naim nait 5i-2 to ???

Hi Hungryhalibut,

Naim Nait 5i-2

CD player - 1 input used ( CD )

TurnTable - 1 input used ( Tuner )

HDD - ?? i am not sure of it

AV bypass - i cant use that i have no AVR

regards

mpw

Option 1 is an amp upgrade, whereas 2 and 3 are source upgrades/changes?

1. A NaitXS would be good in your system (but audition first to make sure you like the way it sounds.)

2. Add an ND5XS and rip your CDs to a NAS. When that's done, you could sell the CD player.

3. A Uniti, or better still, a Superuniti, and a NAS, would do it.

Thanks ChrisSU

I wanted to retain the sonic qualities of the present system in the process of this proposed change.

The cheaper the better - but retaining ( or improving ) the sonic character at not too heavy a price.

The Catch 22 is :-

a. Which component change will cause the least change in the sonics or give the most improvement to the sonics for the money ? These need not necessarily be 1 question.

b. Am quite fine with the CD5XS honestly.. i dont have a perfect room and i dont hope to get there as well. 

c. The One box solution appeals to me as the advantages of less number of boxes but the flipside is i have never been a fan of understanding computers and digits and clock speeds and jitter !! 

Regards

Hungryhalibut,

Thank you !

That will indeed help a lot. Will save me from fiddling with a setup with which i am sonically satisfied. 

do let me know how can i achieve this ?

regards

thanks HH

i had something like Audioengine B2 or Bose Soundlink / Soundtouch in mind but i was referring to streaming thru my existing setup using my Merlin speakers.

We are,I think, thinking of the same thing - I thought there was a sonos box that you plug into the Hifi and use to receive a stream from your computer. I wasn't thinking of stand alone wireless speakers. 

HH,

for a sonos which pulgs into my amplifier - i dont have any inputs to spare .

you were mentioning about HDD inputs - how do we use that ?

For what it's worth I recently bought a 5i 2 to parter my ND5 XS in my second set-up and have been amazed at how good it sounds.

Regards

Hugh

I agree with HH. Get a Sonos connect (circa £270). Plug into the HDD connection on the amp. If you find you like streaming either upgrade the sonos with an external DAC or switch to an alternative streamer.

For the avoidance of doubt: your amplifier has four inputs, and you can plug a Sonos or streamer into any of them. You can plug your current CD player into the HDD or AV inputs if you want. They are called different things just to make life easy. Try plugging the cd into HDD and it will work happily. Try it right now, then you can stop worrying.

As Matt says, the Sonos Connect is the thing I was thinking of. It's perfect for casual streaming. If you want to go that way in the longer term, you could place your CD player with an ND5XS. 

Dear HH & Mattnbarns,

Thank you once again !

Now that i can use another 2 inputs on the nait 5i-2, that makes things so much easier.

I do not need multiroom streaming - what other option do i have apart from sonos ?

Just to take off music from my android or ipad and stream and play ( bluetooth + wifi )

Am not too picky about audio quality except that it should not be very bad.

Thanks so much... forums where folks assemble to share knowledge are so powerful. The power of collaboration and communication can be experienced in such forums.

Have always been a happy Naim'er and hope to be so in the future as well.

regards

mpw

Sorry, I can't help any more on your options, as I use a Naim streamer. I do know that the Sonos is easy to use, and as it's both small and cheap it seems like a good option to get you started. It's what I'd buy. 

Plug a ND5 XS into the HDD input.

As an experiment, get a cheap BNC - BNC 75Ω video or S/Pdif cable to connect the CD5-XS to the Digital 1 input of the ND5 XS, and see if you like the sound that way - the balance will change slightly, but overall it should be a considerable improvement as the ND5 has a much better DAC than the CD5-XS

Then try ripping some of your CDs to your computer or a NAS, and try streaming them as well, you may find that you like it better than using the CD player - at least with his you have the option either way and you'll get better sound quality via the ND5 XS, streamed or CD!

There are plenty of streamers to choose from. I still think the sonos connect would be a great start for you.  Think of it as a streamer with the option of multi-room.

sonos is really good value and great easy stable software

add a dac in time - rega or the ace Naim v1 depending on budget

for the second system I got  a new rage - last version for £300 new…

internet radio is a bonus as it option for spotify etc 

If I were you I would just get a ND5 XS if budget allows.  You like the Naim Sound, go for it.  if that is too expensive look to other routes.  

Thanks everyone. I am looking for a pre-owned SBT or maybe a simpler miniBlink for wireless streaming ( non audiophile .... only enjoyment  purpose ).

I am quite fine with the CD5XS and although there are many options within the Naim family - i prefer to pitch my tent here.

However - if i do have to - do you think a Naim XS2 would balance out the CD5XS without losing what the Nait 5i-2 offers but gaining in terms of 20 extra Naim watts of speaker control.

would it be worth it ?

Or simply go the whole hog for a SN2 ( or a pre loved SN1 ) ??

regards

I also have a CD5X (OK yours is an XS) and I would caution against selling it - no matter how far I were to go in the Naim food chain, I think having a CDP available as a "backup" just makes sense.  So I would keep it unless you have the chance as others have here and get a screaming deal on something like a CDS3 because of the demise of CD play.  (Although I have also toyed with the idea of selling my CD5X and getting a less expensive Rega so as to free up capital for other upgrades, while still retaining a CDP.)

I almost exclusively listen to streaming and would love to go to a 272/250 type setup with a NAS, but streaming is computer based, and computers don't seem as robust to me as the more "Luddite" technologies.  Every now and again I have to intervene or re-boot to get things working, and I would HATE to be without the ability to play music for even a few days.

I also think the suggestion to look at a SN2 or SN makes a lot of sense if you can afford it.  Opens many other possibilities, and is a huge jump up from your current amp.

There is a loyal following here for the SBT.

i have tried SBT, SBT w/ iFi USB Power, add Rega Dac, add musical fidelity v-link USB to Rega DAC.  Replace Rega DAC and V-Link with Meridian Explorer. Replace all with UnityQute. 

The Qute is by far the best of all the solutions above. Got a dealer Demo under $1k USD.

I prefer the Nait 5i-2 to latest XS (70w). I heard new XS a couple of times and didn't hold my interest.

I have XS 2 (60w) as well as 5i still and I am growing to like the XS (60w) more and more. It is a good match, obviously, for CD5XS and with my latest speakers (Petite SX) does give a noticable upgrade, whilst being interesting still.

The 5i-2 I really love and is magic still with CD5XS and could live with either.

Not helped much have I!

Well I am trying to say the Nait XS (60w) is a different beast to 70w model and worth seeking out..

The XS Vs XS-2 was a sub-question that i wanted to ask anyways. I always felt an amp that does 60W at 8 ohm and 100W at 4 ohm would be better placed than 70W at 8 ohm & 100W at 4 ohm

( correct me if my facts are wrong ).

So for me - SN2 > Naim XS ( 60W ) > Nait 5i-2

Of these i have heard the SN2 paired to a Sonus faber standmount in Dubai and it was nice.

One of the reasons i asked the questions about the amp is that i think my rig can get better with maybe 25% more quality power. I am still not feeding the speakers ( with current ) what they can draw at maximum.

I am too fully aware that in audio - a bird in hand is worth 2 in the bush and in striving for that extra yard - i could lose what i already have.

This is tricky !