excited new ndx owner

Hertz,

I use a Vortexbox with my NDS. It is superb value for money and utterly reliable in all but one minor way. If you have some esoteric CDs, the Vortexbox may not do a great job of extracting the files or getting the metadata right. In about 25-30 cases of the 2000-odd CDs I have ripped I have had to use EAC to extract the files or MP3Tag to adjust the metadata on the FLACs. Most of the time you simply shove the CD in the tray and sit back and relax. Where there are problems with extraction, only a my 10-year old Toshiba notebook will do the extraction. I have newer Dell and HP machines that are unable to read these discs too (these are invariably limited edition CDRs released by the band direct to the punter).

I hate Twonky etc. The software on the Vortexbox is really easy to use. As my main genre of interest is not classical, I can index my system by carefully tagging or retagging to suit my needs, so I don't really need to worry about the software.

Hertz

The ideal NAS is just that - it manages the storage of data. A fully fledged upnp server such as Unitiserve or Asset requires a little more power and space to run - it is effectively a media server linked to a database.

Now consumer NAS's often come with a basic upnp server incoporated such as Twonky. It is fine to get you going but you might ultimately find it limiting in terms of indexing, categorisation and transcoding rules compared to a fully fledge Upnp server running on a little PC or Mac.

So to get going and familiar with the technology and approach use the bundled NAS upnp server - and then when you are ready you can branch out to a more capable upnp server should you need. All the ripped files on your NAS will  remain on your NAS which ever way you go. (Your upnp server and your files don't have to be on the same machine)

Hertz, I agree with Simon, you may need that extra processing power down the line especially when it comes to indexing large libraries. I have a Dell Media Centre PC running Twonky (no problems here!) with Windows 7 sitting under my TV (it also stores my films). My NAS is purely a backup device. ATB.

Hertz

With regards to the NAS, I'd recommend keeping things simple.

Buy a 2TB hard drive for your PC and rip to this using your DB power amp.

Buy a SINGLE bay NAS, something a bit better than an entry level model.

Fit a 2TB hard drive and backup music files to it from your PC.

Stream music from the NAS.

Running a 2 bay drive in RAID sounds like a good idea, but if one drive fails will you actually now what to do to recover it. I certainly wouldn't.

Also, I suspect, but don't know for sure, a single bay NAS will put less strain on the processor and memory. Logically, controlling 2 drives will be more difficult/processor hungry than 1.

While I was figuring out the network thing, I copied some high def tracks (HDtracks 9624 Ultimate ) into a usb drive and plugged it into the front usb port and played. Wow ! This kit is amazing – special ! I heard that the usb is just okay compared to Upnp. I am also not using my main amp. It is a standby middle of the road amplifier. So I am thinking I am in for a nice ride once I get everything going.

Hertz, sound wise I can't say I hear much between USB and upnp, but then I use an off board DAC on my NDX. Its just USB isn't that flexible although you can navigate via Nstream which is nice.

Simon

Thanks Simon,

Just a question - if one were to use the ndx as a music server only, then aren’t there many music servers out there which cost much less than the ndx  and be as effective?

How much of quality difference is there with an outboard DAC ?

The NDX can only be a client or a renderer. The server is the NAS or the upnp server we discussed earlier. The NDX DAC is good, but with most things they can be subjectively bettered. I use the nDAC with 555PS and that to me gives me the performance I am looking for.

As far as servers are concerned, in the Naim world the two I am aware of is the Unitiseve and HDX.

Simon

Hertz, your question prompted me to re do some listening tests: I ran my NDX standalone into my NAC. It was really rather good, far better than I remember but there have been some firmware updates since I did this last. Ok crtitically a little shut in and treble smoothed off, but it had a great stereo field.. I do remember this... And it was really rather dynamic and punchy.. Very foot tapping.

I then plugged my nonDR 555PS into the NDX... The tonal balance shifted, and trebles got clearer.. But the overall blance was less attractive and seemed to sound a bit cluttered on complex passages. Also there was an un natural bass peak (a bit like I hear on the NAP250).

I set backup as before with the 555PS into DAC fed by NDX. The balance became more even handed again, dynamic and extended, and provided complete clarity on what you sent the NDX.. with loads of layers and natural sounding tonal colour.

But the standalone NDX was really good by comparison, offering only a slightly veiled and filtered and less layered and detailed version of the 555PS/NDAC but it was immensely enjoyable and easy to listen to... Enjoy that NDX, I forgot how good it sounds on its own.

Simon

Thanks Simon for the comparison. I really like the balance I am hearing from the NDX. Now I need to buy a transparent sounding amplifier since I have now sold my older amp. I run the Blumenhofer Fun 17 speaker.

Okay—I am making some progress into understanding how NAS works.

And also read up about Twonky and Asset servers. Yay :-)

Some newbie questions :

Are Twonky and Asset freeware and can it be made to work with most NAS devices from Synology, netgear etcc? Are there any other such server softwares that I need to look at ? Which one do you guys prefer ? Do some NAS manufacturers prefer one over the other ?

The guys at Linn seem to like Asset NAS better ?

http://forums.linn.co.uk/bb/showthread.php?tid=14906

Is there a NAS product/ server combination which is very popular among Naimees ? I am just looking for a simple 1 or 2 bay NAS. I have decided to keep my backup on my ripping PC.

Hi Twonky and Asset are shareware - and a licence can be purchased relatively cheaply for continued or full capability.

As far as preferred options, I think there is a wide range of options on this Forum - and some have been mentioned on your thread. I guess you should you chose the one that makes sense to you:

Asset,

Twonky

Vortexbox

J River

MediaMonkey

are the more popular ones if you opt for a non Naim solution

Simon

Asset is great but I don`t think you can install it on most types of NAS. You'll need to run it on your PC/Mac/Windows Home Server; then add your Synology NAS or whatever as an audio library in the Asset configuration. Thanks very much!