New 282 Settling In, ND5xs On Order, What Should Be Next?

I would go 250DR and enjoy it for a while before trading 282 for 252/SCDR. Don't let the 272 hype get to you, you are already passed it. 

Chag -

If it were me I'd look to get a Supercap for the 282. Comparing it to the HC I think the SC is one of those 'wow' moments.  That was certainly the effect on me when I demo'ed it.  I would also consider a non-DR SC on the 282. I found the difference between non-DR and DR Supercap on the 282 was a 'nice-to-have' rather than a 'must-have'.

I'd cancel the ND5xs and get an NDX instead. Then I'd sell the CD player and the UnitiServe, and buy a 250DR and then Supercap.  

Hungryhalibut posted:

I'd cancel the ND5xs and get an NDX instead. Then I'd sell the CD player and the UnitiServe, and buy a 250DR and then Supercap.  

Hey, HH, glad you're feeling well enough to post!  Question: as either is going into the nDAC what would the NDS gain me over the ND5xs?

Here's something to lighten your day hopefully, given your nickname:

What's the difference between a lawyer and a halibut?

One is a cold-blooded scum sucking bottom feeder... the other is a fish.

Apologies to the decent lawyers out there...

I won't say anything against lawyers, as I'm very much dependent on them at the moment. As to the NDX, it's better than the ND5 even when used just as a transport. The other option is an NDS/555PS and lose the nDac and XPS. 

Maybe just chill out for a while Tallan? Give some time for your 282 to bed in and enjoy some great music...

That's the best advice so far. If you keep swapping things you have no idea what's doing what. 

As someone in the throes of upgrading too I would agree with the other posters that you should first listen for a few weeks/months to your new setup and get used to its improvements.

I cant comment on the relative merits of the options you have identified except for one ...

I have upgraded from a NAP 200 to a NAP 250DR and the improvement is significant; magnificent is the word that comes to my mind in fact.

I know this is always dependant on the other components in your setup which I cannot comment on; my speakers, for example, are B&W 803D3 which I know are well capable of showing a lot more than my current kit can give them at the moment so the 200->250DR improvements were immediately and obviously apparent.

... so that would be my next step if I was you ...

happy listening,

Allan

Jay posted:

Maybe just chill out for a while Tallan? Give some time for your 282 to bed in and enjoy some great music...

The chill pill is built in, I'm afraid; two of the used items I have on offer have been on the market for six months plus already, and won't be going anywhere fast now, sadly.  It's all good stuff but specialized and needs to find just the right buyer.  So I'll have plenty of time to listen and think but I wanted to get this thread started now rather than maybe have to do it around the holiday silly season when folk have much better things to do than opine about somebody else's hifi! 

Hungryhalibut posted:

I won't say anything against lawyers, as I'm very much dependent on them at the moment. As to the NDX, it's better than the ND5 even when used just as a transport. The other option is an NDS/555PS and lose the nDac and XPS. 

Yes, you're about to rub elbows with the personal injury branch of the breed and you have my condolences.

As for NDX vs. ND5 I found a fascinating review online written by a guy who had both in-house at the same time and entertained himself with doing a lot of comparisons: units alone, units into nDAC and other DACs, units into all that plus XPS power supply, etc. etc.  It sounded exhausting, and was certainly exhaustive.

The bottom line in this reviewer's opinion is that, yes, there is a difference, but it's very subtle at most and becomes vanishingly small if the units are used as transports only.  My dealer, who stands to make more on the NDX, also believes the difference isn't worth the candle.  So I think I'm going to stick with the ND5 xs, but thanks for the input.

While heading for an NDS and 555PS is a viable long-term strategy the necessary funds just aren't available right now.  Also I'm going to keep my CD player which still sounds just a tad more human and organic to me than the streaming side.  Maybe that will change when I get my new ND5 all broken in... that would be exciting!

The Stageline is strangling your deck....

That said, the SC would lift all boats.

ATB,

Mark

Yes, buy a new nice pair of slippers and a big fluffy cushion and more music.

Not everyone likes what a Supercap does to a 282, so I would listen very carefully before committing to that. 250DR is fantastic, I'd probably go for that next.

What rack are you using? You seem to be acquiring black boxes at a fair rate, so Fraim (Lite?) would be worth getting.

SuperCap on 282 makes sense if you plan to get 252 at some stage soon.

Otherwise - chill for now.

If you have cash burning in your pocket, cancell that ND5XS and get an NDX. I didn't realise from your other post you'd be connecting your nDAC to 282. There is a clear difference between ND5 and NDX used as digital transports. That is why I chose NDX after some tests.

What Adam said. We have both trodden this path and his advice is spot on.

Otherwise take the chill pill option, enjoy the music and consider your options a little longer. Remember the speculation on here about new products that might be making an appearance (or might not), the N-372 (or is the latest rumour N-572 ?), updated range of preamps, the wild speculation goes on. See what happens.

Buy a large rack for all that lot, and interconnects of your choice.

Or what I'd do is rip all the CDs, sell the CD5, ND5XS, US, nDAC & XPS and get a Melco or Mac Mini & Audirvana, or possibly a microRendu & power supply (first two have added advantage of not streaming music on across network), and get a Dave DAC (maybe audition against QBD76 first to be sure)...  better sound, and a lot less boxes/space/power/cables to dress etc.   Actually, that's well under budget, so Melco could be the top one, and/or retain the CD5 for the time being and take your time ripping the CDs. 

İ think Your TT deserve something better than stageline for sure, maybe outside the realm of Naim, Superline+hicap is not a good value compare to many other options, specially if you have %50 time on it

If you move the HC to the Stageline you may wonder whether a 4-5 Hiline becomes a worthy upgrade. At that point an already expensive phono stage becomes even more expensive and you're into Superline territory, but it's possible you could find it good VFM. Then there's the question of a PL on the HC. It's complex and I see you being in a real quandary just dealing with your vinyl end. Given those considerations, I'd first spend to replace the CD5si with a CDX2-2 and see what perspective that provides for your vinyl side upgrades.

Your primary source is the turntable and the phono stage is holding it back, so that's where I would look first, possibly auditioning other makes. I have been doing the same recently.

Next, your amp is already "better" than your digital sources, so much as I rate the 250DR (it's fabulous!), I would look to end up with either NDS/XPS or a Melco/DAC and sell your current CD player, streamer and Naim DAC to fund the change.

It's so nice spending other people's money 

Best regards, FT

Hi again,

Footstamper suggested your amp was plenty good enough for your sources ... I have a 202/UnitiServ and DAC V1 and found the upgrade from 200 to 250DR very noticeable and well worth the upgrade with these sources, I'm now listening to a lot more digital music than I did before (and that is with a 202 pre).

Personally I am also on the upgrade path and have decided that I will probably stick with the UnitiServ/V1 for the foreseeable future. I think the digital sie has not yet matured, there are lots of boxes and approaches out there that, to my mind, are of questionable value and the approach and components available will, I believe, change somewhat over the next year or so.

My decision is to do a pre-amp upgrade next (sometime in the new year) and work on my turntable/phono stage.

Of course it depends whether you are trying to arrive at your endpoint with this upgrade (as I am) or want to enjoy the fun of playing with different options over the next years - the digital side will certainly give you lots of opportunities for that!

As I and others have said, take your time and enjoy each step before moving on,

Allan

Allan Milne posted:

Of course it depends whether you are trying to arrive at your endpoint with this upgrade (as I am) or want to enjoy the fun of playing with different options over the next years - the digital side will certainly give you lots of opportunities for that!

Or just settle on a CDS3 and get on with your life 

C.

Tallan posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

I won't say anything against lawyers, as I'm very much dependent on them at the moment. As to the NDX, it's better than the ND5 even when used just as a transport. The other option is an NDS/555PS and lose the nDac and XPS. 

 

The bottom line in this reviewer's opinion is that, yes, there is a difference, but it's very subtle at most and becomes vanishingly small if the units are used as transports only.  My dealer, who stands to make more on the NDX, also believes the difference isn't worth the candle.  So I think I'm going to stick with the ND5 xs, but thanks for the input.

My thoughts also. I've tried them both as transports only and the difference was extremely small if nonexistent. As a whole unit, using the analogue outputs, the difference should become obvious. At one point I was also thinking of getting ND5XS as transport but my USB bridge held its own so I decided to stick with it for now. 

About the topic, maybe just listen to some music for a while before taking the next step? There's a lot happening in your setup already. 

Interesting quandary - and a nice one to have. FWIW, my advice:

1. Do nothing for a while. Let it all settle. You may find you don't need anything new.

2. Try some rap and hip-hop - there are some wonderful artists out there: Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamarr and Wu-Tang. And Ghostface Killah's album Sour Soul is brilliant. I'm not proselytising hip-hop at all - it's all subjective, obvs - I'm just suggesting some awesome music worth trying out on Tidal or whatever. 

250 DR - it's the greatest gift ever bestowed on humanity 

I thought that was the 272. Or was it the Hugo? Or maybe the Melco?