NAT05XS vs NDX-FM

Posted by: NickSeattle on 11 September 2018

I have recently added an NAT05XS to my system to compare with the NDX-FM.

I am on record as preferring FM over iRadio on the NDX-FM, which still stands.

The NAT05XS, powered by the FC2X, is superior, without a doubt — more detail and body. It is unfortunate that the Naim app has so little control of the NAT.

Still glad to have the FM module in the NDX, for daily usability.

Nick

Posted on: 11 September 2018 by Chag...

Interesting prospect and good to know. I have NAT05 XS on HCDR, all PL HL and love it as well. There is something with FM that iRadio won’t do, even at NDS level. Superb on cable Klara (BE), BBC3, Classic FM (NL) and NPOR4 (NL). ????

Chag -

Posted on: 11 September 2018 by NickSeattle

Hi, Chag.

Demoing HCDR on the NAT at this mo. May need to “sponsor an extended demo”!

Cheers.

Nick

Posted on: 11 September 2018 by Perol

If remote not neccesary, my bet a Nat 2 or even Nat 3 will be another contender.

Internet radio is indeed nice but nothing really beats good FM

Posted on: 12 September 2018 by Christopher_M

I can't begin to imagine how good a NAT05XS with HC-DR must sound!

Posted on: 12 September 2018 by davidf

Christopher_M posted:
I can't begin to imagine how good a NAT05XS with HC-DR must sound!

maybe not quite as good as my 01

(obnoxious I know)

Posted on: 12 September 2018 by Christopher_M

davidf posted:
Christopher_M posted:
I can't begin to imagine how good a NAT05XS with HC-DR must sound!
maybe not quite as good as my 01
(obnoxious I know)

None detected. A mild dig at worst

In all seriousness I had a feeling that the FCXS was the natural partner for the NAT05XS but I'm not sure where I am getting that from. But if the people are loving it powered with the HCDR, then why not?!

Posted on: 12 September 2018 by Adam Zielinski

Nick

An interesting comparison.

I also like my NDX + FM - it gets to be used non-stop.

I incidentally found a neat way of upgrading the FM module sound on my NDX.
When used with an nDAC (digital out of NDX), the FM sound is first digitised using the on-board analgoue-to-digital converter.
It is then passed to the off-board DAC.

As bizzare as this sounds, nDAC offered an upgrade to the FM sound. That it would upgrade digital source signals - that was obvious. But I was surprised that the analogue > digital > analogue was also upgraded that way.

Cheers,

Adam