Eliminating a hard-edge to HDX streaming from a NAS

Well everything has changed and nothing has changed since the last post.

1. Added a borrowed 555PS and connected to the HDX - a huge improvement, but the problem was still there

2. Got an audio engineer who had been around before, to check it out and the suggested solution was to hang a big acoustic thing from the ceiling which did not seem to be a great idea

3. Moved everything to our living room which is much larger. This was after special negotiation with the big chief. The main selling point was integration of the Naim with the Arcam system so that there was not two separate systems to maintain. There was an immediate improvement in the sound which was much bigger and deeper. It sounded like a totally new system. Also ditched the Arcam along the way. 

4. Replaced the Ixos with a Snaxo plus HiCap and also bought the borrowed 555PS. Once more a huge improvement in the sound with the noise level dropping yet again and more detail in the music.

5. Got a Rega RP8 with an Apheta cartridge, Superline phono stage & HiCap. It sounds terrific!

At the end of it all the same distortion on soprano voices is still there but at a different frequency on both the HDX and the RP8! Also tried the UnitiQute with different speakers and the problem was the same, so it seems to be the room only now it is a different room. Trying to get hold of the audio engineer again.

So, after spending lots of money and time and getting help from the local distributor and friends, the sound from the system now is so much improved as to bear little resemblance to what it was like before, excepting for that one little problem. Whether there is a moral to this tale I am not sure.

What supports do you use? And what about the interconnects and speaker cable? Worth experimenting.

As someone who has recently removed the NDac/555PS from the HDX and then put the 555PS directly on the HDX as a source I noted less 'digital edge' through the (very transparent) SN2.

G

Hi Dozey, Paul and Graeme

I did not highlight an important step I took and that was to bring my UnitiQute and Sonus Faber Toy Bookshelf speakers into the same room and position the SF speakers in front of the Allaes and then stream the same reference track. Whilst I do no have a measurement of the levels of the different frequencies from the test, the same issue was apparent, so it really does look like the room. The HDX has been eliminated as I get the same effect with the RP8, so it really only leaves the room. The same reference track sounds ok on the UQ and SF system in another room.

Also I am out of room on the Fraim as I have the RP8 on the Fraim and have had to locate the Superline and HiCap on another stand. 

Dig the room acoustic idea

IMO, the IXOS is the bottleneck, change the IXOS + 2* Chrome Bumper 250 for a current generation NAP250-2 (or better NAP300) and passive Xover. If you really want to keep your system active, go to a SNAXO + Hicap, but the NAP250s will become the bottleneck.

Active is not a panacea, it over-exposes any weakness in the system. This is why Naim now reserves active for the top notch systems.

Inclined to agree with Manu.  30 year old amplification (even recapped) is probably the major contributor to your hard edge.  Try borrowing a couple of 250.2 amps from your dealer along with a current x-over.

Hi Manu and sktn77a(!)

Many thnaks for your fedback. You are missing some vital information in this thread:-

1. I have upgraded the crossover and now running a SNAXO and HiCap and it made a big difference

2. I have the same issue when running a UnitiQute and separate speakers in the same room, streaming from the HDX, so it looks like the room

3. Upgrading to current 250-2s is on the list but there is a limit to the money available

4. Going non active means getting rid of the new SNAXO and HiCap and having to find crossovers for the Allaes as it is not in my possession. So no simple solutions. Also a lack of local dealers who will take trade-ins or who stock or demo higher-end equipment. Probably need to go back to the distributor

Good, now work on the room. Do you have large glass or metal surfaces. Check your mains supply, is it clean,? do you have dimmable halogen lightings?

One idea: move your Qute to another room: same effect? 

Hi Manu, thanks for your continued interest and advice. Yes lots of glass but have wooden venetian blinds. Also dimmable halogen down lights.  I have replaced a couple with LEDs if that makes a difference? I am using power lines on some but not all equipment and have not isolated the circuit as yet. The Qute usually lives in another room and does not seem to exhibit the same problem in its normal location. I will see if I can hear the difference with the blinds open and closed.

I have an NDS/555PS connected to a NAS.  This combination sounds harder-edged and slightly more brittle than my CD555 player.  I don't know if this has something to do with the difference between a server vs. a player or a difference in the DACs. 

I can't complain about the convenience of the music server, which has made the overall listening experience better. 

Led will improve, but only because they draw less current. The dimmers have very bad effect on the mains. If you wish to keep these dimmable lights in your room, a dedicated circuit for the HiFi is a must. Wooden blinds will not help. You can try to change the orientation of the blinds (open, half open toward the top, toward the bottom, you may experiment a change in sound... Heavy fabric curtains are generally better in front of large glass areas.

What do you mean by'' I am using power lines ...'' Naim Powerline? Ok, but your system should sound good even with standard cords.

You should ask your dealer to pass-by, he may already have experienced it.

Hi Larry, I think that the HDX has been ruled out as the issue and that it is the room.

Hi Manu, thanks for your further advice. A silly question: if the lights are all of part of the problem, there should be difference when they are off? I am aware that drapes of some sort are better, but I am stuck with the wooden venetian blinds but can try them in different positions. I will definitely get a separate circuit installed as I had that before in the prior "Naim" room. Incidentally that room even worse problems but at a different frequency, so it is all heading in the right direction.

Is there any chance that the "hard edge" is simply how Naim is voiced?

The interesting thing is that the Qute and Sonus Faber, but in a different room sound fine playing the same tracks, so the room seems to be the culprit.