I just wonder why somebody reported recently that there are differences in sound quality for different Ndac. A member had bought 4 and kept the last. Curious.
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Itâs curious that somebody would buy a number of Ndacs in the hope that they will eventually find a good sounding one.
If it was me Iâd give up after three. 
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I have to admit I find this whole grounding topic very confusing. The German distributor actually provides an additional one-pager about how to set this up and I am still not entirely sure what the correct settings are in my case. I have a non-Naim CD player connected to the Naim DAC via a coax cable and the DAC connected to the UQ2 via analogue cable. Currently I have both the DAC and the UQ2 set to âchassisâ (there is no option to change this on the CD player). Do I understand this correctly that it is sufficient to set the DAC to âchassisâ and the UQ2 to âfloatingâ?
I use a Naim DC1 and this is I think a better cable.
You may be losing SQ via your cable?
You may have an nDAC that needs a service?
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Assuming I understood it right, only one of your Naims should be set to âChassisâ. If the CD-Player is grounded, both should be floating.
Do you know how the Player is wired? If it has a two pin Eurostecker instead of a full-size Schuko, it isnât grounded. Unfortunately a Schukostecker doesnât guarantee a grounded component.
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It will all depend on what is connected to the Naim amp. If you have a Naim CD player connected to the amp as well as a DAC then the CD player has a signal-ground earth so you should float the DAC. However, if it just connected to the DAC digitally, and then only the DAC is connected to the amp then ground the DAC.
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Thanks Richard. I am using the UQ2 as amplifier and only the DAC is connected to the UQ2. All other sources (like the CD player) are connected to the DAC. In that case, I ground the DAC and set the UQ2 to float?
Yes, I would do that.
Thanks. I will give it a go.
The dealer didnât have this cable unfortunately. Ndac may need servicing, However, why does it sound as good as ND5SX2?
I have the BNC to BNC DC-1, and I made my own BNC to BNC from off-the-shelf parts. I bought a pro crimping tool. I cannot discern any difference between the two.
Analogue wires seem to perform more differently than copper digital wires, in my experience.
Nick
Is there a limit on cable length if used a USB to a S/PDIF converter as youâve done? The Mac mini is a good 5m from where the nDac would go.
Cheers, Rack.
I am not sure which matters more: length of the USB cable or the digital.
In my case the Meridian Explorer 1 is on a short pigtail, the Wireworld optical cable is ~7 feet. I would tend to put the Gustard closer to the Mac, and run the digital cable as long as necessary.
Maybe this means you make a mean cable?
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I only stream from Qobuz.
The bare ND5XS2 using its internal dac sounds very good.
The ND5XS2 sounds even better with the nDAC attached via DC1.
And better again with the 555DR powering the nDAC analog circuits.
Why donât you find the same?
Maybe your nDAC needs a service or has something slightly wrong with it?
Maybe the cable is holding it back?
Maybe your cable dressing and component supports and electrical supply need work?
Maybe your ears work differently to mine or you prefer a different sound signature?
Maybe your room is swallowing the differences?
Maybe you had very high expectations of a huge difference by adding the nDAC and are not tuned into the relatively small differences?
You say both dacs sound equally good, but can you detect any slight changes in the sound?
e.g. I can hear more details through the nDAC over the ND5XS2 internal dac, but without losing the sense of the tune as a whole.
Also, Iâd say the nDAC is a wee bit cooler in tone than the ND5XS2 internal dac.
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If one thing has become very evident to me in thus forum, it is that one personâs ânight and dayâ difference Can be another persons âmarginalâ. Superlatives abound, and if all were taken on face value there would be people using the most basic electronics with magic cables and supports, sounding as good as a Statement system. If you hear for yourself, taking care to ensure unbiased assessment, then other than a faulty item you have your answer as to which to use.
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I wanted to experiment with different combination of lengths and termination types without buying a bunch of expensive cables.
The fact that I could not tell one BNC-BNC cable from another was a surprise to me, because I find analogue interconnects DO make a difference.
Nick
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I found differences between digital cables subtle but there when doing back-to-back tests.
I now use a DC1.
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That echos my experience from a decade ago. I was about to buy a new nDAC to use with my CD5XS as transport and was unsure of which BNC cable so go for. My dealer at the time did not have a DC1 to hand so lent me a couple of Chord cables with roughly a 2:1 price ratio. (I think they were Indigo and Signature, but may have misremembered.) After extensive comparison I finally decided that the more expensive cable that I was listening to was sonically superior. When I went round the back to unplug it, I found Iâd actually been listening to the cheaper cable. Having failed on that (accidentally blind) test I opted to order a DC1 on the basis that thatâs what Naim had used when developing the DAC.
Roger
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I kept and still use the DC-1, for the same reason, between NDX-FM and Naim DAC.
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