Stereophile reviews Naim Audio's new ND5 XS 2 Network Player -

https://www.stereophile.com/content/...2-media-player

"Lonesome Tears," from Beck's Sea Changes (provenance unknown, Capitol), came through at 352.8kHz sounding as good and big and compelling as I've ever heard it, with strings as lush as digitized strings can be, and good solidity and depth from the electric bass. "The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man," from the Rolling Stones' Out of Our Heads (ABKCO), correctly played as a 24/176.4 AIFF file, with superb momentum, force, and clarity of timing: It left me shaking my head at how well Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman worked together, and at the youthful irreverence of the lyrics."

"Through the Naim, the sense that the musician's touch was bringing a very large instrument to colorful, physically present life was clearer than ever."

"And some of the things I enjoyed about the ND5 XS 2—in particular, its good musical timing and typically meaty sound—are qualities I've long associated with Naim."

"But it's possible that their 46-year commitment to star grounding, impedance-matched connections, heavily regulated power supplies, and other Naim obsessions are, in the aggregate, key to the ND5 XS 2's fine sound and generally commendable ease of use."

"Glowingly recommended."


Naim Audio's new ND5 XS 2 Network Player is at Musicraft (Derby)

The ND5 XS 2 uses our innovative new streaming platform with an expanded feature set. High-res UPnP™ streaming, AirPlay, Chromecast built-in, Bluetooth (apt X HD), Spotify Connect, TIDAL, Roon compatibility, internet radio and multiroom streaming – alongside digital and USB inputs for conventional connections – make this versatile player the ideal partner for one of our integrated amplifiers.

Carefully selected and matched parts, an oversized toroidal transformer, decoupled PCB boards: the ND5 XS 2 benefits from classic Naim engineering and fastidious attention to detail to ensure that it delivers natural, engaging sound quality from all sources.

Naim Audio ND5 XS 2 UK RRP £2299



Naim's story begins with one man’s passion for music and weaves its way through four decades and a raft of iconic product launches to the present day.

Naim Audio founder Julian Vereker MBE (1945-2000) was a racing car driver, entrepreneur and self-taught engineer with a deep passion for music. Spending his spare time listening to and recording his friends playing live in the 1960s, Julian found that playback on his system at home fell woefully short of the experience he craved.

Not content with second best he decided to design his own amplifiers and loudspeakers, ignoring accepted wisdom and focusing on aspects of performance that made music burst to life. These first designs laid the foundations for a range of iconic and award-winning hi-fi products that would reach well into the next century.





https://www.naimaudio.com/sites/defa...2012_FINAL.pdf A technical white paper on the Naim Audio Discrete Regulator technology


Naim Audio. The best of British.


Naim Audio's new ND5 XS 2 Network Player is at Musicraft (Derby)

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/naim-nd5-xs-2
What Hi-Fi reviews Naim Audio's new ND5 XS 2 Network Player

"Tonally it is even, with the ability to dig deep into bass frequencies with ease and tempering that with rich and insightful mids and treble. It possesses that neutrality required to paint an honest picture of a track, refusing to force its own presentation simply to catch the listener’s ear."

"It is clear in the way the ND5 XS 2 handles rhythmic patterns, conveying intensity as a track ebbs and flows, and also in the subtleties of a performance that bestow upon it an element of humanity. Naim has proven again the possibility to provide truly great sound irrespective of genre."

"The Naim ND5 XS 2 is a sterling piece of hi-fi kit. It sounds like a five-star product almost immediately, and our admiration only grows as it mellows and settles into its role. This is the kind of network streamer for which it’s seriously worth extending your budget."

Naim Audio ND5 XS 2 Features -

• UPnP-enabled to allow streaming of audio files at up to 32bit/384kHz resolution from Naim Audio hard disk servers, network-attached storage (NAS) devices or any home computer
• Supports a broad range of music formats: WAV, FLAC, DSD, Apple Lossless, AIFF, AAC, Windows Media-formatted files, M4A and MP3. Gapless playback on all file formats
• Four 24bit/192kHz capable digital inputs (S/PDIF) to support optimum connection to external sources
• Built-in Chromecast allows you to stream from hundreds of supported smartphone or tablet apps (192kHz)
• Apple AirPlay - stream music from your iOS device or from iTunes and Apple Music
• Spotify Connect built-in to stream millions of songs from the world’s most popular streaming service
• Native support for TIDAL streaming service with free 90 day trial of lossless HiFi tier
• Front-panel USB port for replay of MP3 player and USB-stored audio (1.6A charge)
• vTuner 5* full-service internet radio
• Multiroom & Party Mode compatible
• iOS and Android Naim Audio app for intuitive control
• Bluetooth connectivity with aptX codec for quality audio playback
• Thanks to RC5 system integration, you can control compatible amplifiers that are connected to your network player directly from the Naim app on a phone or tablet
• Roon ready - turning your music collection into a beautifully laid out catalogue


Naim Audio's new ND5 XS 2 Network Player is at Musicraft (Derby)

Naim Audio ND5 XS 2 Technology & Craft -

The streaming section of the ND5 XS 2 uses the latest Naim network card featuring low-noise, high-speed low-voltage differential signalling (LVDS) to route the digital audio signal. The higher speed is capable of decoding all HD audio formats at up to 32 bits/384 kHz or DSD128. Rather than the source acting as the digital timing master, our new streaming board turns things around and allows our DAC clock to control the flow of audio data. The data is integer-over-sampled in a SHARC DSP to an incredible 40-bit accuracy before it’s fed to the PCM1791A Burr-Brown digital-to analogue converter.

Developing a new streaming platform was one of the biggest projects we have ever taken on. Naim engineers across all disciplines – electronic, industrial, acoustic and mechanical – worked for three years to create a system that could make the most of online services such as TIDAL and Spotify while adding future-proof flexibility through Chromecast built-in. Supporting faster data rates with dual-band Wi-Fi and the latest 802.11ac protocol, this robust platform was designed for the highest performance on every level.


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Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft