Musing about upgrading the ND5XS to a ND5XS2.
However. I’ve already taken the DAC off-board, which leaves the option of a seperate power supply and/or the streamer upgrade.
If I add a s/h XP5XS or the like, the streamer will just, er, stream…
How much of an improvement over this arrangement in terms of SQ would updating the streamer provide?
I’m not interested in Roon or Qobuz.
If you have a DAC you like then why not drive it from an Innuos or other such box? Very little to do if your DAC has usb input.
Phil
It depends on your DAC. The ND5 XS as a transport is nothing special, perhaps the ND5 XS 2 has improved, perhaps not. If your DAC had SPDIF inputs, the Allo DigiOne Signature with a good PSU (Allo Shanti, UpTone Audio JS-2, etc.) Is an excellent transport.
nDAC…
I say if you have taken the DAC off board, then you will/should really benefit from Naim’s new advanced and highly stable streaming transport front ends in the current streamers.
All three of the current streamers use the same transport module and very good it is.
The ND5XS2 is its cheapest incarnation. From a transport perspective, the matters of note is a slightly smaller power supply and reduced on streamer controls and no colour meta data instrument display…
Of course there are other added benefits of the Naim streamer transport such as Naim multi room play and integration and control of Naim automation… although note there is only one Naim automation output on the newer devices.
BTW I found the NDAC especially sensitive to transport quality…, although it does have the benefit of SPDIF as opposed to USB. I stear well clear of USB for serious audio replay into a DAC unless it is a duplex USB3 transport connection… in many ways I consider USB like a small network Ethernet connection, as it has certain similarities.
SPDIF framing is simpler and less prone to issues and side effects, albeit USB3 is a lot better behaved
I use Audiophilleo + PurePower into mine from Innuos Zenith. 555DR on nDAC. Ripping is so easy with Innuos.
Phil
It looks like an ND5XS2, then, following SimonInSuffolk’s advice and reading what the Halibut has to say over there on PFM. Interested in the inbuilt Chromecast. Apart from one deviation some years ago , of which we may not speak, due to it’s affordability (see profile) and a comparitively recent speaker upgrade, I’m not interested in non-NAIM product for the boxes.
I’ll be haunting fleabay for a second-hand bargain in 2020…
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