You're in quite a fix.

The ND5 XS has the better DAC compared to the SN, but the Touch is the better streamer.

+1 for me. I initially a SB3 and then a SBT, with linear PSU, into a old, but very warm sounding Pink Triangle Ordinal DAC with 24-bit filter, but moved to a ND5XS (now with a XP5XS) and the experience has been very much improved, both in SQ and usability.

There was a stage when using Twonky Server on my ReadyNAS Duo, over LMS as my UPnP server wasn't as good in some areas (handling of AlbumArtist & Compliations) but better in others (AlbumArt presentation to end-point control app on iPad namely nStream) but this was all resolved when I moved to Asset UPnP running on a Raspberry Pi.

Enjoy,

Simon.

It looks as though it would be a positive move. 

At the moment my music is stored on my Macbook, could I control it from this Mac as I do now with the SBT or would I need to purchased an ipod touch or ipad to control it?

Any Naim streamer will allow your iPad/iPhone to control the top row of source selectors on you SN1, a trick nobody else's streamer can do.  I'd bet the DAC in the ND5XS is the best of the bunch; but I would try to borrow enough cables to try alternatives to test that theory.

I bought an NDX a few months ago and love it; but I still listen to the SBT more, because it sounds practically as good to me as the NDX through the nDAC, and I listen to Spotify Premium more than my ripped music these days.  Spotify Premium exceeds my expectations every time.  I can easily hear the inferiority of my own compressed rips versus lossless, but Spotify must be using some trickery to make their lossy stream sound better than it should.  I do not know how this is done.

Logitech Media Server is still solid.  If that ever changes, I don't know what a perfect replacement for the SBT would be.  Modded Sonos Connect, maybe.  Or a Spotify-enabled NDX.  

Best of luck.

Nick

Hello,

if I were in your position, I'd probably buy an ND 5XS, sell the SN and use the money to buy a Nait XS, but not a late XS2.

This way I'd have a more 'engineered' streamer, greater piece of mind, a funnier amp and similarly looking boxes.

Best

Max

FWIW I am very satisfied with my current streaming set-up which is SBT (USB output using Triode's EDO app) → DAC-V1 (USB asynchronous input). Data transfer from my file storage device to the DAC is BitPerfect. Direct comparison with ND5XS, or any other dedicated streamer, would be interesting but personally I don't feel the need to investigate. Recently I upgraded the PA from NAP100 to NAP200 which has given an appreciable enhancement to my listening experience.

Many thanks for all your replies,

It looks as though the ND5 SX would be a good upgrade.

Or maybe treat the SBT to a linear PSU,which I think is the problem with it now.

At least your input has given me food for thought.........

Of course another option would be to sell the Supernait and SBT and invest in a Superuniti, that would keep the box count down as space is a bit of an issue.......

I went along similar thought lines a few months ago leading me to upgrade my SBT to an NDX (plus a nDAC) fed into a SuperNait ... there are one or two threads from around Dec 13 / Jan 14 in which I raised issues.  Certainly I was advised to stick with the SBT as being so good that the 10x (or more) outlay for the NDX would not achieve that much improvement in SQ.

Such advice is probably fair ... but just how do you quantify SQ?

But I'm pleased to report that the SQ improvement was incredible ... far more than I had expected (that was with the straight swop: NDX for SBT).  When I installed the nDAC a week later and switched from using the SN's internal DAC to the external black box I'm not so certain about the SQ improvement.  I never used the NDX's DAC for comparison.

Anyhow, having promoted the NDX above the SB re: SQ, I can't be so positive about the software operation.  LMS is nigh-on perfect so rating it - say - 9/10, I can rate the n-stream + Server only 6/10 ... at best, and that after much fiddling about.

Will the ND5XS have as positive a result?  I'd be most surprised it it was not somewhat better than the SBT but do be prepared for some hassle re: change in operation.

Do I regret the spend?  Most definitely not ... day after day I hear more detail in music I've known for years; there is so much more depth, too, even on the weakest of recordings.

Set-up:

Ripped CD collection stored on NAS (FLAC)~Net Gear router~Ethernet~NDX~nDAC~SN~Naca5~ProAc Tri-Towers.

Just asking: is it just me or does Naim's "software" continually show itself as less than similar functionality form other companies?  It seems that is a weak link in their product line, if I am accurately aggregating the commentary I read here...

It has kept me from really wanting to delve into Naim streaming solutions, inasmuch as my own SBT with upgraded PSU works quite well with my Vortexbox, and I get the impression that going to a Naim streamer will sound some better, but open up a can of worms and give me a headache in terms of logistics.

However, I strive to continually remind myself the the SBT & VB in fact ARE computers, subject to all the eccentricities and foibles of computers, and will some day need to be dealt with (hence my obsessive back up process; I never want to rip my CDs ever again if I can avoid it!)

Yes, I concur about backing up files,

All my music is ripped to FLAC on my mac but I have backed them up on 2 separate hard drives......... 

Musicmad

As analogmusic has already stated using NDAC with NDX seems a waste of money. My understanding is the DAC in the NDX is very good and it has S/PDIF (2) and BNC (1) inputs. Where does the future proofing come in? Also, have you compared a Naim streamer with SBT digital output, or better still USB (EDO app) output, into an external DAC?

Dave

There are those who would argue that the nDac is a distinct upgrade to the NDX especially when the nDac is powered by an XPS2 or especially a 555PS. So there is an upgrade path for musicmad to consider albeit a potentially expensive one.

+1 

Another variation is a Mac (in my case a Mac Mini) or PC into a DAC V1 plus NAP200, gives you lots of choice of streaming radio or other services such as Spotify, storage of ripped or downloaded music and a great remote control app.  

Or an NDAC with SN2 plus a mac or PC is also worth an audition and better VFM than having  two DACs in one system.

Experimenting is the way to IMO.

Jude 

Hi, Dr Mark,

I find the Naim nStream software rather delightful.  The UI is polished and functional -- better than any others I have tried, by many measures.  But, setting up a music server, Naim or not, is not a completely obvious thing.  A love of IT things makes it all a doddle.  A hatred of IT things (which is not unusual, even in IT departments) suggests more happiness might be found elsewhere.  

I am grateful that I can enjoy the benefits of digital and analog systems, but I do not suggest that either is the ultimate for all users.  It is all fun, to me.  For many I love, it is anything but fun.

The Analogue Brigade do us all a favor reminding us sublime results are available from sources that have been forgotten or discredited over the years.  Whatever works.  

Nick

Hi, analogmusic,

Point taken about the NDX and nDAC together.  But we both know Simon-in-S. disagrees with you. 

In my case, I already had the nDAC/555, and was offered a deal on an ex-dem NDX when no analogous deal on an ND5XS was available.  Like a lot of us here, my system is somewhat in flux, and might be reorganized in time.  For what I could sell the DAC for, I'd rather keep using it, or mothball it for future use.  Any premium I may have paid for the NDX today will pay off if I split my system into two, with the nDAC going to one, and the NDX going to another.  This possibility alone prevented me from choosing the NDS, which has compelling merits of its own, not the least of which are net-economy/VFM and reduced box count.

Another reason I kept the Naim DAC is the eight-plus inputs.  I don't need all eight, but I need more than the three-plus any ND offers.  But, that's just me.

Nick

Thanks for the additional info - that is somewhat reassuring - what server software is needed to be compatible with the Naim streamers?  As I indicated, I have a VB running LMS, which while not flawless gets the job done (all files are FLAC except for a handful of mp3 that I was stuck with.)

At the risk of hijacking the thread (which I think this sort of parallels the OP) I don't know how to make the VB and a Naim streamer "talk" to each other - but I also admit I have not looked into it very closely.

With apologies to the OP for taking this thread further away from the original question (to which I hope I did offer some relevant experience), in answer - part only:

I, too, am certain that the NDX's internal DAC is very good ... perhaps better than that of the SuperNait.  In that sense the nDAC was perhaps not a wise purchase.  But I'm not convinced that the internal DAC is as good as - or better than - the nDAC.

If it is, why does Naim suggest the nDAC as a upgrade to the NDX?  Why did my dealer not indicate this and suggest that my money would be better spent on ...

Taking the argument that the NDX's internal DAC is as good as/better than the nDAC, then would you say the same re: the ND5XS's internal DAC?  Again, Naim suggest an external DAC (and in this case not specifically the nDAC) as an upgrade.  Whereas for the NDS no such upgrade is suggested.

Yes, I know that Naim and the Dealer are looking to sell kit but surely we have faith in them that neither will lead us in the wrong direction: they want our future business.  And Naim's philosophy has been for separate boxes.

I admit that I didn't notice any significant improvement when I installed the nDAC (approx. one week after replacing the SBT with the NDX) but I put that down to the massive improvement in SQ brought about by the earlier change.  Some 3 months on perhaps if I now removed the nDAC from the set-up I would notice some downgrade in SQ.

As for future proofing: I may not keep the NDX for ever; the direct replacement to the SN (which is now a few years old) is the SN2 ... it has no internal DAC hence I would need an external DAC to handle any digital supply.  That's what I meant by future proofing.

Naim streamer with SBT digital output?  This pre-supposes I have access to this kit which I can demo at my leisure and return with "no thanks" ... and, anyhow, as I've stated the improvement by replacing the SBT with the NDX is massive ... anyone who suggests otherwise cannot have the same hearing as me.

Why would I want to use USB (presumably from my NAS) when I've gone to the expense of having a Cat6 Ethernet cable installed in my house?

And to analogmusic who considers my nDAC to be a waste of money, suggesting I should have bought the NDS instead of both NDX and nDAC ... have you looked at the prices?  The NDS alone costs 25-30% more than my purchases ... and you need a PSU as well.  My future retirement savings wouldn't stretch that far.  

Mitch

 Mitch

A significant upgrade to the SBT is use the digital outputs into an external DAC, e.g. Rega, Arcam, DAC-V1. As the OP already has a STB then this would, IMHO, be a worthwhile upgrade and more cost effective than a dedicated Naim streamer.

Also, I was referring to the USB socket on the SBT which can be configured, using the EDO app, to provide a hi-res USB output. SBT used with an asynchronous USB DAC, such as DAC-V1, would I think, give any of the dedicated Naim streamers a run for their money.

As Jude2012 says "experimenting (or incremental upgrades) is the way to go".

Dave