Tell me about hard drive systems...

If by 'hard-drive', you mean SD card, a top level DAC with an SD card reader (such as the Mirus below) will give you a complete digital front end (transport and DAC) with no need for a network. Control is via the front panel or an attached monitor and an Apple IR remote (second picture). All playback functions work from the remote (Play/Pause, Fast Forward, Next, Rewind and Previous). The monitor will also show album art (not shown in picture).

In the case of the Mirus, all file formats are read, including DSD. The sound quality of SD card playback sits between that of my MacBookPro and that of the UnitiServe. 

I heard one of these a few years back at the Montreal Audio show playing back DSD files from the SD card and was utterly floored by the level of engagement with the music. Purchase of the unit followed shortly after. It plays very well into the 252/SC

Jan

Correction. Not all file formats are read on the Mirus, *only* WAV, AIFF, FLAC, DSF and DFF... which should be more than enough !

With a name like TARQUIN MAYNARD- PORTLY  I'd hardly think you a simpleton !

Very best out there is the Aurender W20.  But.. This needs an outboard dac of similar quality , and a device to rip and load music onto its hard drive.

Stick your music on a NAS and get an NDX. Not a very imaginative suggestion, perhaps, but well tried and tested in these parts, and an NDX is at about the same level in the Naim hierarchy as your CDX2.

If you're planning to copy all of your CD's to a hard drive, one of the easy, high quality ways, is to buy a Naim HDX which will "rip" your discs to its own hard drive, which can be backed up to a Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive. This kind of drive is then "visible" to everything else on your home network.
The HDX not only "rips" your CD's to a lossless format but also rips them to MP3 at a high quality (as far as MP3s go) format which is perfect for any portable music players you might have, or even car playback.
The HDX is also a player or "streamer" with very good sound quality. I moved to an HDX from a CDS3, without any pain!

Other options are to use a program called "dbpoweramp" to rip CD's to your computer and/or a NAS drive. This wouldn't however automatically rip MP3 copies as well by default.
You'd then need a "streamer" to play the music files stored on the NAS drive or computer. A streamer can be connected to your existing amp and speakers.
The beauty of a NAS drive over using a computer for storage/playback duties is that a computer needs to be running all the time to play music back from it. It also ties up your computer, unless you buy a seperate one for music duties.
The NAS drive is left on 24/7 and will have it's own "server" software installed in it making the music available to your music player(s) at all times.

Good to hear from you Mike. You'll get a myriad of good and useful suggestions from the learned adopters of streamery hereabouts. Good luck with your search for binary-derived audio nirvana.

I fear that I can be of no assistance to you in this matter. Tarmacadam is the only hard-drive system with which I am familiar. 

John.

Thanks for the replies, Groovers - but please, I know nicht about this subject so saying I should get a NAS  -while obviously meant well - means practically nothing to me.    

I have a laptop for work, and a mostly "spare" Microsoft Surface - would it be possible to use the Surface via a DAC?

I'm not even sure what "streaming" is...

Mike, I'm moving this to the Streaming Room where you should get the most pertinent advice.

Love the tarmac drive  John  .....  

Based on your last sentence Tarquin ol' chap    "I'm not even sure what "streaming" is..."   my advise is to book a demo with a dealer,  not a demo to hear & buy,  but to see & understand how it all goes together & what's involved.    Or maybe a better idea is visit a friend or forum member with such a system  (you are more than welcome at mine)

I made the jump from CDX2 straight into streaming 2 years ago & considering I'm well over the top of the hill & although I have a technical background, I'm semi literate in computers,  but I found it remarkably easy.   I read up on what was involved & booked a demo - that session actually ended up with me ordering a NDX &  ordered the rest that evening.  The rest - I did say remarkably easy -  but lets say I also learnt fast once it was up & running.  

Finally I must compliment you on your birthday ....... a truly auspicious day if I may say so.    

Mike, I think you are going to have to make a little effort - all you have to do is an Internet search for NAS, have a shufti at Naim's product pages and that will get you started. Blythe's post above is a good starting point for you.

You need to be aware that there is an element of computery and discombobulation in setting a computer audio setup (just have a look at the streaming audio forum) and before embarking on it you need to decide if you have the appetite. Do you want to replace your CD player? Do you want to buy high definition downloads? How much do you want to spend, etc, etc?

Tarquin Maynard-Portly posted:

Thanks for the replies, Groovers - but please, I know nicht about this subject so saying I should get a NAS  -while obviously meant well - means practically nothing to me.    

I have a laptop for work, and a mostly "spare" Microsoft Surface - would it be possible to use the Surface via a DAC?

I'm not even sure what "streaming" is...

There are those who see a computer with dbPoweramp and a NAS running a UPnP server as a straightforward thing to set up. If that sounds unattractive, and your budget can stand it, a Unitiserve and an NDX is an easier thing to just connect up and start using, especially if your dealer will do it for you. Just insert a CD into the Unitiserve, and 3 or 4 minutes later you can play it. Save downloads to its hard drive too. 

For minimum hassle I use one of these, an Innuos Zen;

It is very easy to set up, and when paired with a decent dac the sound quality is excellent.

Backup couldn’t be easier.

New versions are soon to be released with different software enabling total control from an ipad, no computer required for correcting cover art etc.

ChrisSU posted:

Tarquin Maynard-Portly posted:

Thanks for the replies, Groovers - but please, I know nicht about this subject so saying I should get a NAS  -while obviously meant well - means practically nothing to me.    

I have a laptop for work, and a mostly "spare" Microsoft Surface - would it be possible to use the Surface via a DAC?

I'm not even sure what "streaming" is...

There are those who see a computer with dbPoweramp and a NAS running a UPnP server as a straightforward thing to set up. If that sounds unattractive, and your budget can stand it, a Unitiserve and an NDX is an easier thing to just connect up and start using, especially if your dealer will do it for you. Just insert a CD into the Unitiserve, and 3 or 4 minutes later you can play it. Save downloads to its hard drive too. 

Sort of - you still need a nas for backup, which is far harder to do than just using a nas in the first place. You'll also save yourself two grand in the process. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

Sort of - you still need a nas for backup, which is far harder to do than just using a nas in the first place. You'll also save yourself two grand in the process. 

Having spent hours at a friends U.Serve helping him with back up,  +1 agree on both counts.     I/we finally copied the albums over to his new Qnap NAS rather than back up - not sure if there is a difference between back up & copy.   The US was sold & he is 100% happy with downloading & the once in a while rip with laptop / dBpoweramp & is still wondering why he didn't do it that way all along.  

I agree that setting up a UServe and the NAS back-up routine is a pain (and although you can store downloads on the US these cannot be backed up onto the NAS), but that is why your friendly dealer is there; to do it.

We use the NAS as a general back-up medium for the iMac as well. 

At the time we got our US the general consensus was that it was one of the better sounding devices out there and of course to has a Naim logo. As the cost of the US was not excessive it seemed an easy way to go. The NAS was simply a necessity.

What about using the PC / Surface - with say iTunes - and a DAC?

It's one possibility. But to help focus the advice, it would help to know exactly what you're after. Do you want a streaming source that equals or betters your CD player? Do you want to stay within Naim? Budget?

Tarquin Maynard-Portly posted:

What about using the PC / Surface - with say iTunes - and a DAC?

Its one way to dip your toe into streaming,  problem(s) that might make it a bit less than ideal;  The MS Surface laptops don't have much memory, probably designed with Cloud in mind,  iTunes & MS are not great bedfellows IME & unlike a pukka Network player (which is a CD player like experience without the need to get up to change disc's) it means you are tied to the PC .  

Jan-Erik Nordoen posted:

It's one possibility. But to help focus the advice, it would help to know exactly what you're after. Do you want a streaming source that equals or betters your CD player? Do you want to stay within Naim? Budget?

I don't really know WHAT I'm after - all I know is that I've been listening to music on an SD card in my car and it sounds so good I want to explore this route.

As for budget; depends on business! I've been using Naim for >20 years so I'm happy with them. But if there are other no-brainers out there...

Mike, if you fancy another trip to Emsworth, you can see it all working. The only condition is that you are not having my speakers. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

ChrisSU posted:

There are those who see a computer with dbPoweramp and a NAS running a UPnP server as a straightforward thing to set up. If that sounds unattractive, and your budget can stand it, a Unitiserve and an NDX is an easier thing to just connect up and start using, especially if your dealer will do it for you. Just insert a CD into the Unitiserve, and 3 or 4 minutes later you can play it. Save downloads to its hard drive too. 

Sort of - you still need a nas for backup, which is far harder to do than just using a nas in the first place. You'll also save yourself two grand in the process. 

One day I'll get round to putting Minim on my NAS and comparing it with my US, as you did. The problem I will then have if, like you, I ditch the US, is that my wife is going to say 'I've bought this CD, what do I do with it?'

My answer will be 'Open dbPoweramp on your comp............oh! you've stopped listening. Here, let me show you.'

And things will just go downhill from there. So in the interests of world peace, I'll probably still keep the Unitiserve. Now I'm not trying to suggest that the OP is in any way like my wife, but you see my point?

Hilary just gives the CD to me to sort out...

Tarquin Maynard-Portly posted:

What about using the PC / Surface - with say iTunes - and a DAC?

You have a fork in the Tarmac immediately in front of you... Streaming digital audio can mean many things - but generally you will have to choose how you send your music files from wherever you store them (PC, Network Attached Storage (NAS), SD card, USB key, etc) to the DAC that feeds your stereo. Some use a network connection (Ethernet or wifi), while others use an asynchronous USB connection that normally gets wired straight into your computer. More often than not, they do one or the other but not both. Naim has (as far as I know) only one asynchronous USB DAC: the V1, which is also a preamp and very well reviewed. Most everything else is a network streamer (ie is sent a digital file over your home network) or is self contained (I think the UnitiServe and the NDX, maybe, have internal storage). 

Adding a USB dac to your PC / Surface will certainly work; you will be able to play your iTunes library, buy downloads elsewhere and play them, check your SD card material and play it at home the way you play it in your car, add a NAS, move some files around and play from there (given your PC will be on the same home network), play internet radio stations (via iTunes or a number of other ways), try online subscription streaming services like Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz and the like...

This is a very gentle way to get started and you can choose your price point over a huge range (from tens of dollars to thousands). It would be relatively low risk to choose something at the low end of the price range, try out the functionality, and - mainly - see if it is enjoyable to have your computer on and plugged in all the time. If so, you can shop for ever more expensive DACs! If not, you can learn more about network streamers, many of which are integrated with a DAC and represent an integrated digital source solution.

You're getting a lot of good advice from others here already... My idea was simply to point out that, as you are captivated by your new experience in the car, you can get a similar setup going at home while you learn more, get used to the concepts, build you library (buying new or ripping your existing collection), and sample online sources such as internet radio or streaming services (most offer a free trial).

Best wishes for the next step in your adventure  - taking a small step quickly can be just as much fun as taking a giant leap after careful thought...and you can do both!

Regards alan 

Good advice from Alan. To expand on his comment "see if it is enjoyable to have your computer on and plugged in all the time", it is also worth approaching this from the user interface point of view. How the interface (computer programme or app) lets you navigate your music collection can make or break the experience. The Naim app has evolved to a very slick interface, and the inclusion of volume control is a nice touch. But there's nothing like a test drive of different apps to see what fits best. 

Jan

Mike,

Either take up HH's offer or pop into Reading Cassette & HiFi (Audio-T ?) and have a word with Simon.

I popped in when passing by a few weeks back. Providing Simon has a few moments free, he'll guide you through the various terminologies and the associated bits of kit both Naim and non-Naim. I think I now understand enough to be able to ask sensible questions, even if I still don't fully understand the answers !!!!

Cheers

Don