It won’t get faster. I had a dc1 cable and had the same feeling as you. The more organic sound wasn’t for me. I missed the drive the nd5 has and returned the nDac.
It’s finally happening…I bought an ndac!!! 2nd hand hifi had an older model it looks good from the photos and video. 3 months warranty and a good price, have 2 weeks return for peace of mind. Contacted my dealer about getting a dc1 cable for it. Edit my wonderful dealer has a cable in stock and has offered to set everything up for me once ndac is here.
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Lovely to read your latest update 
That’s just great
Good luck and do share photos and thoughts
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It might be worth checking the software version it is running, when I bought mine it was running the original version. Prior to the update I was listening to it maybe for a week and later when I updated, I thought the raise in SQ was obvious and very much worth it.
Nowadays the nDAC must be one of the biggest bargains out there, mine is a 2014 model, which I bought for 0.8K GBP, which is an outstanding VFM, now that I have it for like 4 months, I can definitely state that it is an extremely capable dac even on its own with no additional psu.
I had the opportunity to directly compare it to Chord 2QUTE at the time and the first couple of days I kind of preferred the Chord, it was more detailed, first thing that comes to my mind as far as differences, nDAC in comparison sounded more closed in, if that makes sense, but afterwards, by the time I updated to mk2 sofware, the nDAC started to show its “virtues” (probably it needed a couple of days to warm up), but when I was going back to the Chord, there was a massive difference in presentation, the nDAC has a huge volume soundstage and bass-wise, whereas the 2QUTE sounded thin in comparison. Not to take away of Chord’s DAC strengths, I understand why people love it, but I prefer the “beefier” Naim sound.
Hope you like it and would be interesting to have your first impressions.
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Well said and spot on when I tried the Chord DAC. It’s really good but I preferred the nDAC.
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I won’t lie I did seriously consider trying the chord qutest but I kept hearing it described as lean which I wasn’t sure was for me.
I’ll definitely be figuring out how to check the firmware especially as my ndac is from 2010 and reading through here to figure out settings.
I’m very excited to hear what the ndac brings it will be arriving tomorrow after it’s here I can check with my dealer and see when is the best day/time for set up. Only info I have right now is by end of day.
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If you need the latest(last) firmware here is what I found for someone else just the other day…
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OK, well I’m pleased to say I’ve joined the club - after multiple threads trying to prod as much detail out of the community as possible for a cheaper equivalent nDAC streamer alternative to an ND5 XS2, and not getting a clear sense, I decided to bite the bullet and not mess around - wanted to avoid an intermediate step which didn’t get me where I wanted… Bided my time for right used unit and jumped on one.
Here are my comments, based on fiddling with the new setup a few days and getting it dialed in:
- The ND5 XS2 is a much better streamer for the nDAC than the Bluesound Node 2i. Not a surprising conclusion, but definitely so - the notion that any streamer transport is the same is simply not true.
- The ND5 XS2 by itself does not sound as good as with the nDAC - the difference reminds me in a way of the difference of the NAT03 and NAT02 - going from a flat to more of a 3D, fuller sound
- Keeping the ground on floating for the ND5 XS2 with the nDAC on chassis is imperative. I spent several days with both set on chassis, and honestly I was trying to overcome my disappointment - the sound was more on par with the Node. I initially chalked it up to the interconnects. Luckily I happened to be rereading this thread and came upon on the very helpful guidance. With that little switch, I now got it. Kapow! Awesomeness. Literally my wife and I sat down and stayed up til nearly midnight on a work night listening. Fabulous!
- Connected to this, I find the quick start guide to be pretty lame. I have looked everywhere online and can’t find a proper owner’s manual. Am I missing something? It seems like the grounding switch for example should be clearly explained somewhere.
- I also spent some time listening to three digital interconnect setups based on what was used at my local Naim dealer in Seattle - using the RCA to BNC adapter. Cable one, Chord Shawline RCA to RCA (my own). Cable two, Naim DC1 RCA to RCA. Cable three, Chord Epic RCA to BNC. My wife and I both definitely prefer the Chord Epic - it is really great - the detail is simply better than the DC1, as well as air. The DC1 is somewhat darker and fuller, and in a certain way has more flow - but even with long listen the Epic doesn’t fatigue and to me has a slighter older school Naim clean direct sound. I can get the Epic for a great price, wondering if it’s worth the extra to get a dedicated BNC to BNC but will probably just grab this used Epic for now. I am slightly curious if the DC1 would be substantially different in a BNC to BNC form…
Overall, I sort of can’t believe how good the sound is…sadly my excellent LP12 feels slightly less go-to now…this is very elevated…can’t wait for the A7s to arrive!
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Ditto.
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That is a great story about attention to detail and how small things matter in a HiFi system.
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Awesome!!! Welcome to the club! Just let it all sink in. The nDAC gives me such pleasure nightly. P.S I won’t mention it gets even better with a PowerSupply 
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Actually it’s the opposite. nDAC has to be set to Chassis/Default, as that’s the one connected to the preamp.
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Congratulations joining the club, thanks for an excellent write up, glad your experience has been a positive one.
The one thing that surprised me was the settings you are using regarding grounding, the norm is ndac too chassis Nd5xs2 to floating but if it works for you that’s fine.
I have already decided at some point I will add a ps but have a couple of things to try first.
Again many thanks for a very informative account of your experience.
Ps just noticed your are from across the pond not sure how the 110v twin pin setup will have a bearing on the chassis setting, perhaps someone with a better knowledge of electronics will chime in will a response.
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Hi,
Yes that is how I’ve set it - ND5 XS2 floating, nDAC chassis.
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I should also make clear for the record - I’ve had the nDAC for several years and really loved it. It was great with the Node - but much greater with the ND5 XS2.
I might add, it was a fun process with my wife, who in the past I haven’t really involved in hifi changes. Starting with the A7/A4 and other alternatives and then this, I’ve pulled her in - she is a singer and hears the differences and actually seems to like listening to variations like upgrades - as long as I don’t play weird intense stuff and throw some female vocalists in!
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Sorry I must be loosing it, sure I read that you had it the other way round, my apology’s , my excuse its an age issue. 
Yes get a BNC to BNC, avoid RCA adapters if you can.
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Hope you’re having fun tonight
Happy listening
R
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So the ndac arrived early Tuesday (anyone ever getting a delivery from ups the estimate means nothing, mine arrived several hours early). They had even double boxed it so I’m pretty sure it could have survived anything. It was installed early this morning and I have discovered it already had the latest firmware installed.
So what do I think after having listened all day…it has made an immediate and stark difference. Highs have a bit less emphasis but in return any harshness in the sound is gone. For example I listen to some classic guitar music and the sound of the strings could be grating not anymore.
The other major difference is in the bass I think this is going to take a little getting used to. Because most of the speakers I listened to before starting my naim journey didn’t do much bass I was never sure what it was supposed to sound like. I think my bass may have been a bit boomy but I was enjoying the excitement of that 
. Now it’s tightened the bass a ton and I think it’s going deeper as now rather than being noise on the track it’s more like a pressure a thrum through the air. (I don’t know how to describe it well). I know that it’s an improvement I just need time to get used to it.
It has also made the sound more effortless and bigger it helps that the removal of the harshness means I can have things slightly louder.
Definitely planning to have music on again all day tomorrow and let it settle in. So far definitely seems like a worthwhile investment. I am also really glad I found the ndac because if I hadn’t I was considering either trying a chord dac (which I now think wouldn’t of suited my preference and how I like to listen) or asking to demo a 2nd hand ndx2 (which if this is anything to go by I would have loved but would have been a good bit more money).
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Great news that you have finally managed to add the ndac to your system, like yourself I struggled to obtain one, missing out a couple of times until ratrat pointed me in the direction of a Naim dealer who had one come in recently so I jumped on it, sounds like we both got there in the end.
Your post of the first listening session pretty much mirrors my own findings, in my setup the bass seems to be delivering what feels like another octave lower, the rest of the benefits are very similar to your experience and to be honest mine just seems to be getting better with every little improvement I make.
Enjoy the next few days as you get to benefit from your new addition.
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