Updated NDX with new vs old streaming board

Posted by: meissmar on 24 March 2012

I have had a chance to compare at my dealer an upgraded NDX with the new board to one with the old board. They were both stand-alone without external PSU or DAC. The Hiline was always swapped from one player to the other. System was 202-hicap2-200-Wilson Benesch ACT60 on a Fraim rack. Source was a QNAP NAS running twonky and streaming flac files, ethernet wired.The upgrade on the NDX was done two days before my comparison and running ever since to run-in the streaming board. The other NDX was also powered for about two days and well run in before that.

The difference between the two was pretty amazing. The new board changes the sound quite dramatically. It sounds much smoother, more analog. In comparison, the old NDX sounds rough and somewhat edgy. I got the impression that the old streaming board is something of a limiting factor in the unit. I always found my NDX to be a little edgy and not "mobile" enough. After having heard the two next to each other, I thought I have always heard the limitations the streaming board creates. It was like all the other parts after the board are so good that they show it off. Source first and all. Like having a pre that is too good for the source and just shows you what the source is not capable of doing. So this is not just about being able to play 192Hz/24bit files.

To get this kind of upgrade for 300€ is OK for me! Highly recommended!

Mario
Posted on: 24 March 2012 by Woods Scot

Its free in Canada

Posted on: 24 March 2012 by sktn77a
Originally Posted by meissmar:
The difference between the two was pretty amazing. The new board changes the sound quite dramatically. It sounds much smoother, more analog. In comparison, the old NDX sounds rough and somewhat edgy.


Did you know which was the old NDX and which was the new NDX when you did your listening test, or was it a blinded comparison?

Posted on: 25 March 2012 by meissmar
Yes I knew which one I was listening to because I was on my own in their listening room. But the difference was very clear and big, so I am sure I did not just imagine it. I just wanted to share it with the people here who were wondering like me what would happen with the new board. It is not like I wanted it to be better, because I had changes in my system in the past that were making it sound worse in the long run. So I wanted to have a chance to listen to the new board vs the old to see if I want to make the change. To hear if I prefer the NDX with the old or the new board. In case you don't know I prefer the NDX without the DAC because I think the with the DAC it loses some of the naturalness and musical flow and gets a little more chaotic. So I do not believe that every upgrade must make the sound better for me. I know my dealer very well so they gave me a chance to listen to decide whether the upgrade is good for me. Mario
Posted on: 25 March 2012 by Simon-in-Suffolk

Hi, interesting, when I upgraded my NDX I didnt really notice much of a difference, albeit I mostly stream WAVs into the NDX and connect the NDX to an NDAC. It does cross my mind therefore whether there is much of a model to model variation in SQ with the NDX, or whether the differences are more pronounced if you use FLACs instead of WAVs ( which of course is handled by the streaming board)?

Simon

Posted on: 25 March 2012 by meissmar
I did a lengthy comparison between flac and wav on my NDX at home with wav ripped directly from the CD and then converted to flac. I can pick that there is a difference and that wav is somewhat better, but by far not as much as the difference I heard between the two streaming boards.

Regarding the NDX and the DAC, my dealer asked me 2 weeks ago to try a cable between them he got from Chord. It was the sarum digital IC. The people there also prefer the NDX without the nDAC. The representative from Chord gave them that cable and said that it would be different with this cable. So he gave me that cable for another opinion, because they know I prefer the bare NDX. So to make a long story short, when putting in this cable the difference was very clear and very impressive. The loss in musicality I hear when using the DC1 was gone. Everything in the music was where it's supposed to be. Everything was much clearer, more expression, everything is more on point, not the slight bit of chaos I feel gets in there when using the nDAC with the NDX via DC1 compared to the NDX alone.

So I came away with the impression that my problem is not that the nDAC analog section is less musical than the NDX, the problem is the digital connection from NDX to nDAC. The DC1 is not good enough for what the NDX and nDAC are capable of doing and showing.

So for everyone using the NDX->DC1, I would really recommend trying this cable from chord. But be careful, it costs 1900€, so don't listen to it if you are not prepared to spend that kind of money.

Back to why I'm writing this: Simon, maybe some of what the new board is doing better gets lost on the way over to the nDAC. I think that it is not just that the difference is more pronounced when using flac. Although that might also play a part.

Mario
Posted on: 25 March 2012 by Simon-in-Suffolk

Thanks Mario, I must admit I don't get 'chaos' with my system, even if very compressed media. I do use a DC1, and use RF chokes on it. I am prepared to consider there are more effective digital interconnects, but am pretty satisfied with my system right now...

I also find that a Powerline into the aux power on the NDAC makes a big improvement in terms of a vibrant natural sound, more so than the Powerline into NDX or 555PS.

Posted on: 26 March 2012 by meissmar
Agreed on the powerline having an impressiveinfluence on the digital section. Sorry, if the "chaos" comment came across a little rude. It is all system dependent and subjective. Maybe my pre/power/speaker combination is more sensistive to this effect, I don't know. I have never heard the cyrus set you own. Mario
Posted on: 28 March 2012 by meissmar
Just got the new streaming board installed in my NDX. Took it home and had a quick listen with familiar tracks. Amazing update! Can't recommend it enough! Thank you Naim. Even new without any burn-in time. And it does ot matter if you're using WAV or FLAC. They are both so much better with the new board.

Mario
Posted on: 28 March 2012 by scillyisles

My dealers advised using Chord Signature digital connects cables between NDX and NDAC plus HDX and NDAC.  

Posted on: 28 March 2012 by meissmar
From what I heard having the Sarum in between the NDX and the nDac, he might be correct. Then again it might be a matter of taste. But it's a good hint. I should try one at some point. Maybe I like it better than the DC1. Because the Sarum is too expensive for me right now, especially with the NDS right around the corner. What's the price of the signature?

Speaking of the NDS: My dealer told me today that he already has THREE customers that ordered/bought one without even hearing it! Can you believe that?

Mario