I feel your hurt, 2 years ago on a Vw Touareg the sunroof jammed open still under manufactures warrenty, it was returned and a not satisfactory repair had been done, on driving away it rattled like an old tin can, Vw response they donāt fix rattles, thankfully the motor ombudsman disagreed and they have attempted to repair again, it still squeaks but I have been assured that it will be sorted on its next Ā£400 plus service, 2 years after fault, I just wish my car had been as reliable as my 20 year old live naim kit.
Regards Neil.
Ok does not reflect my experiences with the Auralic Altair G1. To me it sounds really good. Again was never tempted by Aries and Vega G1 because of box count and G2 because of both box count and price but Iām sure together they are excellent.
I never listened to Naim streamers. Iām sure they are also very good but did not go that route for reasons already given.
Iām close to stopping with changing the HiFi now, maybe different speakers and thatās it. Time to continue to enjoy what I have
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Hi so you mean the naim difference is the dacs? Nd5xs2 v ndx2? Interesting!
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Every system and room is different, so if youāre happy with what you have thatās a great place to stop and enjoy it.
Iām in the same place since I got my 52 - on a plateau where I will probably stay for years.
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I personally donāt think so. Two members related that observation and now itās widespread and taken as granted.
I believe the Ndx2, in general, is better built, with better isolation from noise, better implementation vs Nd5xs2. Despite the streaming board is the same.
Both streamers, as transports, should not be identical.
I spent a long time comparing them at my dealers and they sounded identical as far as I could tell. That was using digital out into Chord Dave. I couldnāt say for sure that you wouldnāt be able to hear a difference using a much more revealing amp and speakers than the Supernait 3 and Kudos S20 we used, but my dealer agreed that there was no discernable difference at the time.
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NDX 2 has a slightly bigger transformer, better decoupling of both the boards and sockets, a much sturdier case, as well as a far superior DAC and analogue filter section, which can all be upgraded with a DR supply to ALL parts of the player without any transformer hum.
The dac itself is not far superior. Itself it costs little money, itās an old new stock dac chip from the 90ās. The differences lie in the implementation and other parts.
We must be cautious with members ears . Some hear no differences between a cheap Ethernet switch and an audiophile one, between a common NAS and expensive serversā¦.
However I donāt say that thereās a big difference between both transports, because I have not compared. But I doubt they sound the same. However not saying they are wrong, which is different.
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Hi Marki
I meant what I wrote: if you use it digital out, the ND5XS2 is almost exactly the same as an NDX2 - they both use the NP800 streaming board.
I use it via a Naim DC1 digital cable into a Naim DAC/555DR, which gives excellent SQ into 52/135s/SL2s.
The NDX2 has a better analog output stage than the ND5XS2, but I donāt use the analog stage of mine.
The Lab Report in this article says:
āWhile the ND5XS2ās PCM1791A DAC-based analogue output is simpler in execution than Naimās PCM1792A-based NDX2 [HFN Sep ā18], its digital inputs are processed via the same upsampling/jitter-suppressing 40-bit code. [ā¦] Jitter suppression, meanwhile, is not only superior to that observed with the NDX2 but defines the current state-of-the-art at <10psec with 48kHz/24-bit inputs and ~15psec at higher sample rates.ā
The NDX2 comes with a colour screen and remote - but I was happy not to pay for these as they do not improve SQ.
Also, I am glad the ND5XS2 hasnāt got an input for an external power supply as I donāt need an 8th Naim box in my system, and the onboard transformer is well capable of powering the digital section that I use.
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Im in the same camp as JimDog and use my ND5XS2 into an external DAC (Mscaler/Dave) this feeds a 552DR.
The above source is pretty special and dont feel the urge to replace the ND5XS2 with an NDX2 just for a colour screen that I cannot see from the listening position.
As Jim states the ND5XS2 uses the same NP800 board as the NDX2.
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To get back on track, Iāve spoken to my dealer and he doesnāt think Iād be happy with an integrated so heās arranging a home dem of the Sugden Sapphire DAP-800 / FBA-800 pre-power combo for next weekend, and following that the Bryston BP-17Ā³ / 4BĀ³ pre-power.
The Bryston is, on paper, more likely able to cope with the difficult load of my Totem Mani-2 Signatures but only listening will tell.
My 252 will return to base during this period and then on its return Iāll be able to listen to my, hopefully, fully performing system before deciding whether to stick or twist.
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Some interesting kit to try over the next few weeks Steve I hope things pan out for you, good luck.
Sorry for contributing to moving the thread off track.
I really hope that you find out what is bugging you. With that set of kit you should only have a result that you are happy with. Again its odd to read of such experiences on this forumā¦
Meanwhile i guess have some fun with other kit until you get back what i hope is the last of having to send your stuff off
I might just plug my repaired 252 back in and feel the magic again. However as I type I have to confess the majority of my former rock solid faith in Naim is no longer present.
Will be an interest couple of weeks which hopefully makes me want to sit back down in front of the hifi again.
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I hope so SteveO. When i got all my stuff back from service plus recap it was greatā¦like it should be
By saying he ādoesnāt think youād be happy with an integratedā it suggests heās more interested in squeezing money out of you. Itās not what he thinks, itās what you think. You may be perfectly happy with one and as simplification was an objective itās surely sensible to start from the integrated position. Thereās a whole heap of good ones out there.
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In fairness to my dealer I think my plan to replace a 252/300 with an integrated and maintain the same level of reproduction, albeit with a different sound signature, was hopeful to say the least.
And for clarification, although Iām considering simplifying the system due to my current frustrations I donāt want to reduce the quality of it. I want something at 252/300 standard with fewer boxes.
In the long run he may save me money by stopping me making a mistake. Heās told me in the past when he thinks I was making a mistake and lost a sale as a result so I know Iām not a cash cow.
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