ND5sx upgrade path

Add a Chord Hugo and forget the external PSU .... superior  sound and much better value.

NDX? By the time you’ve lost funds on the  trade in or sale, you’d be better off with simply adding the a Hugo 

Andres Herrera posted:

I was wondering if I should upgrade ND5SX with PSU or change to NDX? 

This is the route i took. Had ND5, upgraded with NPX PSU, upgraded again by replacing ND5 with NDX. Each upgrade very worthwhile.

Then tried Chord Hugo, loved it, kept it. Sold PSU as i could not hear any benefit with Hugo in the mix.

Should have stayed with ND5 and added Hugo in the first place and saved a bunch of cash.

As Mr Frog says above try a Hugo 

Foxman50 posted:

Andres Herrera posted:

I was wondering if I should upgrade ND5SX with PSU or change to NDX? 

This is the route i took. Had ND5, upgraded with NPX PSU, upgraded again by replacing ND5 with NDX. Each upgrade very worthwhile.

Then tried Chord Hugo, loved it, kept it. Sold PSU as i could not hear any benefit with Hugo in the mix.

Should have stayed with ND5 and added Hugo in the first place and saved a bunch of cash.

As Mr Frog says above try a Hugo 

Ditto, other than that my tried and rejected power supply was an XP5XS. I later replaced ND5XS with a different renderer (retaining Hugo). A number on the forum have upgraded NDX by adding Hugo.

I don't recall reading any direct comparisons of ND5XS-Hugo vs NDX-Hugo, so I don't know how big an audible difference there is in the rendering functions of the two streamers, though the implications have been that latter will be better. Similarly I don't recall reading any direct comparisons of ND5XS-Hugo vs NDX: I suspect those who find Hugo's presentation more natural and 'analog-like' and like that are likely to prefer the former, but I have no direct evidence in support. No doubt those with direct experience will clarify.

Hi if you're not into radio and tidal or spotify but digital streaming from your nas, then ditch that router thingy and get a direct connection between both.

The greatest upgrade of all.

Antonio1 posted:

Hi if you're not into radio and tidal or spotify but digital streaming from your nas, then ditch that router thingy and get a direct connection between both.

The greatest upgrade of all.

I think many may agree with this but many may not, so at the least it's a very controversial statement that Antonio makes.

And of course you may well still need the network for other streamers elsewhere in your home. The best thing is to go and listen for yourself.

best

David

I have a problem is that I can not audition Hugo's where I live. I have been looking into them lately but have found the $4,000 USD price on the Chord 2 steep for me, is there much difference in the sound between the original Chord and Chord2

I had ND5XS and got a Chord 2Qute less than £1000 new and despite what some people on here claim I found no difference between it and Hugo 1 infact they use exactly the same electronics but the 2Qute doesn't have a headphone amp is not portable and does not have adjustable gain output.  According to some the battery power supply on the Hugo makes it sound better but those batteries do fail and need replacing but again I tried both and if there were differences I did not notice them.

There is another reason some Naim users do not go for the 2Qute and that is its output is fixed and is a little high for some Naim pre's but is fine for Naim integrated amps but again I use a Nac 282 and although it is at full volume at 10 - 11 o'clock and it isn't an issue for me it is the same for my phono stage.

After a couple of months using the ND5XS just for rendering duties seemed like a waste of funds for me and I traded it against a 300 although at the moment I still haven't fully replaced what the ND could do in terms of rendering I am temporarily using a GoogleChromecast Audio which is fine as a temporary measure but when funds allow I will go with something like an Aurilic Mini.

Bob the Builder posted:

I had ND5XS and got a Chord 2Qute less than £1000 new and despite what some people on here claim I found no difference between it and Hugo 1 infact they use exactly the same electronics but the 2Qute doesn't have a headphone amp is not portable and does not have adjustable gain output.  According to some the battery power supply on the Hugo makes it sound better but those batteries do fail and need replacing but again I tried both and if there were differences I did not notice them.

There is another reason some Naim users do not go for the 2Qute and that is its output is fixed and is a little high for some Naim pre's but is fine for Naim integrated amps but again I use a Nac 282 and although it is at full volume at 10 - 11 o'clock and it isn't an issue for me it is the same for my phono stage.

After a couple of months using the ND5XS just for rendering duties seemed like a waste of funds for me and I traded it against a 300 although at the moment I still haven't fully replaced what the ND could do in terms of rendering I am temporarily using a GoogleChromecast Audio which is fine as a temporary measure but when funds allow I will go with something like an Aurilic Mini.

The 2Qute and Hugo are different electronically in two respects, Hugo doesnt have galvanic isolation on it's usb input (for mobile phone compatability reasons), and I understand the output stages are different (Hugo's being capable of powering headphones). I haven't heard 2Qute so can't comment myself, but one or both of the differences, dependi g on system, could account for the differences people report hearing. Whether audible to others will of course depend on the individual's ears and system (including room).

Regarding rendering, I use the sonically excellent Audirvana on a headless dedicated Mac Mini, making a combined store/renderer, but that is only value for money if you don't aleady have a store, and like most computer based sources suitable RF isolation is essential if Hugo is used because it is very susceptible the inevitable RF component. Audirvana doesn't have the best of library facilities, so if I was looking now I might consider microRendu, otherwise maybe, Melco or even Core.

Andres Herrera posted:

I have a problem is that I can not audition Hugo's where I live. I have been looking into them lately but have found the $4,000 USD price on the Chord 2 steep for me, is there much difference in the sound between the original Chord and Chord2

Cost of Hugo seems high where you are: in UK it is about £1800, equivalent to maybe $2400 US.  H1 quite a bit cheaper. H1 readily available on secondhand market, but outside the UK I'd check the cost of battery replacement first because a few people have had to have replacements, and while there is a suggestion that the issue has been fixed, it is a potential risk secondhand. H2 probably better, but less likely to be available secondhand. You might find a UK supplier willing to send on a trial basis at UK price +shipping, but as a grey import you'd probably be entirely responsible for any returns. People who have compared say there is a difference between H1 & H2, most saying 2 clearly better - but I do recall one person on this forum expressing the opposite view. 

Innocent Bystander posted:

The 2Qute and Hugo are different electronically in two respects, Hugo doesnt have galvanic isolation on it's usb input (for mobile phone compatability reasons), and I understand the output stages are different (Hugo's being capable of powering headphones). I haven't heard 2Qute so can't comment myself, but one or both of the differences, dependi g on system, could account for the differences people report hearing. Whether audible to others will of course depend on the individual's ears and system (including room).

Regarding rendering, I use the sonically excellent Audirvana on a headless dedicated Mac Mini, making a combined store/renderer, but that is only value for money if you don't aleady have a store, and like most computer based sources suitable RF isolation is essential if Hugo is used because it is very susceptible the inevitable RF component. Audirvana doesn't have the best of library facilities, so if I was looking now I might consider microRendu, otherwise maybe, Melco or even Core.

I forgot the usb difference a definite plus for the Qute IMO. Thanks for renderer advice IB Mac Mini is another possibility for me heard great things about Audirvana and as I dont have a store sounds a real possibility.

Andres Herrera posted:

I have a problem is that I can not audition Hugo's where I live. I have been looking into them lately but have found the $4,000 USD price on the Chord 2 steep for me, is there much difference in the sound between the original Chord and Chord2

I owned the original Hugo 1 for abou two years,I sold it about 5 months ago.Now I am home demoing the Hugo 2,I have had it for about two weeks now,so it has plenty of hours on it (24/7 running).The first week I mostly used it with headphones running off my iPad,and Tidal as a source,to me it is significantly better than the H1,it is VERY clear through headphones.The second week,I have had it in my Naim system,Fed SPDIF from my Core,then into my N272 analog inputs,I have not done any real serious testing yet,but it REALLY sounds great,I plan to test it more thoroughly in the next few weeks,but to the OP,do not rule out the H2 as an option from the ND5sx,before you go further,it is very special.H2 is way better than H1 to my ears.

Bob the Builder posted:

 

 

I forgot the usb difference a definite plus for the Qute IMO. Thanks for renderer advice IB Mac Mini is another possibility for me heard great things about Audirvana and as I dont have a store sounds a real possibility.

I bought a secondhand 'late 2012' version MM, which is the last version that you can still do substantial DIY with. It is  a Core i5 2.5 2.5GHz that I upgraded to 16GB RAM and a pair of 1TD SSDs. You can add additional external storage at the same access speed with Apples proprietary port. 

if you have access to a Mac you can trial Audirvana free. Although the remote app isnt free, you can always trial just in desktop mode. As I hinted,  i don't get on well with it's library, though other people seem very happy with it - I believe it is purely a metadata issue: unfortunately I hava a lot of albums with poor or incomplete metadata. It is frustrating having to work around - I put up with it because if the sound quality, but one day I'll jump ship if they don't improve it and I find another renderer equaly as good sound-wise without spending a fortune.

On the Hugo front, IIRC most who have noted an audible difference between it and 2Qute have preferred Hugo - but indeed 2Qute's galvanic isolation has benefits. I used a Gustard U12 isolator/converter when I had Hugo, which was inexpensive and very effective.