Used ND5 XS-2

Hi-Fi Corner
1

I have a line on a used ND5 XS-2. I have to assume that if I purchase the unit, I will have to reset it. Now that I have secured a used Naim CD player, I’m not overly concerned about setting up a NAS in the short term, plan on using it for streaming from Tidal. For the dozen or so downloads I purchased from HD Tracks, can I put them on a USB stick and play them from the memory stick? I also plan on hardwiring the Ethernet connection as I have with my current streamer. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

2

Absolutely, assuming there is no DRM on them. In fact that’s what I do. Remember to optionally also enable Server Mode, which gives you a lot more usability. Also hard wiring is always best where possible

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This is what I do currently. My hdd with all ripped cds is not working on nd5xs2 because it was previously used on uniti star so I only have some downloaded albums on a usb stick. I mostly listen to tidal and radio anyway. Both sound good.

4

Congrats! I just got one myself—going on a couple of weeks—and it is a brilliant streamer (moved from and NDX/XPS-DR combo), whether listening to same albums via Tidal (HiFi) or Qobuz (Hi-Rez).
I currently have it wired Ethernet but try both ways. I found them to have some amount of different presentations.

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5

Well, I pulled the trigger. Wish me luck in the set up.

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6

Let us know!

7

Well the unit was delivered 24hrs after purchased, double boxed and well packed. As advertised, not a mark on it and it included all the original cords and parts. Easy to set up using the app. Updated the firmware as recommended. Haven’t had a chance to do any serious listening yet. But impressed with ease of set up and getting Tidal connected.

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8

Congratulations!

I found when I ripped all my CD’s to a NAS I had no need for a CD player. Funds went to other gear/music… Some folks like the tactile feel of playing a CD. I was happy to not have the clutter of CD cases around. Enjoy the streamer!

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9

That’s so great to hear!
It is an outstanding streamer. I listen NAS, Qobuz (a recent membership; paid for a full year) and Tidal. Whichever platform I listen to, doesn’t matter…it puts a smile on my face and is just so enjoyable. It has really shifted my perception of listening to digital. I was really a vinyl guy for quite some time (and maybe still am at heart), but since getting into streaming, especially now with the ND5, I find I’m listening more often to it than my Well-Tempered Amadeus GTA and AT-ART 9 rig. Could be I’m getting accustomed to the initial newness and experience of it…or maybe I really do enjoy it that much. A 70/30 shift is something in my world. Anyway, congrats and have fun!

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Thanks all, I have a couple of questions, I have an external HD that has a number of hi-res files on it. I plan on moving the files to a USB stick

  1. What format is required for the USB stick to be in order to be supported by the ND5 XS-2?
  2. How does the ND5 XS-2 get album artwork from these files? Do I need to clear the cache from the previous owner? Thanks.
11

Fat32 is fine for your stick.
Do your music files have embedded artwork?

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What format are the files. If they are wav, then it wont read any metadata, but if they are flac/mp3, etc that have the metadata and artwork within them, then no problem. Format USB as ext FAT.

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The files are from HD tracks and Pro Studio Masters. There is a file in each folder that contains a jpg file. I believe these are all FLAC files. Thanks again.

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There are a couple of standards around for artwork whereby uPnP software looks for files in the folder that have names such as folder.jpg or cover.jpg. Unfortunately I dont know if the ND5 XS2 supports this, as I do put the those files in my folders, plus I embed the artwork in the music file. Suggest try it, if not it will be easy enough to update your metadata if you have the jpg file already with something like mp3tag.

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As long as the music files have metadata in them, the ND5XS2 will read it and display artwork etc. I would just connect the USB stick and see what you get.
If the metadata is missing or incorrect, you can edit it easily enough on a computer, and it’s good practice to do this as soon as you download or rip an album. I would recommend Metadatics (Mac) or MP3tag (Windows) for this.
When you want to play these files, look for them in the Server input if you want to ciew the metadata. They are also cisible in the USB input as you might expect, but here you only get a basic folder view.

16

Thanks all, I have created the USB stick with the Flac files on it. In each folder, there is a jpg titled Folder.jpg in each one. If I’m understanding this, I plug the USB stick in, select server to see the music? In options, I did check the “server” box.
Thanks again.

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Spot on, happy listening

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In the Server input you should see the files in Local Music. You don’t need to enable server mode to do this - that’s only if you have other streamers on your network that you want to have access to this music.

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First, I want to thank everyone for their input. Outside of phono, I’m now all Naim. I haven’t tried my USB stick yet, as I have been enjoying streaming from Tidal. Having said that, I encountered an issue when playing an album from Tidal. It all of a sudden stopped playing. I had to manually move through the queue. I tried another album and it did the same thing. Played the first song and then stopped and said “ready”. I restarted the ND5 XS-2 and it operated normally. Any thoughts?

1 Like
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Not really, other than making sure its on the latest firmware, along with your phone app