Naim ND5 XS Review. Naim Audio has a range of UPnP streaming network players to suit a variety of different budgets and requirements. This ND5 XS comes from the company's slimline XS Series, a step up from the Salisbury firm's entry-level i-Series products but less expensive than its Classic Series components.
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| OLED screen offers good legibility. Playback is via fascia buttons, the supplied RCU, or Naim’s n-Stream iOS app. |
It's a DAC as well as a network audio player, with three S/PDIF inputs for connecting other digital sources, an S/PDIF (BNC) output and a single-ended analogue output on Naim's customary DIN connector and a pair of RCAs, selectable via the unit's setup menu. In the bottom left corner of the fascia is a USB A-Type socket that provides a digital connection to iDevices as well as playback of fi les directly from USB storage or memory sticks. And a multi-pin Burndy socket allows connection of an optional XP5 XS power supply (£1595) said to upgrade the player's performance. A factory-fi tted DAB and FM tuner module is a further option, which raises the price to £2250.
Fully 192kHz/24-bit compatible, the ND5 XS employs digital technology derived from the Naim DAC. A SHARC digital signal processor is used for Naim's proprietary 16-times oversampling, buffering and digital filtering; the player's various sections are galvanically isolated from each other to reduce interference; and D-to-A conversion is courtesy of a Burr-Brown PCM1791A DAC.
Everything can be controlled by illuminated buttons on the front panel or the supplied IR remote control handset. Naim's n-Stream app for iOS is particularly noteworthy. It can control a complete Naim system when components are connected via their 3.5mm remote in/out jack sockets; moreover, pressing the info icon when a track is playing brings up supplementary album data courtesy of Rovi entertainment metadata.
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| There are three S/PDIF inputs – RCA, BNC and Toslink – and a digital output (BNC). Burndy socket is for additional PSU. Analogue output is on DIN and RCAs. |
VERVE AND BITE
Sounding crisp and notably vivid, the ND5 XS was highly praised by our listeners. Daft Punk's 'Lose Yourself To Dance' had immense verve and 'bite' thanks to the Naim's taut and punchy bass delivery, while Melphi's 'Fall' similarly benefited from the player's tremendous bass alacrity.
Vocal diction was also fi rst-rate, although on Boz Scaggs' 'Thanks To You' his vocal appeared a little more forward than our listeners were accustomed to with the test group. Nevertheless the Naim sounded extremely 'tidy', with elements of the production always remaining sharply focused in the soundstage.
Where the Musical Fidelity, Lindemann – and the Cyrus in particular – appeared to blunt the leading-edge transient attack of Laurence Juber's guitar strings in AIX's hi-res recording, the ND5 XS sounded highly explicit. Here the performance truly sounded 'alive'.
LAB REPORT
Naim's proprietary upsampling IIR filter, first seen in the Naim DAC, also defi nes the time domain and response behaviour of the ND5 XS. A reduced attenuation of stopband artefacts with 48kHz recordings (just –43dB at 26kHz re.22kHz) and a restriction of the response of both 96kHz and 192kHz media to a –3dB point of 27kHz is traded for the virtual elimination of all pre-ringing, or pre-echo, in the impulse (time) response. Unlike the Naim DAC, however, distortion increases more obviously at high frequencies through the ND5 XS's analogue stage from 0.0006% (1kHz) to 0.009% (20kHz) although these fi gures could never be described as 'high'. Output impedance increases at bass frequencies to 203ohm.
The A-wtd S/N is about 2-3dB shy of that offered by the MF and Pioneer players at 106dB but low-level linearity remains tightly controlled at ±0.1dB over a full 100dB dynamic range. Stereo separation is superb at >110dB from 20Hz-20kHz while jitter is up (more correctly, down) with the best here at a fabulously low <20psec over all sample rates [see Graph].
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| High resolution jitter spectrum with 24-bit/48kHz data delivered over a wired network connection. |
Sound Quality: 82%
SPECIFICATIONS
Maximum output level/Impedance : 2.01Vrms / 22-203ohm
A-wtd S/N ratio : 105.8dB
Distortion (1kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) : 0.0006% / 0.0010%
Distortion (20kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) : 0.009% / 0.005%
Freq. response (20Hz-20kHz/45kHz) : +0.0dB to –0.3dB / see lab report
Digital jitter (48kHz/96kHz/192kHz) : <15psec / 25psec / 200psec
Resolution @ –100dB : ±0.2dB
Power consumption : 10W
Dimensions (WHD) : 435x98x330mm
Detail Specs
