ND5XS vs CD5si

This is not the first time I have read about the cd5si beating out a Naim Streamer in sound quality.  

try the other steps above, but...

Being familiar with both, I can assure you that the ND5 XS should sound considerably better than any of the CD5si / i / i series.

There are a few reasons why it may not sound better in any given system

It's quite sensitive to Radio Frequency Interference

It can be upset by comms issues in the LAN

It's surprisingly sensitive to the rack on which it stands

You could be hearing the difference between the input sockets of the Nait XS (the sockets further from the mains connector have slightly better sound quality performance).

Finally, depending on your speakers it may be that the slight degree of brightness form the CD5i series better matches your speakers or your expectations.

The detail retrieval should actually be considerably better, for instance the harpsichord in a baroque orchestra will be less likely to get 'lost' during a tutti.  However, detail retrieval is often very difficult to judge properly on recordings using electronic instruments and/or simple accompaniment.

The test for network issues using a USB stick is a very good place to start; but, when doing the test, don't forget to unplug the network cable from the ND5 XS!

Thanks for all your tips! I just tried a USB stick and there is no big difference compared to LAN, maybe just a tad more air. The ND5 sits on top of my XS-2 where the cd5si has it's own shelf so like Huge suggests, this might be something to look at. The ND5 is connected to the HDD input.

I just performed a factory reset on the ND5 and now I have the impression that the difference is a lot less, but this might as we'll be suggestion after listening with a pair of fresh ears compared to last night 

The truth will out! Placing the streamer on top of the amp is a sure fire way of making it sound as bad as possible. 

Try experimenting with the grounding switch or try just the streamer connected to the amp on its own.

Richard

That's it! changed the switch to floating and instantly more air, details en highs. Never paid attention to this switch and now I see it is even mentioned in the manual :-/

Next step: rearrange my rack to get the ND5 another place off the amp. 

thx all!!

With a Naim CD player connected to the system you definitely want to set the ND5xs to "floating" - for optimum performance you only want one signal ground reference.  If you stick with streaming and decide to remove the CD player from the system then remember to switch the signal ground switch back on again.

When i switched to streaming i took my CD5XS into my dealer to compare to the ND5XS, NDX and DAC.  First comparison was CD5XS vs ND5XS and I wasn't expecting a major difference but couldn't believe how much better the ND5XS actually was.

Dear All,

The theory is that you should connect the zero volts signal earth (i.e. the screen and shell of the DIN cables and the black speaker terminal) to the mains protective earth at one point only.  This is to prevent 'earth loops' in the system.

So . . . I have a NAP200, a 172xs and a Rega Rp3; how should the grounding switch be set?

Err, according to your profile, you have also have a Rega mini phono stage.

Turntables are rarely (if ever) connected to mains protective earth.  The question is "Does the Rega mini phono stage connect the shells of the RCS phonos to mains protective earth?"  If it does, then you need to set the signal ground switch on the 172 to 'Floating', else it should be set to 'Chassis'.

I must apologise for my ignorance, but there isn't a grounding switch on certain amplifiers (Supernait 2, for instance). Is there a reason for that (I'm not sure I'm going to understand...)?

There doesn't need to be a signal ground switch on Naim amps (or pre-amps) ans with Naim systems it's one of the source components that's grounded, not the amplifier.