where next on the upgrade train???
Posted by: Matthew Johns on 20 August 2016
hi all,
thought would give an update on where got to on my naim upgrade journey
now proud owner of NDX / XPS DR / with SN2 on the way 
pondering on where to go in terms of best value upgrade for me (would be early 2017 from the list of new toys below):
1A) Naim DAC (is this really an upgrade?)
1B) Hugo TT DAC (similar price to naim DAC)
2) Hi CAP DR for SN2
3) Melco N1A to feed the NDX
4) Upgrade Interconnects an speaker cable
5) Upgrade to naim powerlines
6) Upgrade hifi rack (like the custom design milan acoustic rack, as does the missus)
anyhow interested in peoples thoughts/experiences
thankyou
I agree that you should get everything set up properly with your new amp and get used to it before you change more boxes. You don't say what your existing rack or cabling is, but I would certainly look to make sure this is up to the job so that you know that you're getting the most from your current setup, as well as any future changes.
I agree to the sentiments above, first get familiar with your next candy before tasting more.
after that I would personally add the ndac, Melco and than address the cabling....
Enjoy what you have the NDX,XPS and SN2 is a very nice system get used to it before making any changes.
Before adding further black boxes ensure that you are getting the best out of what you have with a decent rack,interconnects and speaker cables not forgetting some qualitity Ethernet cables as well.
Your dealer will be able to advise and should be able to demonstrate clearly the benifits made using different cables etc.
Quite a few people rate the Hugo as being better than Naim's DACs. TT is better still, though whether it is worth double depends on the rest of your setup - to me it is worth it and I plan to upgrade soon, but there are other factors such as because I don't use a preamp, with the TT having a remote giving better volume control, and also it has balanced outputs allowing use of those to my power amp.
Some forum members use the NDX as renderer into Hugo. However if you were considering the Melco, it is a very good renderer as well as being a music store (much like Mac Mini + Audirvana + isolator rolled into one, though more costly - but turnkey), so Melco+ Hugo (or TT) makes NDX redundant. Melco or the Mac Mini approach also remove the need for a separate NAS for music serving and avoiding a need for files to stream across the network, which sometimes can be an issue.
It's a nicely balanced system you are getting.
I would start with the following in this sequence:
1. Interconnect - get the best one you can afford (I can report good results with TQ Blac, TQ Ultra Black and SuperLumina)
2. Speaker cables
3. Decent rack
4. PowerLines on ALL components
5. Naim nDAC will most definitely improve an NDX. If you do decide to go down this route, plese bear in mind that the XPS should then power your nDAC and no longer an NDX.
But as others wrote before - let it settle down for 6 months, enjoy it and only then start thinking about upgrades.
Adam
All looks pretty balanced to me. HC on the SN to me always seem funny by adding a 2nd box to what is intended as a one box solution But others really talk up the benefit so maybe worth trying.
But £ for £ I reckon a dedicated mains supply radial line and then adding PLs would transform things.
Regards,
Lindsay
Thx guys in terms of rack currently only got a soundstyle status st105 hifi rack, cabling is standard naim power cords, audioquest cinnamon Ethernet to qnap nas, finally currently got chord epic speaker cable and epic tuned array rca - rca cable
What about speakers?
Speakers are Linn majik 140s with upgraded stands
I'm not familiar with your rack, but I would guess that upgrading it to Fraim Lite would be a good investment, and I would be tempted to try that now. Other than that, sit back and enjoy what you've got, make sure you're happy with setup, speaker position etc. and get to know the sound of your system. I would then consider changing speaker cables - not necessarily to something more expensive, but maybe see if a dealer will lend you some alternatives (NACA5, TQB?) to see if they suit your system better. Don't even think about more boxes yet - you don't even know for sure what your current system sounds like - especially the amp you haven't got yet!!
HicapDR ,then 202/200
I'd get a decent rack and swap the RCA lead to a din lead. Din works better with Naim. Then get dedicated mains and Powerlines.
Matthew - I'm not at all familiar with your speakers but I assume your content but the SN is a very capable amp and will happily drive Kudos S10/20, Neat Momentum SX3 and Focal Sopra 1s. Further food for thought for you.
Regards,
Lindsay