Least expensive streaming option

What squeezebox do you have? the touch has a good digital out, so you can just add a dac (not necessarly the nDAC) to your squeezebox, and you'll have a decent lift in performance. 

Use a SB touch into a DAC, spending more wont yeild any better results unless you can stretch to the NDX.

Dunno its name, it's the one that has the control screen in the remote and just a wireless logo on the front of the main small black box indicating the network status. It was cheap as chips. 

Sounds like the Squeezebox Duet. The SB Touch is a good option (and does 24/96) and with a dac (eg Rega) is a good basic quality. As you are familiar with Squeezebox software should also be easy to instal and use.

It's all readily sellable s/h or trade in against naim upgrade later....

Naim UQ into nDac, look out for ex-dem or used. I picked up the combination for just over 2500.00 sounds amazing and I bet it will give the NDX a run for its money

Sean

I'd look for stuff gently used -- a used NDX or nDAC.

I assume that the music you want to stream is in lossless format(?)

I would apply soundchecks mods to the sbt get a linear powersupply and do the rega dac. Toe tapping music at a fraction of the cost. The ndac is really too dear to be used with the sbt. Others might disagree, but i think its wasted on it.

Transporter and Sonos come to mind, or Mac Mini.  Not sure any sound better than SBT, but they may "integrate" better for your purposes.

Best of luck.

Nick

As Nich says, it's a Squeezebox Duet. I have just bought one s/h and must say that it works well, albeit I only use it for Internet Radio.

I have a certain familiarity with the Squeezebox Classic, and the Duet in my opinion may even sound a little better, more lively, more interesting. I feed it into my SuperNait's DAC with a good coaxial, and the result, both sonically and aesthetically, is OK.

Max

what's the point in giving this kind of advice? he said he wants to stay below ND5XS price...

Elbow has a 552 and active 250’s, adding a squeezebox to this system would be an injustice and he has clearly spent some money over the years.

He did mention “something that better integrates” within the context of his existing system. If he went UQ into nDac this would give him a step in stone to something better in the future, ie NDX into nDac or add PSU

Just my opinion

Sean

Fair enough, in the end is Elbow's money! 

I just feel that sometimes in this forum people reply without considering the context...or without reading the question. But I get your point...

Thanks guys. I may try to dem a ND5. The Qute and nDAC option would have me thinking that I've paid for a ton of features on the Qute that I won't use. Anyone listened to a ND5 with and without an nDAC?

Is this still an open question? How about Squeezebox or one of the small macs into nDAC (assuming you can get bit perfect output)? 

Quite frankly the advice of going up the transport ladder into the nDAC is a pure waste of money. The nDAC is basically source agnostic. 

Andy

I read your thread elsewhere saying this, but I have to say, I and a fair of my music biddies certainly hear that the NDAC is not source agnostic. I wish it was, it would make life so much easier but alas on our systems, the source does make a difference. Even to the extent of changing the power lead from Naim stock to Naim Powerline on the NDX providing an SPDIF output into the NDAC. I am not saying one is 'better' than the other but it is different - and there is one that I prefer.

In which case, either I have a perfect PC output or you guys are imagining things (apologies, but my style is a little more confrontational than retreating to the safety of "in my system").

My nDAC isn't broke, nor is the system set up badly and your money would definitely be better value elsewhere in the replay chain. What is really funny, and I've not seen mentioned elsewhere, but individual component tolerances in the output stage would make more difference than you would get from changing powerlines. Following that logic, I'm surprised that no-one is swapping transports until they find a "good one" (perhaps they are, just that I'm not around here often enough to see the posts).

Clearly, you are entitled to spend your money as you see fit and nice shiny new toys that you don't really need are an attraction (I know, I have that weakness elsewhere) and Naim have a habit of finding things they can sell to you to feed that need. However - if you enjoy that, then carry on

Andy, I am really glad you have found the pinnacle in your audio replay system. I guess some of us have differenet pinnacles and expectations from our 'stuff'

BTW the with regard to the NDX you can see the difference on a Spectrum Analyzer as well - its subtle- but there!!

Nought stranger than realtiy eh? 

Zinger - you say that I remember the tuning on CDP with transports and DACs, transport isolation, off board powersupplies. Putting green felt tip around the edges of CDs, antistatic matts etc. Most of It  changed the sound on a revealing setup - usually only subtley  - did it neccessarily improve the sound? Some of the changes did - some not.. Tweaking is part of the enjoyment for some who like to squeeze every last drop of performance out of thier audio replay equipment. Otheres are quite happy with the standard performance without tweaks as it is more than good enough or they are not that way inclinded....

each to thier own

The charlatans would have you believe that wouldn't they....

Ever decreasing circles, Andy.

I use to run a Touch into nDac sounded great but the UQ into nDac sounds awesome. So in my opinion the 1’s and 0’s produced at source do make a difference but as you climb the ladder the differences are harder to tell apart. I think the nDac is a remarkable product and is able to make a humble product sound great.

I didn’t realise you could use the old CDPS (with modified burndy) into nDac, wonder how this compares to the new XP5XS?

Well.. yes. At the end of the day, all you're doing is paying more money for a tighter spec. design on the digital out. Anything that happens upstream of the digital out is of no consequence always assuming bit perfect. Always assuming the more expensive player has a tighter spec. digital out of course....

@Andy S - rock on!  You and I were twins separated at birth.  If we give way to the creationists, all hope for mankind is lost.