TEMPTATIONS
Music streamer £ 4999
Does Naim’s NDX 2 music streamer live up to its hefty £5k price tag?
“In short, this is a product that is more than happy to play any music file you have, in any way you want”
Naim Audio’s formidable reputation may have been built on the excellence of its amplification, but in recent years it’s the quality of the company’s streaming products that has impressed the most.
The likes of the Uniti range have been hugely successful, opening the firm to a far wider customer base, while its traditional hi-fi streamers have long been benchmarks for others to be judged by.
Over the past few years, the company has invested heavily in a new-generation streaming platform. This was first seen in the new Uniti system products with the Atom, Star and Nova all gaining five-star reviews from us. Now we get a chance to try out that same platform when implemented in the company’s more premium hi-fi separates offerings, where a larger budget and greater purity of purpose allows the engineers to optimise the performance with far less compromise.
The NDX 2 sits in the middle of the company’s threestrong hi-fi streamer line-up, and is about as well equipped as they come. There are no obvious holes in file compatibility and it can play music up to 32-bit/384khz PCM and DSD128.
Naim has been careful to be inclusive. There’s aptx HD Bluetooth alongside Apple Airplay, Spotify Connect and Chromecast. Tidal is also embedded and, as is increasingly common, it’s Roon-ready. In short, this is a product that is more than happy to play any music file you have, in any way you want.
SMART DURABILITY
Build quality is as good as we’ve come to expect from Naim. Its products don’t feel particularly luxurious, but they are invariably solidly made and nicely finished. They tend to last decades too, thanks to a considered, no-nonsense approach to engineering, robust build and a service department that can still handle pretty much any product the company has ever made. Considering Naim was founded in the early ’70s, that’s saying something.
The most obvious change over the first-generation NDX is the use of a 5in full-colour display which shows album art and track information. It’s a crisp screen and large enough to view from the other side of our test room.
Connectivity is what we would expect of a streamer of this kind. You can join your home network through ethernet or wirelessly. On paper, the wired option gives the best stability but we have no issues when using the wire-free facility either.
There are pairs of coaxial and optical digital inputs, alongside two type A USBS (one on the front and back). The coaxials – a BNC and an RCA – can accept a 24-bit/192khz signal, while the opticals are limited to 24-bit/96khz feeds.
There’s also a coaxial digital output should you have an external digital-to-analogue converter to hand. Make sure it’s a good one though, as the number-crunching circuit in the NDX 2 – based around a Burr-brown PCM 1792 and mated to in-house filtering and supporting circuitry – is seriously capable.
Great care has been taken over how the digital signals are routed through the streamer, with the engineers using low-voltage differential signalling (LVDS) to reduce noise levels and induced jitter.
When it comes to analogue outputs the choice is between RCA and Naim’s preferred DIN option. We side with Naim on this one, as to our ears the DIN output tends to present a more expressive sound. Those looking for balanced XLR outputs will be disappointed. Naim doesn’t tend to fit these.
A power supply may not be the most glamorous part of an electronic circuit, but using a capable one is fundamental to getting a good performance. Few companies have prioritised this as much as Naim, and it has taken obsessive care over the power arrangements in the NDX 2. This streamer has a low-noise custom-designed toroidal transformer with separate windings for the digital and analogue sections. This kind of arrangement minimises any unwanted interactions between the sections, so helping sound performance.
If that wasn’t enough, the company also makes add-on outboard power supplies to upgrade the NDX 2’s performance. You can connect an XPS DR (£3999) or a 555PS DR (£6999), should funds allow. It might seem strange to have the option of spending so much on outboard boxes when there’s already one fitted to a £4999 product, but in our experience Naim’s add-on units
genuinely take performance to another level, usually enough to justify the sizeable financial outlay.
A source of this streamer’s level positively demands a top-class system backing it up. While we have no doubt that many NDX 2s will find a home partnered with sibling products, there’s nothing about this unit’s sonic character or engineering that suggests it won’t shine in other quality systems too.
We use the Naim in standard configuration, working under its own steam and plugged into our reference system of Gamut D3i/d200i amplifier and ATC SCM50 speakers. Interconnects and speaker cables are premium offerings from The Chord Company.
CRISP, EXPRESSIVE AND NUANCED
We begin with internet radio in the form of a BBC Radio 4 feed, using the highest-quality option available (339kbps). We listen to Desert Island Discs followed by some political debate and the streamer’s presentation is crisp, voices coming through with expression and nuance. Though the sound couldn’t be confused for a hi-res stream, it’s still good enough to keep us listening longer than we should for strictly testing purposes.
We switch to Tidal and are impressed by the way the NDX 2 moves between feeds. It feels more responsive than
“The NDX 2 never puts a foot wrong. It’s a willing companion, rendering each type of music with sparky enthusiasm”
the company’s previous generation of streaming products and any changes of source are made without issue or delay. This isn’t as common as it should be among premiumpriced streaming products from relatively small manufacturers. We try a range of music from Ólafur Arnalds’ Late Night Tales to the eclectic Cocoa Sugar set by the Young Fathers, and the Naim takes it all in its stride.
There’s a pleasing level of detail on offer and the dynamic finesse to work well with Arnalds’ mostly low-key tracks, while capturing the complex rhythmic framework superbly. There’s a confidence about the Naim’s presentation and a sense of organisation that is rare in streamers, even at this elevated level.
The Young Fathers set shows the Naim is capable of punch and power combined with an infectious sense of fun. While this streamer ticks all the boxes when it comes to hi-fi specifics, such as transparency, detail resolution and stereo focus, it never forgets to wrap it all in a blanket of entertainment. That sentiment is emphasised once we start playing Cd-quality and hi-res music files from our NAS unit. We get the expected increase in subtlety and expression combined with more fluid dynamics and more emphatic rhythmic drive.
It has no problem delivering large-scale symphonies such as Beethoven’s Fifth with the authority and dynamic punch they deserve. At the same time we’re aware of a stable and cleanly layered stereo image and a nicely judged tonal balance that is rounded enough to make even poorer recordings listenable.
There’s also enough insight to give the listener a clear view of textures and the composure to track multiple instrumental strands without losing sight of the whole. The story is similarly positive with Bruce Springsteen’s
High Hopes, where the Naim’s drive and forthright presentation renders the music with all the energy and attack it deserves. Yet there’s finesse where required, Springsteen's intent coming through with both determination and passion.
ECLECTIC AND ELECTRIC
We work through our collection, taking in Stravinsky, Coltrane, Prince and Drake and the NDX 2 never puts a foot wrong. It’s a willing companion, rendering each type of music with sparky enthusiasm. While the sound takes the expected dip when using wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth and Airplay, we never feel short-changed. It all works seamlessly, as does the dedicated control app.
We add a 555PS DR outboard power supply, and though it’s a mighty expensive upgrade (£6999), it improves the NDX 2’s sound significantly in all respects. As expected, the pairing sounds so much more muscular than the standalone player. It has the sonic authority to deliver the orchestral climaxes of Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring with an even greater dose of venom.
Basslines are weightier and more powerful, while losing nothing in the way of grip and agility, and voices are just more expressive and human. Considering the price premium, we expect no less.
For most, a standalone NDX 2 will be all the streamer they could ever want. It is well made, carefully conceived and sounds excellent for the money. Naim also has a great track record on supporting its products, which really matters when the investment is as heavy as this. In short, you can buy the NDX 2 with confidence.