172 XS Discontinued?

Kind of unlikely as firstly it's quite a new product, and secondly it also has its own new set of pages describing its specific virtues on the brand new Naim web site that has just been launched.

Agreed Simon, that's why I was so surprised to see a couple different NAIM dealers in Canada posting their demo units with the explicit caveat that it had been discontinued.  Maybe there is a Bluetooth version coming out and they are getting rid of the non-bluetooth version?

P.S. Always enjoy your posts.

I think you might be right about a Bluetooth version coming out soon because the write up in the 172xs section of the Naim website mentions Bluetooth connectivity (like the 272) but the specification doesn't mention Bluetooth nor do the photos show a Bluetooth antenna.

best

David

IMHO it's kind of an odd duck in the range, as it lacks the SHARC DSP found in the SuperUniti, NAC-N 272, ND* streamers, etc., so perhaps it will gain this / USB / etc. in its next incarnation. Bluetooth is very much a requirement at this point for formal Apple AirPlay / MFi certification (device discovery), so maybe we'll see a AirPlay-compatible range. (Or Roon.)

DavidDever posted:

IMHO it's kind of an odd duck in the range, as it lacks the SHARC DSP found in the SuperUniti, NAC-N 272, ND* streamers, etc., so perhaps it will gain this / USB / etc. in its next incarnation. Bluetooth is very much a requirement at this point for formal Apple AirPlay / MFi certification (device discovery), so maybe we'll see a AirPlay-compatible range. (Or Roon.)

Put the cork back in the bottle now David and lie down for a while. 

SJB

Yes it might not use the SHARC FPGA device for its DSP, but according to Naim it uses the same oversampling and filtering techniques used in its DSP processor as used elsewhere in the Naim portfolio.. therefore it appears the same approach, different implementation. The 172 uses the same DAC converter as the NDX.

As I said on another thread, sonically the 172 is a real vfm gem in the Naim portfolio. Whenever I have heard it with premium amps and speakers I have been suprised how good it sounds.

Simon

BTW Nathan, thank you.

I expect the next batch of 172xs to be the same but with added bluetooth support - not a fully upgraded product.

I may be wrong here ... but didn't the 172XS get Bluetooth the same time that the Uniti line did (with the launch of Firmware 4.4 towards the end of 2015)?  Certainly the manual for the NAC-N live (272 and 172XS) states the 172XS has Bluetooth.

When I checked the on-line spec on the Naim site and looked at the photos of the 172 a couple of days ago, there was no Bluetooth although the write up of the 172 does mention Bluetooth. 

Best 

David

I'm pretty sure it did get Bluetooth, it's just that depending on where you look in the available info, it may or may not be mentioned, which suggests to me that Naim need to sharpen up their act a bit when it comes to updating info on web pages and manuals. 

David Hendon posted:

When I checked the on-line spec on the Naim site and looked at the photos of the 172 a couple of days ago, there was no Bluetooth although the write up of the 172 does mention Bluetooth. 

Best 

David

The photos have not been updated to show two aerials thats true.  But the photos of the Uniti / UnitiQute / SuperUniti haven't been updated either.

The 172XS does specifically say under features "Bluetooth connectivity with high-quality aptX audio codec" though.

I found the Naim announcement that it was adding Bluetooth to NDX, ND5-XS and NAC N 172 xs players shipped from that date, Jun 2015

https://www.naimaudio.com/news...o-streaming-products

The NAC-N 272 was announced a little earlier, in February 2015

https://www.naimaudio.com/news/21104/best-both-worlds

For any real geeks out there (!), the Naim announcement on adding Bluetooth to the Uniti range was a few months earlier, November 2014

https://www.naimaudio.com/news...-and-spotify-connect

All of which means that we haven't really answered the OP's question of course.

best

David