naim 5si or naim xs
Posted by: hancoock2367 on 25 March 2016
Hello, My system hifi is Naim nait 5si kef Ls50 audiolab mdac nac a5.
I am very pleased with how it sounds.
I found a good opportunity for a naim xs no xs2.
the difference if I sell the naim nait 5si and buy 5 xs is little.
there is much difference in sound between the two?
thanks
Yes there is diff but IMO you gain more changing to a better DAC
You will loose £££ on your Si purchase as this must be rather new
+1, source first
which dac for example
What is your budget?
1000 €
Others will disagree, but I have always thought the XS Naits as price step engineered Naits giving one a bit more refinement at the cost of musical verve when compared to a basic Nait 5 series. That may have made some sense when compared to the original Supernait which was a real snooze absent a HiCap but money can be better spent elsewhere, on sources for example, as noted above. Then, if you must, save for a Supernait 2
I have run my CDS3/XPS2 through my plain jane Nait 5i into Allaes and nSats and the Nait sounds great punching way above its weight.
Agreed
I'm in doubt with the 5si. I sold mine and saw a lot for sale on used market for the last year. I think It can be a bit too raw and edgy in the long run. The xs gives you a bit rounder sound and the important capacity to use flat caps later on. I think it's a good plan to upgrade. It should remove some edges and sound more controlled. Personally I'd do it.
I just took the gustard x20 dac DSD
GUSTARD Costa de DAC-X20 double ES9018 XMOS program supports DSD DOP 384K
Pyrrhon posted:I'm in doubt with the 5si. I sold mine and saw a lot for sale on used market for the last year. I think It can be a bit too raw and edgy in the long run. The xs gives you a bit rounder sound and the important capacity to use flat caps later on. I think it's a good plan to upgrade. It should remove some edges and sound more controlled. Personally I'd do it.
I agree.
At first the 5si will impress with its relentless drive but, in the long run, you may find yourself not enjoying a fair percentage of your music collection.
When matched with the right source/speakers the XS2 should give you a better balance and make a wider variety of recordings palatable.
Think of it as a racing bike vs a hybrid. Unless you plan on cycling on perfect roads all the time you're probably better off with a good hybrid.
IMHO You have to try for yourself - As Hard as I tried I couldn't spot the difference between the Two.
hancoock2367 posted:I just took the gustard x20 dac DSD
GUSTARD Costa de DAC-X20 double ES9018 XMOS program supports DSD DOP 384K
A very nice upgrade over your Audiolab, congrats!
One of the nicest feature of the ESS Sabre chips is the quality of their digital volume control, so you may try the X20 in preamp mode and use the Nait 5si as a power amp only (via the AV Bypass mode).
Bye.