ND5XS / 5XPS review in HFN

What's the verdict?

It's good. Add the PSU and it gets better 

To directly quote HiFi News: "- the ND5 XS is extremely good without it but the external PSU does offer more". 

dont need to write a mag review for that conclusion, time reviews were done by the customer .

Just don't see the point of buying a new XP5XS, personally I'd much rather go for a pre loved XPS-2 or PS555. IMHO very few people will buy an XP5XS and keep it for a long time, most will wonder what an XPS-2 does and some will be curious about the PS555 and end up with one of the two soon after. It's easy to see that the:

XP5XS is quite nice

XPS-2 is a lot better

PS555 will prove impossible to resist for many at some stage...

So why spend money on a new XP5XS when a pre loved XPS-2 can be had for pretty much the same? It only makes sense, should you want all your boxes to match the XS range...

You can always make the argument of why not buy second-hand.  XP5XS gives Naim a classic good/better/best line-up.  Remember there will sooner or later be XP5XSs on the second-hand market as well, at a new low-end price point.

Conclusion: (from memory): it is one of the best streaming solution.

This approach is getting a bit tiresome for some though. Flexibility is one thing but always having to aspire for another box is getting off puttng for me. Hence KDS. I think in general the perpetual upgrade ladder approach my have run it's course IMHO.

ttfn

M

But if you want all matching cases XP5XS / ND5XS / DAC(5XS)

the 5 psu has been designed to produce sufficient current at a stable voltage for streamers/dacs/cdp.   wanting to power streamers with expensive psu is just hifi snobbery.

True - but the main benefit in this case is getting the (magnetically and mechanically) noisy transformer out of the box (and the 'selected' regulators in the extenal PSU).

Still both boxes (NDX / ND5) offer a lot in single box form with an upgrade path if you so wish.

So the key question remains unanswered - if you wanted to spend £3k, and no more, on this functionality, which is better - ND5 + XP5 or NDX?

The ND5 combo is around 3.5k so over your 3k limit. Only your ears can decide which is the best route. I'm happy with the NDX which will be heading back off to Naim next week for its 24/192 upgrade but its an intersting value proposition.

James

I bought the ND5XS because I really couldn't differentiate between it and the NDX through my ATC system.

Lived with both products on home dem for about a week and tried blind listening tests to compare the two.

Each time it was very difficult to say which one was playing the music - friends and family were brought into the equation and they too could not spot any night and day differences. Neither could the HiFi choice reviewer Malcolm Steward  The two players really are so close!!

I've no idea what the XP5XS 'brings to the party' - but it would create a combo £500 more than the bare NDX. I suspect that it is a very slight improvement.

Personally I'd be looking for a substantial (night and day) difference in sound quality - rather than the slight 'law of diminishing returns'  that these upgrades potentially bring

If the NDX was obviously sounding better than the ND5XS, then I'd have bought it instead. Unfortunely, it didn't.

Rather than adding external PSU's and the nDAC, I would be looking at the soon to be released NDS as a future upgrade from the ND5XS.

Hopefully, there will be a massive (rather than subtle) difference in sound quality. If not ....... the ND5XS stays a little longer!

It really is that good

I suspect that if both the NDX and ND5XS had been released at the same time, most users would have gone for the cheaper unit. But I guess that is down to technological developments and progress with making similar sounding equipment for less cost.

In my opinion, the NDX will probably be revamped with a version 2 in order to sustain its place in the Naim hierachy.