ND5 XS + XP5 XS Upgrade options

daveyu posted:

Considering upgrade to above source.

I'm looking for opinions as to whether adding a Chord Hugo TT Dac or swapping the ND5 for an NDS, 2nd hand probably with the current power supply to be upgraded to 555ps later would be best.

They key point really is whether you may sometimes want to steam to more than one room, because if you do, then streaming to an NDS rather than a posh DAC is in my view the way to go. But you will find advocates of each on the forum.

But ultimately it's which you like the sound of best which is what should guide you.

best

David

What's the rest of your system?  Without knowing that, all is guesswork.

Huge is right - fill in the profile section and we can give more meaningful help.

I had ND5/XP5 for a while but preferred ND5/Hugo by a country mile.

I have a Conrad Johnson pre-amp and power amp with Avalon idea speakers on the vinyl side I have an SME 20/2 / series V, clearaudio + nagra phono stage

Not kit that I'm familiar with I'm afraid, but I can strongly recommend ND5 plus Hugo, or better still NDX plus Hugo. With Hugo you won't need a power supply for either.

Various posts here on Hugo vs Hugo TT.

nickpeacock posted:

Not kit that I'm familiar with I'm afraid, but I can strongly recommend ND5 plus Hugo, or better still NDX plus Hugo. With Hugo you won't need a power supply for either.

Various posts here on Hugo vs Hugo TT.

Can you explain why power supply with nd5 is not required with Hugo?

The Hugo 2 is possibly better than the Hugo TT?

Well, middle of last year I went from a ND5/XP5 to NDS/XP5 and wow - it did everything that the ND5/XP5 was doing, but just much better & more of it (depth, width, bass, control, timing, etc.)

However the NDS/XP5 as a pairing didn't last long, and had to see what a 555DR (2nd hand 555 upgraded to DR) would do, and it just gave more, much more - it was the control factor that was amazing.

Both the ND5 and XP5 were sold 2nd hand - easily and quickly - so funding the upgrade, to what is now done as Network Player. Not sure about a 2nd 555DR, but maybe an upgrade of the HiLine DIN-RCA to Super Lumina, later on.

This is into non-Naim amp (Moon i5) and B&W 805 Signatures.

Simon.

daveyu posted:

nickpeacock posted:

Not kit that I'm familiar with I'm afraid, but I can strongly recommend ND5 plus Hugo, or better still NDX plus Hugo. With Hugo you won't need a power supply for either.

Various posts here on Hugo vs Hugo TT.

Can you explain why power supply with nd5 is not required with Hugo?

The Hugo 2 is possibly better than the Hugo TT?

 

ND5 does not need a separate power supply; it can operate without. (NDX same.)

ND5/XP5 is clearly better than ND5 alone. Wider soundstage.

But ND5 running in digital output mode into Hugo is way way better than ND5/XP5. Holographic sound is the best way I can describe it.

Waiting with interest to hear Hugo 2 reviews.

nickpeacock posted:

daveyu posted:

nickpeacock posted:

Not kit that I'm familiar with I'm afraid, but I can strongly recommend ND5 plus Hugo, or better still NDX plus Hugo. With Hugo you won't need a power supply for either.

Various posts here on Hugo vs Hugo TT.

Can you explain why power supply with nd5 is not required with Hugo?

The Hugo 2 is possibly better than the Hugo TT?

 

ND5 does not need a separate power supply; it can operate without. (NDX same.)

ND5/XP5 is clearly better than ND5 alone. Wider soundstage.

But ND5 running in digital output mode into Hugo is way way better than ND5/XP5. Holographic sound is the best way I can describe it.

Waiting with interest to hear Hugo 2 reviews.

The OP is saying he is thinking of an NDS not an ND5.

best

David

Everyone with a Hugo will say how marvellous it is. People who own an NDS will wax lyrical about that. There's only one way to know the answer, and it's not by reading this thread unfortunately.

I cannot agree more with 2H. While I would always cherish my NDS/555DR, I very well know that some do favor NDX/Hugo or TT at both 252 and 552 levels. Run the comparison in situ, trust your ears and make you mind with your favorite pieces of music. 

Chag -

P.S. I would love to listen to these CJs on Avalon, Wilson or ProAc. 

Points taken regarding demos, ND5 XS + XP5 XS is very good, but not quite a the level of the cd player it replaced,

but the convenience and range of music that can be streamed is awesome, just trying to match my ex-cd player.

Yes, the CJ + Avalon combination is a match made in heaven, Proacs work well too.

Clearly we can all only relay the benefit of our experiences, and of course that is most useful where that includes comparative information rather than simply stating what we use. In that regard you'll find a lot on this forum comparing Hugo with, various Naim DACs or streamers with inbuilt DACs, where there does seem to be an overwhelming preference, which I'm sure you can find.

In case it is of assistance this is my streaming journey: I had ND5XS first, then added XP5XS, but frankly i felt its marginal improvement was very good value for money. As a somewhat unconventional upgrade I swapped the XP5XS for Hugo, just using the ND5XS as renderer, which I found gave a noticeable improvement in sound quality, overall seeming more natural. 

I then Audirvana as renderer on a Mac Mini, with a Gustard U12 isolator/converter between the Mm and Hugo because Hugo is susceptible to the RF interference from sources without adequate isolation. That beat the ND5XS as renderer, giving a further improvement. Some time later I had the oppotunity to compare my MM/Audirvana with the Melco N1A store/renderer which has generally had very good reviews on this forum, playing through Chord Dave, Bryston 4Bsst power amp and PMC Fact12 speakers, and did not detect any obvious difference (it was only a short comparison on the back of a DAC audition, so I can't say whether or not there might be small differences that may only become evident on extended comparison)

I have since swapped Hugo for Dave, having also auditioned HugoTT. TT was a small,improvement on Hugo sonically, while adding better connectivity and a remote control, but Dave was in a completely different league - real and very literal wow on first hearing, and wholly engaging in use. Whilst Hugo is excellent, and I could happily live with it indefinitely despite its lack of remote control if I couldn't afford Dave, but once ia'd heard Dave it was simply a must-have (be warned!)

For the price of NDS and power supply I think you're at a comparable price to Dave, so probably well worth comparing if you have an opportunity, except that with Dave you will also need a renderer, and choice there will depend on what music store you use. If a NAS you will need something additional - some people use NDX, but that seems rather a waste of buying its DAC. Better would be a combined store/renderer because that would take the network out of the equation for sound quality (though you can still serve over a network to other players if you want. Options apart from the MacMini/Audirvana and Melco include the Innuos Zenith - and there are big hopes now for the new Unity Core, subject to learning how good sound quality it really is in that role, as there is still a dearth of comparative assessment.

Correction: my last post should have said I didn't think XP5XS was good VFM, not did think it was!

And I forgot to add: if you only have analogue sources you don't need a preamp with Dave, HugoTT or even Hugo, as they can happily drive a power amp direct, without the extra electronics (though basic Hugo without a remote control). But it is fair to say that some who have tried prefer with, others without the preamp (the former possibly because they miss its colouration?). And if you do have analogue sources you would need a preamp.

As someone who uses a TT direct to a 250DR power amplifier I can vouch for the Chord's quality.

For a 3 box system I think it's hard to beat at the price in terms of sq. Less flexible of course but with NAS, Tidal & iRadio I have all the sources I need.

G

Innocent Bystander posted:

And I forgot to add: if you only have analogue sources you don't need a preamp with Dave, HugoTT or even Hugo, as they can happily drive a power amp direct, without the extra electronics (though basic Hugo without a remote control). But it is fair to say that some who have tried prefer with, others without the preamp (the former possibly because they miss its colouration?). And if you do have analogue sources you would need a preamp.

IB, I think you meant to say "if you only have digital sources...."

The OP has a Clearaudio turntable/nagra phono stage so will need to have a preamp with an analogue input.

sjbabbey posted:

Innocent Bystander posted:

And I forgot to add: if you only have analogue sources you don't need a preamp with Dave, HugoTT or even Hugo, as they can happily drive a power amp direct, without the extra electronics (though basic Hugo without a remote control). But it is fair to say that some who have tried prefer with, others without the preamp (the former possibly because they miss its colouration?). And if you do have analogue sources you would need a preamp.

IB, I think you meant to say "if you only have digital sources...."

The OP has a Clearaudio turntable/nagra phono stage so will need to have a preamp with an analogue input.

Clearly I missed the existence of the TT on the part of the OP, but hopefully he won't have been misled by error the you spotted! Thanks for correcting.