Naim NDX 2 Network Player

Naim NDX 2 Network Player with 5" Colour Display

The NDX 2 is a versatile and upgradable network player that offers world-class performance and immersive playback. It comes with several features such as high-resolution UPnP™ streaming, AirPlay, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, TIDAL, and USB inputs. Our primary goal was to enhance its performance by integrating an advanced DAC and discrete analogue stages, making it an impressive sonic experience.

The NDX 2 supports a wide range of formats including WAV, FLAC, DSD, AAC and MP3, and offers four digital inputs for connecting external sources. There’s a crisp 5-inch colour display on the front that shows album artwork and track details, while built-in Chromecast and Apple AirPlay make it easy to stream straight from your phone, iTunes or Apple Music. Spotify Connect is on board too, along with high-resolution streaming from services like Qobuz and TIDAL.

Day-to-day use is simple and intuitive, whether you’re controlling the NDX 2 via the iOS or Android app, the included remote, or using Bluetooth for quick wireless playback. A front-panel USB port lets you play music directly from a USB drive or MP3 player, and there’s also internet radio plus multi-room and party mode support for whole-home listening. It’s Roon Ready for those running a Roon system, and the Focal & Naim app even allows control of compatible amplifiers, tying everything together into one clean, easy-to-use setup.

Technology and Craft

The Burr-Brown® digital-to-analogue converter, working alongside Naim’s new streaming platform, is one of the best available. Naim improved its performance even further by implementing their own digital filters and adding a discrete current-to-voltage converter immediately after the DAC.

The NDX 2's streaming section uses the latest Naim network card with low-noise, high-speed LVDS to route the digital audio signal. It can decode all HD audio formats up to 32 bits/384 kHz or DSD128. The new streaming board allows the DAC clock to control the flow of audio data instead of the source. The data is then over-sampled in a SHARC DSP to a 40-bit accuracy before being fed to the Burr-Brown DAC. The NDX 2 has an integrated low-noise power supply with a custom-designed toroidal transformer and separate windings for digital and analogue sections.

Why Choose The Naim NDX 2 Network Player

The Naim NDX 2 is one of those network players that quickly makes you forget about the tech and just enjoy the music, yet there’s some seriously clever engineering under the lid. It’s hugely versatile, handling everything from high-resolution UPnP streaming and Roon to AirPlay, Chromecast, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect and services like Qobuz and TIDAL, with support for formats up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD128. Day to day it’s a breeze to live with, thanks to the slick Naim app, the included remote and a sharp 5-inch colour display that shows album art beautifully, while USB playback, internet radio and multi-room support round out the experience. Sonically, the NDX 2 is where things get properly impressive, with a Burr-Brown DAC, Naim’s own digital filtering and discrete analogue stages delivering a sound that’s detailed, dynamic and wonderfully engaging without ever feeling clinical. Add in a robust, low-noise power supply and upgrade potential down the track, and you’ve got a network player that feels every bit as refined and rewarding as you’d expect from Naim, without shouting about it.