SuperUniti or Nait XS 2 + ND5 XS?

I think it's much more important an "audition at dealer" than "some" opinions: for example I own an SU and I'm extremely satisfied but I can't help you because I've never heard a ND5 XS with Nait XS. I hope someone who has tested both could help you.

The SU is often underestimated when listened to some speakers who are unable to express the potential which it is capable

As you've got the ND5, get the XS2. Both this system and the SU are very good, and I think it's impossible to say that X is better than y. 

You need to decide if you want a single box solution or want to bolt on further upgrades in the future?

Original XS here with ND5 & Spendor speakers - very happy - for now!

Thanks to all for the replies. Singlespeed, which Spendors do you have?

It's in the profile. 

Hi JLH,

I have a superuniti and found 2 main observations. Uppermids are a bit mellow and soft. Upperbass is a bit sqare and hard. Depending on the music it sometimes show one of those 2 behaviors. Otherwise on the plus side its very forgiving of harsh material and has a very pleasing slightly warm touch to the sound. The highs are perfect and the bass is very articulate. It sounds tonaly rich too. It needs a flat response speaker thats not too bassy. the spendor s6e is a perfect match here. 

Upper bass is a bit square. What on earth does that mean? 

I used to have a SuperUniti and the last speakers I'd use it with are the rather cuddly Spendor S series. 

Pyrrhon posted:

Upperbass is a bit sqare and hard. 

Did you mean spare?

Pyrrhon posted:

Hi JLH,

 

 Otherwise on the plus side its very forgiving of harsh material and has a very pleasing slightly warm touch to the sound. 

 

 

 

I am completely agree with you: the warmth and softness sound lets you listen to music for hours and hours and is extremely important  for me. Many times, a product that impresses less in a audition at the dealer then proves to be the most suitable for the house IMHO 

JLH, if you enjoy dynamic sound, big punch and harsh the SU is not for you: if you love great details,  combined with softness and warmth then It will deliver hours and hours of pleasure

Hungryhalibut posted:

Upper bass is a bit square. What on earth does that mean? 

I used to have a SuperUniti and the last speakers I'd use it with are the rather cuddly Spendor S series. 

I notice that  from time to time with some songs. Its a little hardness that happend probably around 200 hz. On my proac it forced me to move my speakers further form wall otherwise it was a bit annoying. A friend said he liked it and was a taut dry bass. For me its a little too dry and I feel it stands out too much from the mix hence the word 'square'. Example song to show it would be : War on drugs, An ocean in between the waves. I beleive the peak energy of the superuniti is in the upperbass because everything else is very uniform and nothing stands out except maybe the litlle mellowness in the 1-2 khz region. I used 3 pairs of speakers and hires flac or vinyl and could notice it all the way except on the spendor it was extremely subtle and not annoying. Hardness in the upperbass could be naim signature and like I said its minor but still I wanted to bring it in focus to the potential buyer so he can see for himself. The second I plugged the super demo in my home 2 thing immediately stoud out: warmth, upperbass energy. It rarely happens that I read an amp so quickly so I guess it must be its signature. But My room, my speakers, my ears... so many factors I admit I should try it in the basement to make sure. 

The s6e is a total redesign of the s6. It is far from the lazy slow speaker people think of. For me it was agressive on rock and metal till the superuniti softened it.  

JLH posted:

Thanks to all for the replies. Singlespeed, which Spendors do you have?

S3/5R2's (in case you missed the profile ;-)

I use a ND5 XS and a Nait XS-2 with Spendor SP2s.  I rate the combination very highly.  The SP2s are a very benign load (as are most Spendor speakers), and the XS-2 drives them with ease.

I auditioned this combination against an SU and went with the ND5 XS / Nait XS-2 because of: the greater detail it made available, the easy match of the XS-2 to the Spendor SP2s, my musical tastes and the size of my room.

You asked which Spendors others have, but haven't told us:
   which Spendor model you have
   the size of your listening room
   Your musical tastes
and the lack of that information makes recommendation less reliable - You NEED to help us to help you or you may get the wrong information.