Dusty "Never Does Streaming".....NDS!

Hi Harry,

Great post. I know what you mean, the NDS jst seems to demand that you listen to it...what a hardship!! It seems to balance everything so well, and even with bad recordings smooths out the bad bits. I know that when I was lucky enough to dem it the XPS worked really well on it,  the 555P/S jsu added more of the goodness. What do you think of playlist etc?

Allen, I'm so green with envy.Having said that if I were to wish the NDS for anyone it would be your goodself. I have followed all your posts on reference streaming products, the 555P/S effect and N Stream. It has been a joy to read and follow your journey. Enjoy, my friend. Put your feet up and enjoy.

I likes 'em fine. Having been running the HDX it's something that I've been exploiting to good effect. The ones I have set up work fine in N-Stream but I haven't tried setting any up from there yet. I must check this out.

I think N-Stream is a bit clunky in operation and layout and the lack of fast back/forward is occasionally irksome. But I'm delighted with the volume control. It eats the iPad's batteries faster than N-Serve but it should go five days between charges, which is fine. The album/artist information "booklet" is a great idea, but so far I have found the content to be bitty and full of large holes that should not be there - like a full list of band members! I'd also like to see fuller artwork and sleeve notes. An opportunity missed but perhaps it will catch up?

Gents,

I meant to ask re playlists.

When one creates a playlist is it specific to the NDS or the iphone or ipad that the playlist was created on? For example, if playlist created on ipad, does this mean the playlist would not be available on an iphone.

I can't remember when I had the dem unit here.

Playlists are iPad specific. Using iTunes one can share them over other Apple devices like the iPhone

Iver

Thank you Iver,

This strikes me as odd. It would be resonable to assume that folks have ipads/iphones and unless you have the one that created the playlist, then it could not be played.

Is this something that can be a firmware fix?

.....me again!

Also....one more NDS related question.

One of the features I'm looking forward to is playlist function. Something I have long enjoyed with ipeng.

Question.

With the ability to create playlists, one of the annoyances of CD (for me) is different gain levels between CD's. I know that within Asset one has the option to "apply" replay gain. This (i guess?) would mean that after a scan of your music library, all files would be levelled to to a constant. Would this represent a problem..loss..etc? Or would "One" be better off creating a back up ( i can here the cries...yes I have back ups of back ups!) then enabling replay gain to library?

I have more NDS questions for those that are lucky enough to own one!!!!!

Hi Dusty,

I create playlists with my Ipod app and can see an play them via the DTC.

Gerry

Hi Gerry,

Can DTC be used with NDS/nstream? I thought it was for "serve" products?

Hope I'm wrong!!

I came across playlists relatively recently and made some in nServe. These could be played from nServe or the HDX menu system so I assume the information was either stored in the HDX or in its primary music store. In nStream these playlists show up in "All Music". But playlists created in nStream don't show up here.  You have to go through a rather convoluted system of navigation to get to them. If you tap on a track the playlists created in sStream show up in the menu. Tapping on a playlist adds the track to it. But playlists created in nServe or on the HDX don't show up in this list. 

Equalising volume levels is AFAIK not possible but nStream's trump card is that you have assess to a volume control. I have found it to be occasionally unreliable. DTC only works with servers. Having taught myself how to use the HDX and having used the front screen, TV/monitor link, DTC and Flash interface as well as nServe, the facilities on the HDX seem spartan. But it doesn't half sing so I'm not that fussed.

Yes you are right , I am using my US as the server to the NDS. However as I say the playlists are created on my iPod, but can still be seen by an alternative device, and can also be accessed from the NDS front panel.

Gerry

Replay gain is a real boon and doesn't harm sound quality as far as I know. I use Foobar and it is very easy to apply across the library. If your system has the option I would definitely use it.

Pev, replay gain can depending on the amount applied and algorithm used make quantisation noise become audible. You need revealing equipment and apply  a fair amount though to hear this ( low level info can sound gritty or indistinct). I once tried to level a rendition of Shostakovitches 2nd piano concerto once to disastrous effect.

For genereal  listening, or where the music has already been largely compressed and levelled at mastering time ( much modern commercial music) it should be fine, and the negatives not really be noticeable.

Simon

With playlists, please don't make the error I did.Ensure the NAS or wherever your referenced media is ( and this is the media and not the upnp server) has a static IP address. This is used by the playlist. If the IP address changes your playlist wI'll be visible but not playable. I understand Naim might change this in the future.

Forgot to mention, it may help your understanding, that it is the upnp server that stores the playlist.

Gerry

Gents, many thanks for answers.

Another question. I noticed when I had dem NDS that under playlist/New Albums that it showed them in a  strange order. Not the one I'm used to ie, the most recent ripped CD at the top obviously going down the list in a timed/ripped order.

Any thoughts? 

Hi, Fine Naim people.

Well, I have my new NDS...ooo very happy am i (Yoda style!).

I will try to add to this thread my joy with unit, but there have been some wonderful comments here  elsewhere that far exceed my limited journalistic  review  lack of skills!!

One observasion is that I have noticed on one particular ripped CD that used to play on the NDX now displays a "Can't Play" message from the NDS. Has any one any thoughts on this. I seem to remember peoples comments but I can't remember where they are. I could rip the CD again to see if that resolves it, but I just wanted to understand what was going on.

N-Stream vers 3.1

Streamer Vers 3.16.00

Dusty.

(1) Try to re-encode it as FLAC/wav without re-ripping. If this does not help:

(2) Re-rip.

I have used the number one option on one or two occasions. The error may have something to do with a tagging problem of the file or a corrupt file.

By the way: I do not own a Naim streamer (yet?).

Best wishes,

Peter

Congratulations Dusty. I don't know about you, but the NDS has somewhat changed my leisure life. I always spent as much time as I could listening to music. Now I listen more, to the extent that doing things like sitting in front of a keyboard is a missed opportunity. And my music buying has increased. I wish you big fun with yours.

The first port of call for the dodgy CD is to rip it again, after deleting the original rip and emptying the recycle bin. Failing that I would copy the CD and rip the copy. Or rip it on my PC and move the files into a network share. I wonder if it has some sort of copy protection mire embedded in it? There is usually a way around it.

All the best

100% spot on Harry. 

Work has been very demanding recently not leaving much time for my passion (hope the wife isn't reading this!!), I eventually got to sit down at 11pm last night for an hour of pure self indulgence. Heaven. Lights turned off, just me and the music. I love nights like that. 

The NDS really is a top machine. I am  (make that we are..) so lucky. Naim keep developing new products for us to enjoy and raise the bar everytime. Now, how about those DR upgrades....

Sure hope the wife "still" isn't reading this!. 

One other thing...isn't there always!!

This may well be a network issue. I've noticed that sometimes music drops out completely although N-Stream says music is still playing.If i "hit" next track normal service is resumed. I'm using Asset 4 on my NAS.

Any thoughts?

In my armature estimation there is one strong possibility and a number of possible causes. Wiser heard than mine are required.

It sounds like a buffer under run because of the data flow intermittently dropping.  Where you go from there is, erm, lots of places! The one thing which does occur is can this be replicated when using the front panel controls or does it only happen when controlling with nStream? I have to say I haven't found nStream to be the sharpest knife in the draw, although I understand it is much improved and likely to be improved further still.

Hi Harry,

Many thanks for the reply. Good points to try. I have recently upgraded to BT Infinity using satndard supplied Hub...why o why did I do this. If it ain't broke don't fix it!! I had my trusty Draytek 2820 all working, luvly. Like I said why o why..... I will plug my Draytek in next weekend and see what results I get. I think the 2820 only runs to 50MBPs so maybe an upgrade might be in order.

Question

Why do I seem to spend all my life upgrading? Iphone apps..upgrade...PC...upgrades....and now HiFi...upgrades!! Maybe another topic for another thread another day!!

Hi Allen, 

Many thanks. Welcome back, trust you had a great holiday. Good to have you back round these parts.

Question

Why o why did I agree to get various rooms decorated, when I should be enjoying my system. Nuts or what!!! Obviously this meant breaking system down. Roll on the weekend. Fresh paint and new carpet. All acoustically approved 

I'm sure these is a compromise here...DR upgrades!!!!

Two good questions. I find that decorating, things about cars, matters in the garden and other things which can broadly go into a category tend to arrive like policemen and buses. No idea why. The first question bites harder. I've still no idea. With increasing age I am tending to jump on less bandwagons - been there, done that, sometimes regretted it. Although I did do the NDS FW and DSP upgrade to take it to 3.16. I can't say I'm that taken by the sonic shift - not that it sounds rubbish. Far from it.

As far as things like phones and gadgets go, I'm less inclined to grab the latest version be it hardware or software. Unless there is a particularly good reason for it.

I did get the latest update to nStream at the W/E. It might be my imagination but the app seems to run with somewhat more speed and stability. And joys of joys I can now see the bit depth or sampling rate or mostly both of the track in progress. I like that. Now, if we can just have FF/FR please. And thank you to the developers and testers.

I have a hub which is regarded as worse than pants. And an ISP who could seriously do with the boot because although the service is mostly good, when it goes wrong they are consistently useless. But even when the Broadband (very occasionally) goes down the home network is stable. I am told that I could have so much more and that I am a fool to continue to pay money to greedy idiots. But I've done enough "upgrades" to know the possible pitfalls. So I ain't mending it.

Hi all,

Still living (phew!) and luving the NDS.

I wondered if there had been anymore news on a previous question asked above re playlists.

Naimly..."groan"!..... creating playlist on iphone was then not available on ipad etc.

I thought I had heard that one of the software or hardware upgrades enabled playlist to be stored on NDS (not sure how), and therefore whether using any "i" device playlists were available to all.

One other question.

In N stream, I note "New Albums" within "playlist" section. These are in aphabetical order. is there anyway of showing these in "Rip order"? I'm sure I had this with my NDX.