Upgrade source or pre-amp, or just throw in a PS.

Posted by: Hani on 24 July 2018

Hello NAIM users,

I guess you all know the feeling when the upgrade bug kicks in, an itch you can’t resist. Though I do love the way my system sounds, you always have the urge to upgrade and witness what more can be musically achieved. Nothing like an upgrade that drops your jaw when listening to a track and hearing things you have not heard before, simply euphoria. 

 

its time for an upgrade, currents system is NDX, NAC282 + SuperCap, NAP300, Focal Sopra 2 with Vertere Pulse-X standard, mainly streaming from Tidal.

 

I absolutely love the speakers, so speakers are staying (for now), what is the best way to move forward?

 

1. Add XPS DR to NDX.

2. Add 555ps to NDX considering I do plan to upgrade the NDX in the future to either NDX 2 or ND555.

3. Swap my NDX with an NDX 2.

4. Swap my 282 for a 252.

My chain of thoughts is as follows:

Add 555ps to my NDX.

after 6months, swop NDX with NDX 2 or ND555.

after one year, swop my 282 for a 252.

As for nDAC, not sure if it makes if a future planned source upgrade is either an NDX2 orND555. I guess the same applies for the widely talked about Chord DAC, such as the Dave.

Sorry for the long thread, any advise is highly appreciated.

Cheers,

Hani

 

Posted on: 24 July 2018 by Hani

Oh, one more upgrade I forgot to mention, speaker cable to Pulse X-Reference if it is signicantly better than my current speaker cables.

Posted on: 24 July 2018 by benjy

Rather than just asking how we can help spend your money (fun but not overly helpful) . How about some idea about the strengths and weaknesses of your system (as you honestly feel them) and what improvements you would like to see/hear. Also the relative importance/use of each source.

Posted on: 24 July 2018 by True Blue

Audition an xps2 Dr and non Dr. You might just surprise yourself and prefer the cheaper non Dr version. I did. 

Posted on: 24 July 2018 by hungryhalibut

For certain it’s the source that needs to be improved. It’s worth looking at streaming your own downloaded music rather than relying on Tidal. 

Posted on: 24 July 2018 by cdboy

Agree on the benefits of listening beyond Tidal. Power supply, either XPS or 555 would be welcomed by the system. Obviously 252 is also screaming out and attainable without too much pain with a 282 trade.

Posted on: 24 July 2018 by Adam Zielinski

PSU on your NDX. You have a fairly maxed-out pre-amp and amp section yet your spurce seems a bit ‘orphaned’.

I use 555PS with my NDX - works a treat.

Agree with [@mention:4804681823084713] - please move beyond Tidal - local streaming is just so much better.

Posted on: 25 July 2018 by Pev

There's a whole thread recently on the Streaming Forum on local rips vs Tidal - for some rips are much better, for others (myself included) Tidal is just as good as rips. It's not a done deal either way - it is probably system/network dependent so need to try for yourself, easy enough to do at home. 

I would guess that the NDX2 would make the most difference - apart from sound quality, the functionality is way better in every respect. I think your "chain of thought" at the end of your post is the best plan.

Posted on: 25 July 2018 by Hani

Benjy, for me an audio upgrade is like a car upgrade, a few years back i went from 911 Turbo 996 to 997, nothing bad about the 996, just felt like i wanted little more emph

Out of the top of my head, i do not really have a pro and con mental list of my current system, am just itching for an upgrade that will take me on a trip

I am quite happy with the sound stage, lows mids and highs, vocals, and music reproduction, would like the music to open up a little more where if you close your eyes, you forget you are in the living room listening to music but you feel more like being in a front row of a music concert.

PEV, i have a Uniti Core, i have gone back and forth testing music from Tidal (Hi-Fi quality) to music on my Core WAVE lossless which many years back i ripped using Windows Media Player, and i really could not hear any difference, there might be a difference but perhaps too small for my eyes to pick up.

The rest, thank you for your inputs, the power supply is getting most of the votes. 

Posted on: 25 July 2018 by feeling_zen

The NDX does go to another nevel entirely with an XPS or better. 

To me an upgrade is not just buying the current version of the same model. So while an NDX2 might be better than an NDX it's a bit like replacing an old VW Golf with a... new VW Golf. It's better in every way but not sure I'd call it an upgrade. A Porche is an upgrade.

With that in mind why not kilk two birds with one stone. Your NDX will love you adding a 555PS. And you'll need one anyway if you ever go to the ND555. 

I also echo other's recommendation to try home streaming.