Upgrade of 2nd hand HDX to latest version

Posted by: Volker on 27 May 2012

Hi!

I am thinking about buying a HDX. At the moment I see several good 2nd hand offers. Can every HDX be upgraded to the latest version (with download folder on internal hard disc e.g. for high resolution downloads)? Or has it to be newer than serial XXXXXX? How much is such an upgrade?

Thanks in advance and best wishes from Germany,

Volker

Posted on: 11 June 2012 by Phil Harris

Originally Posted by Tog:

I'm still getting my (albeit small) head around the idea that dealers or manufacturers have to be used to upgrade a HDD or SSD - and yes I have heard all the arguments about why it must be this way. Tog

The answer is easy Tog,

Because it's not a PC ... it is a piece of consumer electronics like a TiVo or a Humax PVR or a Sky box and none of those are intended to be user servicable or upgradeable either.

Phil

Posted on: 11 June 2012 by Phil Harris

Originally Posted by totemphile:

Hi Phil,

That was exactly my understanding, only the most recent 1TB (single drive) HDX can be fitted with the new 2TB HDD. And only on the new 2TB drives can the latest software release partition a section for external downloads. Hence IMHO there is little point in buying any other HDX second hand now - unless of course you're going to have a NAS set up as your primary location for music storage. But why then the HDX, you might as well go for an NDX or NDS instead. Again, just MHO.

Hi TP,

Obviously one of us is not being clear enough...

A 2 x 400Gb or 2 x 500Gb HDX has always been able to be upgraded to a single 1Tb (or now 2Tb) drive - you just can't have *TWO* 1Tb or 2Tb drives in the unit.

So if you have a 2 x 400Gb or 2 x 500Gb HDX then you can get its capacity increased to 1Tb (or now 2Tb) if you wish.

If you want to have the downloads folder functionality then you need to get your unit updated to a 2Tb drive.

Originally Posted by totemphile:

But why then the HDX, you might as well go for an NDX or NDS instead. Again, just MHO.

A question that was raised when we launched the NDX - remember that the NDX (and ND5 / NDS / Uniti / UnitiQute / SuperUniti) have no ability to rip, or store, or provide music data to multiple devices - they are UPnP clients whereas an HDX is a UPnP server.

The HDX was designed be a high quality source component within an existing HiFi system that could also be used to provide a source of music for other UPnP clients within the customers property.

Cheers

Phil

Posted on: 11 June 2012 by totemphile

Originally Posted by Phil Harris:

Hi TP,

Obviously one of us is not being clear enough...

A 2 x 400Gb or 2 x 500Gb HDX has always been able to be upgraded to a single 1Tb (or now 2Tb) drive - you just can't have *TWO* 1Tb or 2Tb drives in the unit.

So if you have a 2 x 400Gb or 2 x 500Gb HDX then you can get its capacity increased to 1Tb (or now 2Tb) if you wish.

If you want to have the downloads folder functionality then you need to get your unit updated to a 2Tb drive.

Hi Phil,

Thanks for clarifying this up, it wasn't clear to me, although I did think it might be the case when I wrote my reply. In any case, that's great news for all existing HDX owners then and good planning on Naim's part, there would have been a great number of unhappy customers otherwise. Good solid British engineering then, after all there is a reason we all buy Naim, nice.

I hope Roy and the boys will be able to apply some of that clever tactical shrewdness tonight ;-)

The HDX was designed be a high quality source component within an existing HiFi system that could also be used to provide a source of music for other UPnP clients within the customers property.

Cheers

Phil

Yes I know, all nice and well if your pockets are deep enough but even then it's a very lavish approach to ripping and serving. Not a solution that makes a whole lot of sense to me economically.

Thanks

Posted on: 11 June 2012 by Phil Harris

Originally Posted by totemphile:

Hi Phil,

thanks for clarifying this up, it wasn't clear to me, although I did think it might be the case when I wrote my reply. In any case, that's great news for all existing HDX owners then and good planning on Naim's part, there would have been a great deal of unhappy customers otherwise. Good solid British engineering then, after all there is a reason we all buy Naim, nice.

I hope Roy and the boys will be able to apply some of that clever tactical shrewdness tonight ;-)

Hmmm ... I can't see any possible reason why we would be at all interested in any kind of Anglo-French competitiveness this evening...

Originally Posted by totemphile:

Yes I know, all nice and well if your pockets are deep enough but even then it's a very lavish aproach to ripping and serving. Not a solution that makes a whole lot of sense to me economically.

Thanks

Which of course is why we produce the UnitiServe...

Cheers

Phil

Posted on: 11 June 2012 by Bruce Woodhouse

Anyone know the cost of the upgrade 2 x 400 to 2tb?

Workshop time? Direct to Naim as per a service or via dealer?

If you back up the original HDX to a NAS presumably a complete restore is possible of the old data. Maybe Naim would offer that service when they do the upgrade for those without?

Bruce

Posted on: 11 June 2012 by Phil Harris

Originally Posted by Bruce Woodhouse:

Anyone know the cost of the upgrade 2 x 400 to 2tb?

Workshop time? Direct to Naim as per a service or via dealer?

Your dealer will be able to advise you on this once we release pricing on that upgrade...

Originally Posted by Bruce Woodhouse:

If you back up the original HDX to a NAS presumably a complete restore is possible of the old data.

Yes...

Originally Posted by Bruce Woodhouse:

Maybe Naim would offer that service when they do the upgrade for those without?

We do generally insist that the customer is responsible for taking a backup of their music (as this can add another days worth of copying off and then another days worth of copying back at this end which obviously ties up resources and storage for us) however we do try to accommodate if this isn't possible...

Cheers

Phil

Posted on: 11 June 2012 by Bruce Woodhouse

Cheers Phil, v helpful.

I think this will be a popular upgrade.

I love my HDX but it is getting close to full.

Posted on: 11 June 2012 by sktn77a

Originally Posted by Phil Harris:

A 2 x 400Gb or 2 x 500Gb HDX has always been able to be upgraded to a single 1Tb (or now 2Tb) drive - you just can't have *TWO* 1Tb or 2Tb drives in the unit.

So if you have a 2 x 400Gb or 2 x 500Gb HDX then you can get its capacity increased to 1Tb (or now 2Tb) if you wish.

Thanks Phil, now I get it! Does the upgrade of the 2x500GB HDX require the minor machining of the aluminum case to fit the new 1TB/2TB drive mounts?

Posted on: 11 June 2012 by Audioneophyte

Ummm you don't buy naim equipment to be economical...

You buy for the experience. (I was not paid to write this)

Posted on: 11 June 2012 by Audioneophyte

Ps... I HIGHLY reccomend, you compare the output quality of a unity serve vs hdx, the hdx makes a SIGNIFICANT improvement on any system even if just used as a upnp source. Go take a listen... Get some testmusic ripped to serve and hdx and compare... Save up, hdx is where it's at.

Posted on: 11 June 2012 by GraemeH

Originally Posted by Audioneophyte:

Posted on: 12 June 2012 by Phil Harris

Originally Posted by sktn77a:

Thanks Phil, now I get it! Does the upgrade of the 2x500GB HDX require the minor machining of the aluminum case to fit the new 1TB/2TB drive mounts?

There are a number of changes made in the mounting of the drive(s) between single drive and dual drive machines to better isolate the drive in the single drive servers.

Phil

Posted on: 12 June 2012 by totemphile

Phil,

Does better isolated also mean the HDX runs quiter, e.g. less audible noise from the HDD and less prompting of the cooling fan?

Thanks

Posted on: 12 June 2012 by GraemeH

Mine is a 1tb and is noiseless as far as I can hear. G