Naim Uniti Core and NDS

I'm using a Core into a NDX prefer it to my Synology NAS also using Audioquest Vodka from Switch to Core, Synology and  NDX plus its a doddle to use no flaffing about with Computers.

laurence posted:

I own a NDS/ 555PS combination and a dealer told me yesterday, if i would play my music instead of my Qnap with 4Tb with my AQ Vodka Ethernet cable, with a Uniti Core and an internal HDD or SSD, this would sound much better. With "much better" terms, i am always very careful , after 30y of Hifi.

What is your opinion ? 

Someone who had done a comparison ?

Laurence

Why not borrow one and see for yourself ?

I’d say, ‘ok, you who is trying to sell me something I don’t need, prove it’. 

I'm using a core into 272/xpsdr and it is an improvement over the Nas ..but also in convenience and ease of ripping etc

Whether the money would be better spent elsewhere to make a bigger improvement...yes maybe..

One last thing ...I thought the new look case of the uniti range wouldn't bother me on the fraim with the classic gear...but it does...

I wouldn’t do it unless you have the option to try the Core and return it if you are not satisfied with the sound quality. Also check that you are happy with the metadata editing facility, especially if you listen to classical music. Finally, ask yourself if you could get a better improvement by spending the money on another part of your system. 

Dealer's definitely  right.

Synology owner here but in trueness lacking funds for a Core.

Nothing against a nas which is OK and can be improved if used in conjunction  with a good linear psu , for instance.

So, either you You pay Naim who have tried , I believe more than we have, working thoroughly on something tailored the best way to nourish your streamer or do it yourself.

I sincerely doubt it. Both are good transports...

Do you need the Core? 

Is there much improvement to be had adding a Linear Psu to a Nas? 

Well the top of the line Innuos Zenith SE version has PSU improvements, very similar to a Naim PSU (Linear PSU, large capacitors, isolation of each part of the server, SSD isolated from CPU) so yes there could be an improvement

depends on the Linear PSU though?

Finkfan posted:

Is there much improvement to be had adding a Linear Psu to a Nas? 

I guess it depends. If your NAS is connected to the same mains spur to which your DAC, streamer, amplifier, etc. are connected, then replacing its SMPS with a LPS could decrease the amont of noise sent back into the spur and, possibly, into the other components. Otherwise, I would not expect a LPS to improve the "sound of a NAS". But you can easily try and report back your findings!

I have bitten the bullet and got myself a Qnap Nas. I need to back up my files and thousands of pics. I thought I’d try dbpoweramp to stream some music and it sounds fine, nowhere near my CDX2, but I didn’t expect it to be.

There are a few choices of LPSUs from the UK and Israel. My Nas isnt on the dedicated hifi spur. I just wonder if the different power supply would be worth it, or if the money is better spent on a different cable between Nas and 272? 

Finkfan posted:

Is there much improvement to be had adding a Linear Psu to a Nas? 

I asked this once and the consensus was that it was pointless. It’s important not to connect it to the dedicated spur though - again something I was told and have not tried. I use an uninterrupted power supply made by APC, to which is connected the Qnap, the switch and the router. It isolates the boxes from power blips and outages, and is well worth getting. A lot of people on here use them.  

I also use a seprate circuit for my network gear, running it via a UPS. In the event of a power-cut it gives me 30 min to shut the servers down.

As to an ‘improved’ PSU for NAS - I bought one from Israel - a relatively inexpensive one. It replaced the standard one that came with my QNAP. Did it make it sound better? Probably not, but at least my compulsive-obsesive side is happy 

Finkfan posted:

I have bitten the bullet and got myself a Qnap Nas. I need to back up my files and thousands of pics. I thought I’d try dbpoweramp to stream some music and it sounds fine, nowhere near my CDX2, but I didn’t expect it to be.

There are a few choices of LPSUs from the UK and Israel. My Nas isnt on the dedicated hifi spur. I just wonder if the different power supply would be worth it, or if the money is better spent on a different cable between Nas and 272? 

In this case I would not spend the money on the NAS power supply and perhaps also not on the cable. However, you might want to pay attention to the switch the 272 is connected to if you haven't already done so. There are a few threads on this subject in this forum, just search for Cisco 2960.

Thanks gents. Sounds like money is better spent on cables in this case then. I’ll dismiss a LPSU from my mind and audition wires later in the year. 

Finkfan posted:

Thanks gents. Sounds like money is better spent on cables in this case then. I’ll dismiss a LPSU from my mind and audition wires later in the year. 

Good choice.

Hi [@mention:23389351206659471]. I’m already using a Cisco 2960 switch which made a nice little improvement of my previous little Cisco switch 

If you don’t require the CD drive in the UnitiCore, as all your music is ripped and on a NAS, and you are moving your library to the internal drive of the UnitiCore, then all you are effectively doing is separating the UPnP server function from the NAS and running this function on a dedicated platform. A platform with a less noisy electrical environment due to the LPS in the UnitiCore.

This move could be achieved for much less spend. I have run Asset on a RaspberryPi with, initially a ND5XS/XP5XS and now a NDS/555DR. It is powered by a LPS and the operating environment has been stripped so it is dedicated just to run Asset as a headless server only (no HDMI output, no ALSA audio out, no GPU functions, no desktop). This embedded version is available in a build called ‘DietPi”, if you don’t want to do it yourself. It is also the RPi2 model, so no onboard WiFi, as it is a wired connection to my sub-network for the front end components, as all the noisy NAS units are in a different room, away from the HiFi.

I have my RPi in a smart milled Aluminum case - so RPi, power supply, case and Premium Asset license is a few hundred rather than a couple of thousand for the UnitiCore.

Plus Asset transcodes the FLAC/ALAC/AAC/MP3 formats to WAV, you can customize your library structure to suit your usage, have different instances for Rock, Classical, Jazz, Opera genres supporting different tagging & searching, customize the icons (I have a full set of bespoke folder icons designed by a graphical artist [@mention:1566878603961650] that look superb), ‘upstream’ artwork for your artists with the ability to customize these too with your own images and the rest of the dBPoweramp suite running on a laptop to do the ripping, tagging with MP3Tag, so you are fully in control of the metadata and what’s in your library and where it is.

But if you want a fully intelligent metadata led music management solution use Roon - for the price of the UnitiCore, you could get yourself a NUC for the Roon Core using ROCK, a lifetime subscription, and a Sonore UPnP Bridge product which seamlessly makes your Naim system a Roon Endpoint for playback.

I have multiple posts on both of these

Can't speak for the Uniti Core. We did run the HDX as a feeder for the NDS and when I replaced the HDX with QNAP/Asset the transformation was not small - in favour of the QNAP/Asset server. No idea why. 

A home try out will tell you for sure.

Finkfan posted:

Is there much improvement to be had adding a Linear Psu to a Nas? 

I have QNAP (flac to wav on the fly) & using HDPlex linear PSU -> also to dedicated HP switch (Cisco was worse). Yes, it improves the sound, makes it more clear with blacker background. Using AQ Vodka & diamond cabling. I seriously think that Core does not improve the sound, skeptic about Melco etc as well.

MUCH is so relative, bigger impact might come by changing the switch. In my case it is putting some candles on top of cake.

Just to clarify I don't have any LPSU but tested and noticed improvements.

But that's only one the issues to be addressed in our plasticky boxes

Not really worth investing in it, NAS are good for back-up duties ,not audio applications if you're after a great sound .

Quick question 

when ripping a cd on a laptop how important is the cable running from the laptop ripper to the Nas? The reason I ask is I can hear the difference when changing from stock cat5e between Nas and switch and switch and 272, so will the ripped music be stored slightly “differently” when using different cables???

Obviously this is something Core owners don’t need to worry about. 

No

It makes no difference whatsoever. 

I'm not convinced the down/upload cable makes any difference,  it's just transfering a file.   I hear differences in network cables when used for live streaming - & I'm not claiming anything about that.    I have been downloading to laptop, or ripping, then uploading to NAS over wireless for the last few years.    I don't believe I loose or change anything   ......  unless an IT pro can tell me why its a bad thing,