Kore for LP12 or Chord Hugo for ND5XS?

I think you might have answered your own question - the LP12 is your favourite (unsurprisingly IMHO).

Agree with Clive but you could flip a coin and not go wrong either way. Nice choices to have.

The better way is first upgrade Kore and than Krystal!

Reinibert posted:

The better way is first upgrade Kore and then Krystal!

Probably so, although you might also say Radikal before Kore. But if you actually need a new cartridge ........

I don't know anything about the LP12 business -- so no clue how much benefit is associated with a particular upgrade... But Gossen's Firtst Law about diminishing marginal utility might make a case for the Hugo. One might have strong preference for chocolote -- but rather than over-eating/over-investing in Lindt, one might get greater pleasure from buying a few nice Haribo. If this makes sense.

I would say that the ND5XS is more than likely a weaker source than your LP12, and one could argue that your amp deserves better, so improving that might level the playing field - assuming that you like what the Hugo does - or maybe an NDAC or something else. To me, streaming sources have the huge advantage of letting you discover new music easily - even if you then go on to buy the stuff you really like on vinyl. 

i'm thinking Hugo, as well. 

then, i'd try a cheaper streamer -- say, a microRendu or Auralic Aries Mini -- and if you don't hear any difference, sell the ND5XS and put the savings toward a Radikal. now yer talkin'!

I found adding Hugo to ND5XS was a marked improvement - far more than adding XP5XS power supply. On hearing it with Hugo, brother-in-law, a diehard vinyl fan (with LP12) who always insisted vinyl sounded better, finally admitted digital had come of age. 

(I later changed the ND5XS and my NAS for a MacMini running Audirvana which was even better, but that's another story.) 

best bang for buck? Hugo 2.... might be the last DAC/digital source you will ever need

Innocent Bystander posted:

I found adding Hugo to ND5XS was a marked improvement - far more than adding XP5XS power supply. On hearing it with Hugo, brother-in-law, a diehard vinyl fan (with LP12) who always insisted vinyl sounded better, finally admitted digital had come of age. 

(I later changed the ND5XS and my NAS for a MacMini running Audirvana which was even better, but that's another story.) 

why the need for a ND5XS with adding a Hugo? No Naim sound with Hugo. 

yes, but something that sounds more like real music than the "naim sound"

Robiwan posted:

Innocent Bystander posted:

I found adding Hugo to ND5XS was a marked improvement - far more than adding XP5XS power supply. On hearing it with Hugo, brother-in-law, a diehard vinyl fan (with LP12) who always insisted vinyl sounded better, finally admitted digital had come of age. 

(I later changed the ND5XS and my NAS for a MacMini running Audirvana which was even better, but that's another story.) 

why the need for a ND5XS with adding a Hugo? No Naim sound with Hugo. 

Strange comment to make perhaps... the Naim 'sound' can come as much if not more from the amplification than sources. The Hugo is not a streamer, for it to sound its best it needs a top class transport, not a computer, (in my opinion) and the ND5XS is a fine transport offering Naim integrated streaming services, local streaming, digital inputs and  automation control.

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

Robiwan posted:

Innocent Bystander posted:

I found adding Hugo to ND5XS was a marked improvement - far more than adding XP5XS power supply. On hearing it with Hugo, brother-in-law, a diehard vinyl fan (with LP12) who always insisted vinyl sounded better, finally admitted digital had come of age. 

(I later changed the ND5XS and my NAS for a MacMini running Audirvana which was even better, but that's another story.) 

why the need for a ND5XS with adding a Hugo? No Naim sound with Hugo. 

Strange comment to make perhaps... the Naim 'sound' can come as much if not more from the amplification than sources. The Hugo is not a streamer, for it to sound its best it needs a top class transport, not a computer, (in my opinion) and the ND5XS is a fine transport offering Naim integrated streaming services, local streaming, digital inputs and  automation control.

The Hugo is a DAC i know, but you don't need a relative expensive streamer (ND5XS) as a transport. To me it makes more sense to use a bare ND5XS, which is a very good source especially connected analogue with a simple lavender to a Naim pre-amp or Nait , or a cheap but good streamer with a Hugo. 

Ok that's where we disagree because I say you do need a good transport such as an ND5XS or better for the Hugo to sound its best - if you are going to use a cheap transport I simply wouldn't bother with a Hugo - there are cheaper more appropriate options if that is what you want to do. Yes you can use the ND5XS's own internal DAC and filter - but it it designed to be  operable in analogue out, digital out or both modes -  in transport digital out mode (where the internal DACs and analogue stages are disabled for optimum performance) you can upgrade it with an external DAC if you wish.

As discussed elsewhere on this forum there are some low cost options that can seriously challenge the sound quality of ND5XS as a renderer, and maybe higher level devices - indeed people who have compared seem often to consider that some are capable of not just matching but actually achieving better sound quality than the all-in-one streamers in this function - however they are not as straightforward 'plug and play', requiring more setting and optimising by the user, some more than others, so they might not suit everyone  ( e.g. microRendu and Audirvana on an optimised dedicated Mac).

And if the renderer is combined with the music store there can be particular benefits arising from having taken the home network out of the music playing equation, that being one factor that seems to cause quite a few people a lot of grief (examples include Innuos Zenith, Melco, and Audirvana on MacMini) but they might not be worth considering by someone with music stored on a NAS happiliy playing across the network.

So, once an external DAC like Hugo has been used to upgrade the ND5XS, there are these other possibilities that could replace the ND5XS, with of course both pros and cons in so doing that the OP would have to consider for himself.

ndx is a fine source for hugo

The ND5 is super weak in your system. The improvement moving to Hugo will be significant.

Hi Bob what cable is in use between switch and streamer and NAS I suppose ?

What power supply on them  ?

Thanks for all the great replies very helpful, I was made a very good offer on a used Kore yesterday so if that comes through my decision would have been made for me.  I do feel I have to come out in defence of the ND5XS which is a cracking streamer for the money (if you can get one used) I have to say I have never really listened to it and thought it sounded bad and after reading some comments here and on an earlier thread I think maybe an NDac rather than a Hugo might sound pretty good with the ND5XS.

I don't quite understand your defence of the ND5XS as you say it sounded bad! I didn't think it was bad - after all, for me it sounded as good as the CD player it replaced, which I had thought of as very good -  but it can indeed be bettered, primarily with a better DAC and also the rendering stage.

if you haven't already, it could be worth reading several of the several threads discussing Hugo, which often seems to have been discussed in the context of improving NDX not just ND5XS. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, hearing if you can, and of course nDAC may indeed sound better to your ears

(N.B. If you're buying secondhand, Hugo (1) might be expected to fall in price with the release of H2 - though H2 is said to be better if that is within budget.)

For what it's worth, I bought a Hugo for my ND5XS last summer, and I've spent a lot less money and time on vinyl (I have an Orbe/SME V) since. As we're now in the age of the 1p CD thanks to Amazon Marketplace, I would've thought a secondhand Hugo (once the Hugo 2 launches) would be a very cost-effective upgrade.