It doesn’t change a lot Oxidobou. iMac, MacBook Pro…PC.
It’s the reason why audiophile servers exist, to do better and even a lot better than straight from a pc.
Try some reviews on usb dacs like chord, DCS, Meitner, Mytek…You will see that they are not connected to a pc.
Source is the most important component in a hifi-system! The down-stream components cannot add information. If the information is missing from the source it doesn’t matter how good amplifier or speakers you have, the information would still be missing…
Save money a bit longer and buy a used or ex-demo NDX2. A perfect match for your SuperNait3!
The OP has already a very good Dac. The Mytek Brooklyn.
The problem is the transport or server.
i already bought a Uptone Audio for Mytek and just bought a Naim Power Line for the Supernait. I’m checking Naim Nac a5 for speackers. I’m looking into a cinch - din cable to but there are lots of possibilities.
For the source, NDX2 is expensive and i will have to sell my Mytek. Sad.
Whatever else you do, you still should upgrade your analogue interconnect. It’s a good first step and you will hear an improvement.
If your Apple digital source is ‘sub optimal’ then a better USB cable may also help with noise/jitter etc. (assuming your current USB cable is also very cheap?) For example something like the Audioquest Carbon USB (or equivalent from other competitors)
If you go down the streamer upgrade route then prepare to be advised to spend hundreds more on a high end digital coax cable. How deep are your pockets?
I’d be looking at an initial (modest) budget of around £300-400 to get much more out of what you already own. Spend the majority on the RCA-DIN.
It’s a journey and ‘perfection’ doesn’t have to be attained in one leap.
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I went from a mytek brooklyn plus with a lap top source to the mytek powered by a linear power supply fed by a blue sound node 2. Really great sounding system. Then tried a Lumin D2 and it sounded better. And was less money. And one box instead of 3. Then a Lumin A1 that now lives in my second system, great streamer.
Then I demoed an ND5 XS2 and for the money—a bit more than the Lumin D2, less than the A1–I think it’s at least as good as the A1. And much better than a Brooklyn with a Mac as a source.
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I have an Audioquest Forest 
ND5 XS2 > Lumin D2 > Mytek Brooklin + linear power + blue sound 2 ?
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Yes - keep the source you have - it’s excellent. I use a Mac mini with JRiver MC and compared it with various streamers from Auralic, Lumin etc., and none them sounded as as good. This was because I could use JRiver DSP Studio for room correction. You can do similar with Audirvana.
If you buy a proprietary streamer then you’ll be far more limited - I’m no fan of Internet subscription services, but I’m pretty sure if Tidal & Qobuz sink then whatever replaces them will run on your Mac Book Pro and be very unlikely to run on a proprietary streamer.
I have never heard your DAC or Speakers so cannot comment on those. I’m surprised you need a third party PSU though - what was wrong with the one Mytek supplied? It would concern me if I bought a DAC and it needed a third party PSU and an expensive proprietary streamer. If you buy the ND5XS2 then you don’t need the Mytek or third party PSU.
Thank you for your advice. Just as the entire Naïm range can be improved by using a separate Naïm power supply, the Mytek improves by also using a separate power supply.
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In the case of Naim, its kit is designed to use an external Naim PSU - not a third party one. However, if Mytek says its DAC improves with a third party supply then that’s fine. I use a different DAC and its manufacturer told me neither a third party PSU or changing from a Mac mini were necessary, but a different DAC may respond differently.
However, if you buy the ND5XS and use it with an external DAC then you are not taking advantage of its integrated DAC. You could use a transport without a high quality internal DAC such as your Macbook pro 13" from 2017 with Audirvana.
You could then investigate using Naim Interconnects and Speaker cables to complement your SN3.
I have often read that the Mytek improves with a linear ps.
But if you like the Naim sound, perhaps wait and save to get an ex demo Nd5xs2. A one box, no need to connect to a transport or laptop.
You will be able to stream Qobuz, Tidal, and use your laptop as a Nas for local streaming ( even if a dedicated server/ nas would sound better)
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+1
Try and keep the chain as simple and as straightforward as possible
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I wanted to ask if your tweeter is at approx ear height…
Maybe a stand?
Sometimes the bass couples better to the room of the bass driver is not too close to the floor ?
Something to try…maybe.
You’re right, it’s an another upgrade on the road.
Yes, in my opinion.
And so, wires just aint wires.
Its an interesting topic, looking at a few online product comparisons I am prepared to definitely try a USB cable upgrade. (something I have not really considered)
Other than for convenience I must say I have not really been that impressed to date with the whole streaming experience.
I find it very interesting that streaming services have different “sound quality” service levels, paying extra for a higher quality stream seems counterintuitive to what music is all about, conveying pleasure and enjoyment. Reproducing music in a way that the original artist intended others to hear it.
The trouble with Naim equipment is its brutal honesty in reproduction, it most definitely reproduces what it is fed.
When I stream from my Mac through a third party DAC I am horrified at times at the brutality of the reproduction and think my equipment has an issue. Firing up the CD3 and playing a Naim CD, I have never failed to have the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end and find comfort in the knowledge that all is well.
I stream from a my own music library from a Mac mini to a Chord Blu2 DAVE. I use JRiver Media Centre. I cannot tell a ripped CD from the original now (with DSP off). However, I tried an Internet streaming service and was disappointed.
I have a full iFI USB cabling system, but I no longer use it. It did wonders to my previous DAC, but a simple QED Reference USB cable is all I need these days.
What are you streaming from the Mac that sounds brutal? It really should sound natural - so maybe something is not as it should be. Ferrite rings are an important ingredient in my setup - the designer specified which ones to use.
I use my mac to feed a Chord Mojo DAC, mostly spotify and occasionally I use Tidal.
Listening day to day can be classical, rock, dance etc not a great deal of preference really.
Obviously some recordings are just rubbish, I found this with many CDs over the years, hence my brutal comment. Its best described as jumbled up sounding as if the music is tripping over its self and confused, more of an issue with complex pieces of music.
I use a local music store with FLAC files, which are lossless. I avoid Internet streaming as my Internet connection is rather less than than great. So not directly comparable to your set up.
The Chord Mojo is an excellent DAC and should work well with a Mac. As I understand it Spotify uses MP3 files, which are not the full CD resolution so will not sound as good as CD played on a high quality CD player such as your Naim CD3. The Mojo will attempt to reconstruct the analogue signal to as near as it can to the original and so should still sound enjoyable (assuming your Internet connection is decent). The Chord Poly may be worth auditioning.
My ripped CDs sound superb to me, but it is with a different Chord DAC. Interestingly Chord has a new transport (2yu-2go) which I thought might be a replacement for my Mac mini, but Chord said “no” as I was not a Roon user. So they thought JRiver MC on my Mac was a better fit for me. So you need to audition the Poly if you consider it.
@Simon-in-Suffolk has setup a Bubble UPnP proxy to mitigate the effect of the Internet, which IIRC he says works well.
@Analogmusic uses a Chord Mojo and is probably the best person to advise on how to get the best from it. He is very experienced and knowledgeable in this area.