Connecting a Squeezebox Touch to NAC202

Posted by: Frances on 10 May 2011

Hi

 

I've just bought a squeezebox touch (thanks to a suggestion from somewhere elsewhere on these forums!) and I've got to connect it up to my NAC202.

 

Currently I only have two inputs used - the CD one from my CD player, and Aux 2 from the TV using an RCA cable.  My dealer set all this up for me. If I read the manual right now, am I correct that

 

- The squeezebox needs to connect through another RCA cable

- There are two RCA inputs in the NPAC202, but one of them has to go to the 'CD' button

- So I will need to move the CD input to one of the other inputs (does this matter at all?), reprogram the NCP202 to use the second RCA input, and plug the Squeezebox into the 'CD' button.

?

 

Alternatively I can buy a RCA - DIN connector? Are they easy to find?

 

I don't really want to spend more money on this, I'm only doing this to listen to internet radio, particularly radio 3 HD, but it's not going to get used a huge amount - we don't have an aerial of any form so this seems the only real source of radio.

Posted on: 10 May 2011 by 0rangutan
Just buy a cheap RCA-DIN cable - see the Flashback website or ask your Naim dealer.
Posted on: 10 May 2011 by aysil

Frances,

You confused me with model of your preamp - NAC202, NPAC202, NCP202 in the same post ? But I am pretty sure you have the NAC202 preamplifier. It seems the two RCA inputs have already been assigned to the CD and AUX 2 input buttons. It is better if you just don't try to change this. Connect your Squeezebox to one of the remaining inputs. This has to be one of the DIN inputs - tuner, tape, av, or aux1. The name doesnot matter other than convenience. There is no obligation to connect your Squeezebox to the CD input. For your case, the tuner input seems to make more sense. You will need to get a RCA to DIN interconnect cable, or a RCA to DIN adaptor if you already have a cable. They are both easy to find.

 

You want to use your new device for iRadio, but you may use it later to play music files from your computer.

Posted on: 12 May 2011 by Minigill

Hi Frances

 

Are you pleased with the sound ?  Thinking of going down this route myself, but have no way of borrowing one to find out before buying !

 

Thanks

 

Gill

 

 

Posted on: 16 May 2011 by Frances

To clarify - the CD player is a NAIM one and is connected to the CD DIN input, but if I've understood the back of the box correctly, the second RCA input goes to the CD button so I can't use it for the squeezebox without moving other things round.

 

For the time being I've disconnected the connection to the TV (I barely watch TV, so I won't want it back until the proms start) until I buy an RCA-DIN cable - thanks for the hint to the Flashback website, I hadn't seen them. It's still a bit irritating coughing up 200 quid for a 'cheap' piece of kit and then having to pay more to connect it up.

 

Minigill - The sound is OK, I wouldn't say it is brilliant, I get occasional gaps in the signal (maybe 1/10th of second - only just long enough to notice). I assume this is related to the quality of our broadband service.  I am connected with an ethernet cable rather than using our home wireless network, because the squeezebox sits next the router it seemed silly not to.

 

I would say the sound is similar to that I get through the cable box => TV => amp/speakers (or before I disconnected that bit, anyway).  It's much better than the portable digital radio we have, and much better than the analogue-radio-without-a-proper-aerial that is the other option. I did manage to connect to the Radio 3 HD service (or what claimed to be that) and didn't notice a huge improvement over the normal radio 3. 

 

We did notice the broadband internet connection over one of our computers was slightly worse when listening to radio 3 HD, it seemed to use up a lot of our bandwidth.  But I can't absolutely prove causality, because we do get performance peaks/dips anyway depending on what the rest of the people on our road are doing.

 

I was impressed at how easy it was to set up.  It really was take out of the box, plug in, listen.

Posted on: 17 May 2011 by Chris Shorter

I have a similar set-up to you but I am very pleased with the R3 HD sound, even compared to some great FM tuners that I've had in the past. What I've dicovered about the broadband connection is that it doesn't need to be very fast but it does need to be reliable. Ours is only 1.5Mbs but, after many complaints, it is now relable. We no longer experience any drop outs, even when using two lap-tops at the same time for general web-browsing.