The NDS has the same DAC system as the nDAC I believe, and the NDX has a lower version of the above, hence the upgrade with the nDAC. Note, the NDX + nDAC is apparently lesser quality than NDS, regardless of power supply upgrade.

Hi,

I had ndx/ndac but it never gripped me.I purchased a xps2 dr to power the ndac as forum searches suggested the ndac needed it to perform at its best.

In the end I ditched the ndac in favour of ndx/xps2 dr.To my ears this sounded more musical and less hifi to me.

This was running the original ndac firmware.I have not tried nds.

Scott

With the Aurender, you clearly need a DAC not an NDS or NDX, the ND range are steamers which as I understand it your Aurender is also. 

SJB

Yes, I do not need the streaming section of the NDS or NDX hence the question of their DAC sections vs the nDAC.

The nDac with 555PS would seem to be the way to go. But is the Aurender as good as an NDS? If not, you could ditch the Aurender and get an NDS with 555PS. 

Aurender has a massive internal storage & I really like the user interface

Of course it sounds good.

so nDAC = NDS DAC section ?

We've done this comparison. Well, some of it. The NDS walks it. The NDX is a bit long winded to evaluate because there are several permutations of NDX plus power supply, NDX plus DAC, NDX plus DAC plus  power supply. Not all that easy to go through the lot of them. We think the NDX cruises at about the same sonic level as the HDX and benefits from the addition of DAC and power supply of choice. But nothing gets near the effortless transparency of the NDS.

Only IMO mind you.

Harry posted:

We've done this comparison. Well, some of it. The NDS walks it. The NDX is a bit long winded to evaluate because there are several permutations of NDX plus power supply, NDX plus DAC, NDX plus DAC plus  power supply. Not all that easy to go through the lot of them. We think the NDX cruises at about the same sonic level as the HDX and benefits from the addition of DAC and power supply of choice. But nothing gets near the effortless transparency of the NDS.

Only IMO mind you.

But don't forget the NDS requires a power supply. At this level probably the 555PSU.

So maybe the choice is Aurender W20 + nDAC + PSU or NDS + 555PSU (2 Burndy cables req'd.).

Harry posted:

We've done this comparison. Well, some of it. The NDS walks it. The NDX is a bit long winded to evaluate because there are several permutations of NDX plus power supply, NDX plus DAC, NDX plus DAC plus  power supply. Not all that easy to go through the lot of them. We think the NDX cruises at about the same sonic level as the HDX and benefits from the addition of DAC and power supply of choice. But nothing gets near the effortless transparency of the NDS.

Only IMO mind you.

Have also owned all three, and I agree with Harry on this.

If if sticking with the Aurender, then a DAC with XPS2 or 555PS makes more sense for the OP.  Upgrading either PS to DR status also makes sense IMO.

Hook

sheffieldgraham posted:

But don't forget the NDS requires a power supply. At this level probably the 555PSU.

Of course. But I guess it never hurts to reality check it.

I was going on the thread title "nDAC vs NDS vs NDX" and my view may be too narrow.

MDFdude posted:

 

so nDAC = NDS DAC section ?

Yes, and no...  

much is shared, such as the selected Burr Brown PCM1704K DAC chips, 40bit Sharc processor etc.. and both have a fully discrete analogue output stage.  The NDS goes further with no internal PSU and the mass loaded suspended boards.  

MDFDUDE, out of Naim's current offering the two best DACs are

1. NDS (used as DAC) with one or two 555PS power supplies

2. DAC with one 555PS power supply

No doubt the NDS (1) beats the NDX in every way, so you will surely like it. The DAC (2) however sounds different compared to the NDS or NDX, so you will have to listen to it before you know.

Be aware the current 555PS has discrete regulation (marked "DR" on the back panel) unlike the previous 555PS version.

Hmm, wrote to Naim direct & received a very cryptic reply :

Ah I see. "the DAC" in the second sentence refers to nDAC. Now it makes sense.

Apologies, I am new to Naim

NDX came out in 2008-9, Naim DAC came out in 2009-10 and was outed as an upgrade for NDX and revived Naim CD players that upgraded with a digital output.

NDS came out 2012. Unlike the CD555 which has no digital output the NDS has one but is not meant to be bettered from the addition of the Naim DAC.

I would be confident to say that a lot of people are waiting for a hardware upgrade of the Naim DAC to something in line of the Statement level, but who knows.

Richard Dane posted:

MDFdude posted:

 

so nDAC = NDS DAC section ?

Yes, and no...  

much is shared, such as the selected Burr Brown PCM1704K DAC chips, 40bit Sharc processor etc.. and both have a fully discrete analogue output stage.  The NDS goes further with no internal PSU and the mass loaded suspended boards.  

mlsb = mass loaded suspended boards.

Ndac + 555PS DR + mlsb = Ndac+

Ndac+ = NDS + 555PS DR

So the difference would be the Mass loaded suspended  boards, Correct?

Does that have something to do with an isolated chassis?

Curious Ndac's can be had @ nice price 2nd hand Market!

I do wonder if much of the gap between the nDAC and the NDS can be addressed through vibration control, I.e I use TC sort cones under my nDAC.  They make a significant difference with vs without, possibly doing a similar job to the isolated chassis.  On occasion to do wonder what a 555 would bring to the table as I use an XPS dr , but it's probably another $7k to do the upgrade here in Australia even with a generous trade. Considering that my DAC is already, what....5 and 8 and 9 and 1.5 .......but more importantly it's in no way lacking in performance.

By the way, I know an obsessive audiophile ( are there any others) that has an Aurrenda....in the cupboard as he says his MacBook running protocols sounds better.  Just saying, the are different opinions out there ( put 2 audiophiles in a room and you will get 3 opinions).