Nait XS2 review

If I remember correctly, they pretty liked the new XS 2 and found it was a solid
improvement over XS in that review. Musicality, tonal balance, prat, thoroughness,
and heft were all found good. Yet they also argued that XS 2 traded detail and
clarity a tad too much for fluidity. Maybe review sample was not fully run in,
maybe it needs FCXS or a Naim source, who knows. Best judge is our own ears.
Looking forward to hearing your assessment of XS 2 though. It’d definitely be much
more valuable than WHF review.  

Hal

Thanks Hal,

 Reviews are only useful as a rough guide on perhaps what to audition. WHF give the Cyrus 8xpd a fantastic review, but having spent a month living with one, I can definitely say it is not for me.

What I want is all the usual things like detail, scale etc, but I prefer a slightly smoother sound. I would rather have a poor recording flattered a little, than to have it laid bare so much that it is

un-listenable. I want to hear the music, not what the guitarist is wearing.

 I have Vienna Acoustics Bach Grand speakers, which have very good bass extention, so was a little concerned that the WHF review of the Nait XS said 'Loses grip on the deepest bass'.

 I could really use the advice of someone who has an XS, and uses floorstanders with it.

David

I think the key about holding the notes is much in the psu. I have found that a Hicap Dr to the old Nait XS did it. Of course in combination with good quality on the other parts.

/ Anders

I ran a pair of Dali Mentor 6 with a bare Nait XS and had no problems with it losing grip on the deepest bass. Even for a ported design the Dali's are well controlled in the bass, so this may be different with other speakers (and/or other rooms). I think your speakers have more bass output. I don't recall anyone on this forum mentioning loss of grip as an issue - but as always you need to try it out in your own environment. 

I acquired a Nait XS2 brand new out of the box a few days ago and have been listening since, one of the things I have noticed is a little woolly bass, but I am expecting that to clear up as it runs in. I am using Spendor S5e's and a Cyrus CD 6 as a source. Otherwise I find the amp very musical, and it makes you want to listen to music, I don't find any detail lacking, then again it is a big step up from the previous amplifier I was using (Cyrus 6).

Still waiting for a thorough review/comparison of the 5si, XS2, SN2.

+ 1 

That's interesting about the bass. As I write this I have an XS2 on loan. It is the one Moorgate use for demo, so it is well run in. As you say, the Bach Grands have very good bass extension, but the XS2 keeps it very tight and very well defined at the same time as going deep. There is no 'woolly' sound to the bass at all. I would imagine that when it is fully run in, your XS2 will perform the same as this one.

 My only quibble with the XS2 and with the Cyrus 8xpd is the vocal presentation. Any sharper 's' sound in the recording is laid bare to the extent it is a little tiresome at times. I know if you want detail then you will hear the sharp 's', but at the same time there must be an amp that accentuates this less.That's why I wondered what the XS was like in comparison to the XS2.

I would like a smoother sound. Having said that the XS2 walks all over the Cyrus 8xpd. The XS2 has far greater scale, depth and separation than the Cyrus. It is far more musical. If only the vocals were a bit smoother.

Any ideas out there as to getting a more forgiving vocal character ?

Hi Serge,

 I was only quoting WHF when they said that the XS loses grip. The XS2 I have has fantastic 'grip' as it were. My problem is slight sibilance to some vocal recordings. How does your XS deal with closely recorded voices, any harshness at all ? That is why I would like to compare the XS and XS2, to see if the XS is any smoother at the top.

David

The XS2 with the wrong speakers and/or in a problem room will generate enough bass to cause problems at moderate to high volume levels.

You need to match it with a speaker that has a good tight bottom end or else...

A dryer, leaner sounding amp would be a better match with loose bottomed speakers.

The bass is perfect. Tight, fast and well extended.  I have no issue at all with the bass or midrange. 

What I really need is advice on the slightly harsh sounding vocal 'S's. 

I need to know if the XS is smoother at the top than the XS2. Someone must have heard/owned both the XS and XS2. If the XS is smoother, I will buy that instead of the XS2.

Any advice on this will be much appreciated.

David

 Hi David,

I didn't noticed any problems with closely recorded voices with my old XS and my gear.

Good luck

Serge

Thanks for the follow up David and also for heads up. I have just read WHF's Nait5si review and as a first indication have been relieved as I am after leaner, meaner, faster machine.

I demoed at dealer and  listened to XS casually as well as seriously at my friend's several times. It is totally different to 5i-2, being slow, sometimes bloated and way too mellifluous (it's just me). So it is pretty "smooth" for me. I don't know which way Naim have chosen in voicing XS2 (not heard the new unit yet) but it seems it is still "buttoned down" affair from what is available so far. I still keep high hopes for XS2 for my future additional system.

Could sibilance issue be traced back to source you use? If you are going to stick with your source, there might be several other int/pre/power options. And I might suggest a few. But this would be totally out of topic.  It is unfortunate that new Naits will supposedly be available at my AD later this fall. Maybe trade members might kindly shed a professional light on how new Naits stack up against each other and previous versions.

Hal

I don't find my 4 week old XS2 emphasises 'S' s. One of the reasons why a chose the XS2 over the Nait 5i was for that very reason.

The overall sound is smoother than the nait 5i, but has excellent dynamics and will allow you long listening sessions without fatigue.

The XS2 also has superb imaging. I found it superior to it's little brother, and the extra power allows superb control. Bass lines start and stop on a sixpence, and snare drums smash through the mix without that grating edge that can have you sucking air in through your teeth.

Another plus point is an excellent headphone output.  It sounds superb with my AKG 550s

I would not hesitate to by an XS2 again,  but the sound will change as it runs in. It started quite dynamic, then went a little laid back, had a spell when the sound went quite bland, but has now opened up beautifully and has me rushing home from work, just to play some music. My dealer says it will keep on getting better and better (can't wait !!!)

For info, I use a Nait CD5si and ND5XS streamer,  plus Rega RS5 speakers..  a perfect match for me..

Have fun auditioning, but ultimately buy the XS2 ...  no regrets !

Fretfan

Hi all,

 to clarify -

 I am using my laptop to stream and my old Arcam alpha 8CD, but only used as a transport. I have tried the Cyrus 8xpd. Now I am trying the Nait xs2 and Arcam irDAC [on loan], with the Vienna Acoustics Bach Grand's which I own.

 My old, original system of 15 years - Arcam alpha 8 CD / alpha 9 integrated / 9p power amp / Epos ES14 mk2 / QED bi-wire.

 Detailed / warm / forgiving of poorer production.

Then the alpha 9 failed / not repairable.

I auditioned many amps with the ES14's, but it became clear that although good, the modern speakers were better, hence the purchase of the Vienna's.

 The old Arcam amps were very warm sounding. There was never any edginess to the vocals. The trouble is, with greater clarity comes a more 'laid bare' sound.

 I really like the XS2. It is spectacularly good. It is just that I would just like to tone down the vocal 'S's a bit.

That is why I would like a direct comparison between the XS and XS2. I suspect, from what I have learned, that the XS may give me what I am after.

Recently the Dutch magazine hifi.nl posted a comparative review of the XS2, 5 Si, and Supernait2, which included comparisons to the older models.  You can visit their site and search for "Review Naim Nait 5 Si, XS-2 en Supernait 2" - it's in Dutch, of course, but you should easily be able to secure a translation through Google.

Hi Vic

Has the XS2 on demo been fully run in ? 

Would it be possible to try a different cable ? I have found QED cables to be on the bright side.

I can't see the XS2 being drastically different to the XS.  I would think that the sibilance you are experiencing is either down to the amp not run in, or the speaker cable.  Chances are that if you listen to the older XS model, it will have more burn in hours than your current XS2, and that may make the difference.

Fretfan

Hi Fretfan,

 that's a good point about the speaker cable. I chose the cable many years ago to give some sparkle to the arcam / epos combination. With the Nait XS I probably need a more neutral / warmer choice of cable. Any ideas ? 

Hi Vic

I suppose the obvious choice is Naim's NAC A5, but I have much success with Chord Odessey 2, which I think may be a little cheaper and more flexible to lay.

If you need bargain basement, take a look at the Van Damme range.  It is surprisingly good. I used it with my other system ( a complete Linn Aktiv system) . I actually replaced QED cable with it because it was too bright.

Fretfan

The sssibilance you're experiencing is not coming from the XS2. I'm running it with Chord Silver Screen and a rather bright sounding DAC and there's no sibilance at all.

Brass or violin on some recordings can be a bit strident but it would sound that way on any moderately revealing system.

 Thank Guys,

 Having discussed it on here and having thought about it, I reckon it is the QED Profile 4x4 that is the problem.

 Having had some cable advice already, I wonder if anyone else could recommend a good speaker cable that will work well with the XS2 and Vienna;s, but give me a touch of warmth at the top. Something that will be detailed, but will smooth the rough edges a bit. Oh, and I think that ten quid a metre is enough, unless persuaded otherwise of course.

David

+1 on Fretfan's idea of Naca5.

I've just googled your speakers and found a review in the March 2007 issue of Hi Fi World. They noted a large reactive peak at 2KHz, and I wonder if that could be at the heart of the sibilance problem.

Chris

But I'd also want to know what a different source such as a CD5XS sounded like, into XS2 and Vienna Bach Grands.

C.

Hi Chris,

 I didn't think the Bach Grand was around in 2007. I thought then is was the 'Bach' not the 'Bach Grand'.The Bach was a totally different design. Anyway, the thing is that I heard these amps [ Naim 5i / 5si / Cyrus 6a / 8xpd and many others ] with my Epos ES14's and had the same problem of too much 's' at the top. I had the Cyrus 8xpd at home and swapped over between the ES14's and the Viennas. The Vienna's were smoother than the ES14's [much better all round]. I think the problem is I had 15 years listening to the Arcam alpha 9 / 9p, which were so smooth they were blunt. These more modern and much better amps like the XS2 are more revealing. To be fair, the 'sibilance' is not that bad, it's only that I can hear every nuance of the vocal recording. In fact the word sibilance is really the wrong word. A better way to put it would be to say that the sound is a little too analytical at the very top, and that I would prefer to tame it a little, which is why I think a change of my 14 year old speaker cable is the way forward.