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If it were me I would buy a NAC-N 272 and a used NAP 200.  Sell the Nait 5i and CD Player and look for a better phono stage which you can always do separately.  I've only used the Stageline and this needs power.  You could get one of these and a used Hi-Cap.

The 272/200 combination will be far better than the ND5 XS/XS2 combination and will be more in keeping with your speakers.

If you are feeling flush the NAP 250DR is superb, but you will blow the budget as buying used is unlikely to be an option at the moment.

Richard

I don't know the Excite range but as a general rule Dynas like powerful articulate amplification. 

The Nait 5i is certainly an excellent amp but obviously more powerful options are available. The Xs is excellent - a friend of mine has one with a Cd5XS and it sings    Your proposed way forward makes sense.  Can your dealer arrange a home dem/loan. 

With regard to your phono stage the Stageline is just excellent at its price point but remember it is not adjustable between various cartridge types so if you were thinking of a cartridge change you might want to factor in. 

Good luck,

Lindsay

Personally I would be only comfortable driving an X38 with NAP 200. The X38 is quite a capable speaker with those large twin bass drivers

X38 is not a 8 Ohm speaker like the X34, and Dynaudio assumed those willing to spend the extra to buy an X38 would have a matching amp

Having said all this, if your LP12/ Nait sounds good, then upgrade the CD source first and see if that works

But a 172/200 would probably solve your issue within 3K GBP.

To give you an idea of what it takes to drive the top Dynaudio speakers, My Dynaudio/Krell local dealer has at his home the top of the line Dynaudio which cost as much as a BMW 5 series or more, and he drives those with 600 Watt Krell monoblocs.

Also In the latest Axpona hi-fi show, apparently, the Dynaudio C1 was the best sound at the show, but then driven by Mark Levinson 536 monoblocs, 30,000 USD per pair, 400 W per channel into 8 Ohms.

Hence that is why I recommend Nap 200 for X38, preferably 250.2 (you can find it good price nowadays pre-loved)

I would not look too much into wattage of these Krell and Levinson amps, it is more about current delivery which Naim amps do provide, but it was to illustrate that these are seriously capable speakers when given good current, which NAP 200 and 250.2 will provide.

I'd have a look at a 272 (they are appearing exdem now) and a 250.2, which have got a lot cheaper with the introduction of the new DR version. You can upgrade it to DR later if you wish. Given that you mention the ND5, this suggests that you want to start streaming, which would enable you to retain the CD5i for the occasional CD, or you could sell it. 

Many thanks for all the detailed replies, I had not even considered the 272/200 option, it clearly makes a lot of sense.  I'll demo and let you all know what I decide to do.

Thanks again

Just thought I'd give you an update.  Thanks to the advice on this forum I went ahead and auditioned a 272 with a 200 DR and then a 250 DR.  The 250 DR is awesome, completely blows the 200 away.  I then have subsequently purchased an ex demo 272 and a year old 250.2 for a total of £4200 from a dealer, I think that's pretty good value.  I will get the DR upgrade later in the year.  

It's taken a couple of days to bed in but overall I'm delighted.  I'm especially impressed with Tidal, listened to some Pink Floyd through their service and was immediately smiling!  I'm happy with the way my CD5i is sounding through the 272 too.  My LP12 is in for a service and a new cartridge (2M Black) and the dealer has almost persuaded me to ditch my Project SE for an Rega Aria!  

Anyway, thanks again for all the advice.

Owen,

Now that you actually do own an excellent streamer / preamp and a very good power amp, your next challenge is to set up a NAS (Network Attached Storage) where you can store your ripped CDs and Hi-Res purchases.

If you need help with setting it up, just let us know.

Once the system settles down and you get used to the sound, you can try an external power supply - XPSDR will be a worthwile addition. But not now - give it 6 months or so.

Adam

Owen Davies posted:

Just thought I'd give you an update.  Thanks to the advice on this forum I went ahead and auditioned a 272 with a 200 DR and then a 250 DR.  The 250 DR is awesome, completely blows the 200 away.  I then have subsequently purchased an ex demo 272 and a year old 250.2 for a total of £4200 from a dealer, I think that's pretty good value.  I will get the DR upgrade later in the year.  

It's taken a couple of days to bed in but overall I'm delighted.  I'm especially impressed with Tidal, listened to some Pink Floyd through their service and was immediately smiling!  I'm happy with the way my CD5i is sounding through the 272 too.  My LP12 is in for a service and a new cartridge (2M Black) and the dealer has almost persuaded me to ditch my Project SE for an Rega Aria!  

Anyway, thanks again for all the advice.

Would appreciate if you can clarify on your 272/200DR and 250 DR audition when you mentioned the 250 DR "blew" the 200 away. This suggested that you heard a significant improvement going from the 200 DR to the 250 DR. What speakers were used in the audition?

Indeed a significant improvement all round, particularly in bass also clearer mids and just sheer musicality.  Everything just came alive.  The speakers were Neat SX1's.  I have Dynaudio Excite X38's which they did not stock.  Having owned a pair of Neat SX1's in the past I thought it would be a good audition pair.  Hope this helps.

Owen Davies posted:

Indeed a significant improvement all round, particularly in bass also clearer mids and just sheer musicality.  Everything just came alive.  The speakers were Neat SX1's.  I have Dynaudio Excite X38's which they did not stock.  Having owned a pair of Neat SX1's in the past I thought it would be a good audition pair.  Hope this helps.

Thanks for the response. Good to hear the 250 DR has managed to bring a significant difference to the Neat SX1s although the speakers are relatively an easy load with its 6 ohms impedance and 87 dB sensitivity.

Adam Zielinski posted:

Owen,

Now that you actually do own an excellent streamer / preamp and a very good power amp, your next challenge is to set up a NAS (Network Attached Storage) where you can store your ripped CDs and Hi-Res purchases.

If you need help with setting it up, just let us know.

Once the system settles down and you get used to the sound, you can try an external power supply - XPSDR will be a worthwile addition. But not now - give it 6 months or so.

Adam

Thanks Adam - For a NAS I'm just using my iMac and Asset UPnP, just need to re-rip my CD's to ALAC.  I back up via Airport Time Capsule.

I would recommend AIFF

Adam Zielinski posted:

I would recommend AIFF

Thanks again - good advice, I've compared and can note a subtle difference.  AIFF from this point on!

I'm pleased it's worked out so well. £4,200 seems a very good price, and as you say you can get the DR upgrade at a later date. At some point you might think about putting your music onto a Nas, which would mean that you don't need to run your computer.