New n-Stream app is here

Just noticed you can rearrange tracks lined up in the play queue by dragging and dropping. Brilliant! 

I like the way the cover art of the track being played is shown, desaturated, behind the play list too.

A couple of comments:

I was having trouble with the V4.0 app working at all with my Uniti (original, upgraded to 192k/24).  This because I was running antique firmware, to my shame.   I upgraded it and all is now sweetness and light.   If anyone is in a similar position and wondering what USB serial adapter to buy: this one from Amazon worked for me: ASIN B00ECJEPKQ (A LogiLink FTDI device).

I've noticed some people complaining about problems with uPnP servers.   I think I also saw Phil blaming the uPnP servers: who ever it was doing that I'd like to second it.   I tried several different servers on my Linux boxes.  I discovered that not all uPnP servers are created equal and that this is down to the shoddy state of the standards (I read the ones I could find on the way as well).   For a while I was using minidlna which worked quite well but it has no idea how to sort (hint: "The Beatles" does not come after "Tangerine Dream" and just before "The Who") and it would occasionally match up the wrong tracks with an album title which was somewhat irritating.  Almost as irritating as crashing periodically as well.

I've been using minimserver for a while now and while I'd prefer it to be open source, it is dead solid and can be taught how to sort.   I also run minimserver on a raspberrypi which is nice.

My playlists (on the streamer) have disappeared. I've just finished recreating them. Did the new app do this two days after its arrival?

Keith

Well I've been away for 10 days and it looks like I've missed a whole frenzy of activity on the forum relating to the new app!

Downloaded it and had a play yesterday.

I like it, it's a lot slicker and looks a lot more up to date than nStream.

And I do like now being able to browse my library while listening to the radio (for example).

I have an iPad1 and a current iPod Touch, so can and will be using both side by side.

It was good to read the thread before I got started, but Ididn't have any connectivity issues and found my way around soon enough.

Couple of omissions (based around Mu-so on home screen-would be slightly irritated if I bought an NDS and found I had to use an ap for mu-so to control it..., would like bit rates to be more visible, shame the iDevice battery icon now cant be seen, incorporate Naim 'heritage' colours in styles) all of which seem to have been noted, but it's just different.

Interesting to know if Spotify Connect appears in one of the dynamic screens for Mu-so or if this will be in a soon to follow update, because I can't see it in the current version.

Otherwise, thumbs up from me.

Just noticed I'm getting some doubling up of tracks when playing some albums. I'm using asset upnp and I've mainly noticed it when playing new albums via dynamic browsing

Actually what I wanted was an option to effectively "reboot" without switching it off at the mains as I have to sometimes when it freezes. 

I suspect that if the streamer is not responding, it is unlikely to respond to a request to reboot from n-stream.

If your unit is freezing often there is probably an underlying reason for it, either network related or hardware.  My NDX never freezes, and I have only had to reboot it when I have made changes to the network which seems to get it in a pickle until I have rebooted.  In these cases I have lost contact between n-stream and the NDX.

If you are getting items appearing twice in UPnP lists then it will be down to the UPnP server producing lists with duplicated information in it - neither the app nor the streamer have any kind of file or folder browsing capability when used via UPnP...

Cheers

Phil

It can't be Phil because they are sometimes  same albums on the same upnp server that displayed correctly on the old version?  Doesn't happen all the time

Which upnp server are you using?  What version?

As I said a while ago, I know that there are issues with a lot of uPnP servers.   It's not the app or the streamer; some upnp servers are better than others.  (I had a *lot* of trouble with minidlna for example, and not just with the old n-Stream app and a Uniti.)

Phil

Regarding the 'doubling up' of tracks in albums.  I had this problem until I checked my NAS settings, went to UPnP settings and clicked the command to reindex.  This then reindexed UPnP sources on the NAS, I cleared UPnP cache in n-stream and then it displayed OK.  This doesn't look like a problem with the new app but with UPnP indexing on the network attached storage.

Karl

just sharing with whomever interested that after sending my feedback on the new app to NAIM support, as part of their (very fast) response I was told that "spotify coming very soon". 

What will be the benefit of Spotify?

That is really great to hear.  I think Spotify is a wonderful streaming solution.  It might not be audiophile grade, and yes, I know that some people hate Spotify but for pop music that I do not want to buy the whole album, its really a good solution.  I can only hope that this is true. 

Thanks DrPo, good to know 

hi Clive B, I can see two questions here: (a) "why Spotify" in general (b) why should NAIM support it.

regarding (a) I personally find it very useful to check out suggestions by friends (recent example: Joél Grare "Nihavent") and also compare classical recordings of same pieces (it does not have exhaustive lists but still an impressive selection). I also like the feature of creating "radio lists" based on a specific piece as "root". But this is not an advertising spot for spotify so I stop here.

regarding (b) I currently use an optical lead from an airport express into my NDX to listen to spotify. I presume (perhaps naively) that the quality will be improved if i don't have to use AirPlay to do so but go via the streamer, some insights here by forum members would be welcome!

To preempt the inevitable question on topic (a) and as a predominantly classical music listener I would of course prefer the lossless Qobuz to Spotify but I will not go for an AirPlay based Qobuz integration, I think Qobuz deserves a solid solution. If NAIM ever supports qobuz I will switch to it from spotify.

With regard to the 'doubling up' of tracks mentioned earlier, it is worth checking whether you may accidentally have copied an album, or some tracks, twice (or more) to the NAS. That's what I discovered after reading Phil's definitive statement above. End of one mystery for me!

@karl: +1 for re-indexing any given upnp server ... I had issues with plex and two copies of every album even though minimServer and Media Station were fine on the same synology NAS, looking at the same directory tree full of FLAC files. After garyi re-recommended plex, I tried again and had no issues after a re-scan. Not a renderer or streamer issue....

regards alan

I too would much prefer the 'lossless' CD quality of Qobuz (although having grown up with vinyl it's all a bit mystical to me). That said, I still like to own the recording and I think if the choice were between downloading and streaming I'd buy the download, but only then if it were at higher than CD resolution, otherwise I'd just buy the CD.

How about Airplay, will that ever happen to legacy products?

Jus plug in an airport express. Seriously.

This whole airplay thing is out of hand, the solution is so cheap and simple, and air play sounds like total shite.

Is anyone having problems with Playlists.  I've noticed that not all of mine are always displayed on the 'home' page.  Also, I've noticed that some tracks can't always be found on my server/NAS drive.

Any thoughts on either issues, please?

Mine disappeared and had to be rekeyed. Still not if it was fat fingurism or the software.

Keith

DQ,

I have the same problem. Over the last 1.5 year I spent lots of time creating multiple playlists with great care, comparing versions of classical music, "Best of..." as per my personal taste and so on.

The playlists are still there, but behind every song there is a red cross saying "Some tracks are not available / cannot be found on the server..." That is rubbish, all songs are available on the NAS, but apparently the new app can't find them anymore   I've got all the lastest firmware (Naim 3.22, iOS 8.0.2, Synology DSM5.0, JRiver MC20) but my playlists are unplayable...

I have tried to recreate them, by looking at the old playlist, remembering the song, toggle to the main songlist, select the song and entering them in a new playlist. With the logic of the new app, this appears to be a much more tedious exercise, requiring at least 3 more buttons to press per song. The easy logic from n-stream is gone.

What a nightmare. Was talking to a Naim dealer in the Netherlands the other day and he expressed similar disappointment. Dutch importer Latham Audio has been flooded by complaints from dealers and customers.

I'm now hoping and praying that the new upgrade (announced last week but when issued??) will solve this issue so I can use my playlists again.

Paul Stephenson, Phil Harris,

I'm disappointed in Naim. As customer I'm prepared to pay a premium price for a premium product. And I have thoroughly enjoyed the n-stream in combination with the NAC-N172XS over the last 1.5 years. But the new app has reduced my enthousiasm for Naim quite a bit. Here are my top complaints:

1. It can't play ANY of my existing playlists

2. The so important volume control is hidden

3. The cover-art is only shown in very low resolution

4. When starting the new app for the first time, you only mention the (future) mu-so customers, confusing your thousands of existing streaming customers who don't own a mu-so and are uncertain which button to press. This is not the way to introduce a new app.

I would appreciate assistence in making my playlists playable again.