Power supply upgrade for nDAC
Posted by: Davidr on 11 January 2016
I want to add a PS and have the options of XP5 XPS, XPS 2 or upgrading the XPS 2 to DR
Difficult to quaintify I know but should I go the whole hog or not? Is the DR upgrade really noticeable
The system is 52, 2 x 135 and Sonus Faber Olympica I
Looking forwarwd to the advice. Many thanks
if you can stretch to a used 555PS - in my experience preferably a non DR one - it will really compliment and transform the Naim DAC. Yes the DR thing on the 555PS was very noticeable on the nDAC. But this was all with the previous DAC firmware.
Simon
Beyond my budget I am afraid and not easily found
Well, I can vouch for the XPS DR on the DAC. I haven't done any comparisons against the other options (except my vague memory of my originally XPS2) but I'm very happy with this combination together with Powerline and Hi-line.
I tried a home demo of an XPS2DR on my nDAC to see what it offered over my XP5XS. There wasn't enough of a performance lift for me to justify the price difference. I felt the XP5XS offered about 80% of the performance of the XPS2DR but at half the price.
A 555PS on the other hand was a quantum leap over the XP5XS. Like Simon-in-S, I tried both a 555PS DR and a non DR 555PS on my nDAC and preferred the non-DR. Non-DR versions pop up from time-to-time.
I use a s/h XPS2 on mine which was about £1200 including Burndy. An essential addition to the NDAC putting it on a par with Hu kno what ...imho.
G
I tried XP5 XS recently with my nDAC but in my system the result wasn't what I hoped for. I mainly noticed great amount of power and weight added to the bottom end but to my ears it was too much. I have rather big speakers (ATC SCM40 v2) and not that big room (around 20m2) where I use them so there's plenty of bass power already. With external PSU, it went overboard. I was hoping to get similar results with the PSU update than I got with the nDAC firmware update recently. Maybe some day I'll try the XPS DR but XP5 XS wasn't for me.
I originally tried a stock XPS on my nDAC. It was nice and took a bit of grain away but very soon after I managed to get hold of a a second hand 555PS - they are out there. This really transformed every aspect of my music. Much more lifelike, wider and deeper sound stage. Loads and loads of hidden detail suddenly comes to the surface that I'd never even noticed before. Then of course you're addicted.
How do you connect your Mac to the nDac?
I found in my system that different USB-S/Pdif-converters make a huge difference, maybe even to the point where a nDac with new firmware can happily live without external power supply
At the risk of repeating myself for earlier versions of this same question....
1. Dump pure music for Audirvana 2. Its like the Dac firmware upgrade, a no brainer.
2. Get the best PS you can afford
3. Paul Hynes SR7 on the mac. I use a dual rail that also powers my Weiss int202
4. Enjoy the music.