Hi All,
I recently traded my old ND5XS streamer for a new NDX2 . Rest of system is 200/202dr and NAPSc preamp upgrade. My dealer said my XP5XS should work with the NDX2 but that he had discussed it with NAIM support and they advised against.
Has anyone tried this power supply with NDX2 and if so any opinions on SQ improvement if any?
Speakers are PMC 26 btw.
Thanks for any opinions/advice.
Hi RobW
Not a direct comparison but I have a CD5XS and nDAC. I tried the PS you mentioned into the DAC , it was OK with slight improvement but not worth it
I went with the XPS and it’s a huge improvement. Maybe sell your PS and save up for the XPSDR which is a classic combo with the NDX2
Cheers
As you appear to have the XP5XS, surely the answer is simply to try it. It doesn’t matter what others may think, it’s what you hear that counts.
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Thanks for that. As long as it’s safe to do will give it a try. Still in the 8 week running in period and enjoying NDX2 … dealer advised get used to “new” sound for a few weeks before trying comparison.
Agree, but also wanted to find out if there was any reason not to give it a try ie. it wouldn’t damage the NDX2.
Section five of the Quick Start guide.
NDX 2 Connection: using an external power supply
The NDX 2 is easily upgradable via the addition of an external power supply to provide a substantial improvement in sound quality. CD555 PS, XPS or XP5 XS power supply can be connected to the NDX 2 using an SXPS Burndy cable. When used with an external power supply the NDX 2 must be disconnected from the mains. Disconnect the streamer from the mains before connecting the external power supply.
taken directly from the download on the Naim site.
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Again , thanks for that! Must have missed that on the guide during the excitement of set up.
Will give it a go in coming weeks.
Cheers.
It’s the only Naim power supply I thought added nothing. I can’t even recall what I tried it with.
G
I used one on an ND5XS and it was a marginal improvement.
When I first demo’d my NDS the dealer suggested we started the demo with the XP5XS powering the NDS before switching to the 555PS the he had brought with him.
The difference was vast. The dealer said he’d never done a better demo to highlight the difference in performance brought about by improving a power supply.
I have tried XP5XS (which is non DR unit) with an NDX and it worked fine. The big improvement came with the XPS DR 
probably power section at NDX2 is much better than this what XP5XS is capable to offer, that’s why Naim support advised you not to do it.
Just because you can, does not mean you should!
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Sounds like it’s time to start saving!
Thanks for the opinions.
But in the final analysis, the only opinion that counts is your own.
Have you tried it yet?
Precisely because you can…zero cost, because you already have the PS…and then you will form your own opinion, rather than that of “some bloke on a forum”.
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Not my personal experience you understand, but a HiFi enthusiast colleague tried the NDX2, he didn’t think that the XPS PSU improved on the NDX2 on its own by much, but that the 555 PSU, brought the NDX2 alive.
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Not tried it yet but will do. Strangely I did think it improved nd5xs quite a bit with better separation and punchier base, which may not be every forum member’s viewpoint. My wife also noticed a difference when I disconnected from nd5xs when waiting for delivery of NDX2 ( she’s not as into HiFi but thought streamed “didn’t sound as good”. I’m sure room acoustics plays a part but different people hear different things…
Absolutely @RobW, it is such a subjective thing. I have noticed much bigger changes when listening to different albums, music, listening positions, etc. as not all recordings are made equal.
For me not much in it between XP5XS and XPSDR big jump (obviously) 555DR.
All above used and tested at home with 272.
Hi I have used an XP5XS power supply with my NDX2 for circa 6 months. It’s been powered on 24/7 with no issues at all. As others have said this power supply is mentioned in the NDX2 user manual so can be used.
Their is an improvement in sound quality albeit slight. Clearly as you nove up the power supply ladder (XPS, 555) improvements will be more pronounced. Hope this helps.
So yes. An xp5xs ps can be used. There may be marginal benefits.
The big improvements that cone from an xpsdr or 555dr are a lot down to the dr. Which the xp5xs doesn’t have.