apart from DAC component, what else justifies using a NDS over a NDX or ND5XS?

Hi Louis-Andre

Based on my test i would say a simple YES. Of course the DAC is very important but the way the other component are build/implemented is also very important.

Personally would start with a NDS...then see if nDac is needed....assuming no. Or try another setup like NDX/Ndac if the NDS sound is not as you like.

"le mieux est l'ennemi du bien ;-) " 

The DAC in the NDS is essentially the Naim DAC which many of us know and love. Having happily used  DAC/555PS I could not believe how much things had progressed in a relatively short space of time and I really didn't properly know my album collection at all. 

The NDS couldn't possibly trump this, could it? Well, as it turned out to my ears it could, and by some margin. So the best thing to do is to let your ears decide. The NDS is not universally regarded as better, but I think it's fair to say that it mostly is.

It is generally accepted that at some point a high level DAC will emerge that can potentially boost the NDS. Having done the off board DAC waltz in the 80s and gone through it all over again when history more recently repeated itself, I think that there is something to be said for the original Naim philosophy of keeping it all in one box - although of course, Naim have now abandoned this.

I have found that there is too much variability. Digital interconnects can make a huge difference and it can be difficult to land on the one that's perfect for you. I ended up with two and swapped them over frequently. While you can view this as a tuning opportunity, I now lean towards it being too much messing about. The NDS appears to be fundamentally right - to me. If/when the super DAC hits the shelves I will be interested to hear how it shapes up. But I will be more interested in how it sounds in my lounge when in the same box as the top level streamer that will follow it.

For now the NDS will do just fine thank you very much. I have been fortunate to hear pretty much all the permutations available over the past three years and the NDS is (currently) in a class of its own. Your ears may not agree, but that's for you to find out.

Luis-Andre,

I wonder what you're looking for in streaming audio with a system like the one you describe...

Best

Max

the NDS has the suspended circuit boards

it is top of the tree.

you have to hear one to understand how musical it is.

Hi Louis, the NDS is primarily about it's incorporation of essentially the NDAC into its enclosure, with very much improved electrical and mechanical isolation to support this.

However the NDS and the NDX/NDAC do sound different in presentation.. Preference being entirely subjective. I prefer the latter for example as it sounds more analogue and organic, where as the NDS sound more clean and 'digital' and slightly less dynamic.  Each to their own...  Both are exceptionally good.

If you prefer the NDAC sound I doubt whether it will be worthwhile feeding it with an NDS. I have not done this however. But feeding the NDAC with a NDX over a ND5XS or other non Naim sources I have definitely does make a difference! so you never know...

The NDX does have good support for Apple connected devices and can have inbuilt radio tuner, I can't remember the NDS apple device support status , but it it can't include the tuner.

So for most it is down to presentation preference. Audition carefully. It took me a month todecide whether it was NDS (555PS) or NDX/NDAC (555PS) for me.

Simon

I also did the Naim DAC vs NDS comparison using a 555PS DR is both cases, but with a Transporter streamer in the former case. To my ears the NDS was a far more natural, relaxed, analogue sound which opened up a much wider window on my music. Opposite result to Simon, but both results are equally valid; it just proves personal taste is a critical factor in the decision.

I can't see anyone putting a DAC on the end of the NDS unless Naim ever produce a 500 series DAC, about which we can all speculate, but only Naim R&D know for sure.

The NDS DAC is certainly derived from the earlier standalone DAC, but as well as the suspended boards, it also appears to have a different analogue filter - at least the components and layouts look different based on the internal pictures. I suspect this contributes to the different characteristics that are often reported.

Thank you Allen, that was one of the best write-ups I've read on the NDS vs the alternatives (within Naim). Very clear and convincing.

Jan

Thanks Allen , very informative. Thanks again

I moved from a Benchmark DAC to the Naim DAC when the NDAC was released. Initially I pushed files to the DAC using a HiFace. A brief period of time with the UnitiQute convinced me that streaming was preferable to PC audio for me. We auditioned a ND5SX and NDX using them "bare", then with an XPS2, and finally through the nDAC/XPS2. Our preference was for the ND5SX/nDAC/XPS2 which has a slighty warmer feel over the NDX (which was very good too). I would quite happily have stayed there but we auditioned the NDS and out went the ND5SX and nDAC. We have recently shifted from XPS2 to 555PS DR. For the first time I have a source that is getting close to being on par with my LP12. Truely wonderful....

I really am not very good at describing this, but here goes: you get a bit more of everything really. The there is more bass, this is tight tuneful and fast paced. However, the lovely balance across the frequency spectrum is not affected, the mid and highs are there in just the right quantity. The sheers sense of attack that the NDS can generate with percussive or plucked sounds is enhanced, but then I notice that the depth of subtle decay is there in spades. 

If we allow for the "new toy" effect, the biggest change is how little I am using my LP12 since the 555PS DR arrived. I have bought a bunch of new LPS, but found myself repeated drawn back to the files on my NAS. With the XPS2 the NDS was a clear second to my LP12 (Aro/Keel/Radikal/Urika/DVXX2II). With the 555PS DR I guess that the NDS is marginally second to my LP12. It is not worse than the LP12, just different. Being a vinyl first type I need to overcome 30 years of prejudice about CDs, but I finally seem to be making headway on this.

Apologies to the OP