M2Tech Evo vs ND5xs

Posted by: Zinger on 27 April 2012

Has anyone tried comparing CAS via M2Tech Evo versus ND5xs all feeding into nDAC?

I currently have the nDAC already, and am looking for a medium-term solution before getting something serious like an NDS.

NDX is a little out of my price range at this point, and I don't like the idea of sinking 3K quid on a pure transport and a technology that's not exactly mature.  I don't want to sell the nDAC to fund the NDX purchase either, since I feel the bare NDX lacks the details/resolution compared to having the nDAC in place.

With all that said, I'm considering getting an ND5xs or a CAS setup as intermediary step before I go all out on the digital source.  The M2Tech route is preferred from a budget point and flexibility point of view (since I can use whatever program I want to play music on a PC). Unfortunately it's difficult to audition the M2Tech vs Naim ND5xs given they are sold at very different places.

Thanks guys
Posted on: 28 April 2012 by AMA

I would love to know if anyone had a chance to do such a demo...

Posted on: 28 April 2012 by ferenc

I am listening EVO and EVO clock powered from the same EVO battery supply through nDAC/XPS2 and DC1 BNC. Sounds good to me. As there is a HiFace2 available and the EVO is using the old HiFace driver/technology not the 2's, I think we can expect an EVO 2 s well in the not so distant future...Next week Munich High-End show, we will see. By the way the HiFace 2 sounds much more fluid, smoother with nDAC than the old HiFace did.

Posted on: 28 April 2012 by Zinger
There is something I really don't like about the Evo clock though. The idea that I need to walk over to the rack and switch the frequencies settings is a big turn off in adding the external clock. Cuz to me, the convenience and user-friendliness of digital music is as important to the sound quality itself ... I'm surprised the Evo Clock has that manual knob ... Good point about potential Evo2 though. Hopefully that will come soon!
Posted on: 29 April 2012 by Guido Fawkes

If you have a new Mac Mini as your CAS then a good quality glass optical connection works exceptionally well in to the Naim DAC. The MF V-Link and hiFace also work really well. I have heard the ND5 and that worked really well too. The Naim DAC is something of a leveller and I find any well made music feed in to gives great results - the W4S Sonos Connect is another. 

 

I definitely cannot proclaim one better than the other. However, we all listen differently and I see Ferenc prefers the new hiFace to the original so if the opportunity arises then have a listen - I think M2Tech can enable you trial a hiFace. 

 

Interestingly, I read a lot of dubious comments about the advantages of using the hiFace's own OS X drivers over Core Audio, not from M2Tech who make it though who seem very honest to me. Now M2Tech has found a way to use Core Audio that sounds really interesting and I would say makes the hiFace even more attractive. That way you have a simple cable connecting your CAS to Naim DAC that just works with the standard drives - sounds ideal to me, if your CAS has a bit of jitter you'd like to reduce. You can power the hiFace from a AQVOX low noise power supply, but I've only read this improves it, I've not had the chance to hear its effect.