Naim analogue of Linn Songcast ?

Hi AMA

It seems unlikely; you need NaimNet to achieve the same effect. It’s a great feature that would seem to be a rather basic feature to someone like me, shows what I know.

Peter

I agree..Songcast is great.

Just to help readers who wonder what it is, it is a little piece of software from Linn (Win or Mac), that sits on your computer toolbar and allows you to stream any audio that is playing on your computer through a Linn DS just at the click of a mouse button ( obviously assumes computer is connected to the network).

For example with Spotify running on your PC it will play it's audio thru' your hifi system. If you watch a DVD on your PC you can play back the audio thru' your hifi in just the same way. Obviously any music in i-tunes will play back this way too.

No audio 'out' via USB or analog flying leads needed anymore...Nice.

It also allows you to 'cast' the audio simultaneously to multiple DS's at the same time so you could start listening in the living room then go to bed and finish listening in your bedroom if you have a Linn DS in both rooms

Geoff

It has to be a Linn DS because it requires the Linn Davaar firmware running at the other end of the link. 

regards

Geoff

Perhaps I'm being ignorant, but I can see no technical reason why a Naim version can't be coded, with the "cast" being sent to any network attached (wired or wireless) Naim device (NDX, HDX, Unity etc)...

I agree Billy...but getting them to do it will be a challenge. Linn software is 'open source' which allows anyone to have a go a developing new software, (though Songcast has been developed by Linn themselves). The same is not true for Naimnet.

regards

Geoff

Geoff, there is no need to "open source" as such.

Instead Naim can make NaimNet API available for third party developers. 

AMA

If only...but Naim seems to want it all kept 'in house'. I bet the N-stream app would have been up and working a lot quicker if they had allowed 3rd party request for their API. Look at Chorus DS as an example of a great 3rd party App for the Linn DS's.

If a Naim variant of Songcast has to utilize naimnet this technology is patented by other companies than Naim so in this case it is not just open source. I think Linn development are ahead simply because they started out earlier. Maybe they have more software developpers also, but when i saw the control software from Linn about 3 years ago it was terrible, much worse than any version of the DTC that has been released.

But if there are a lot of software developpers in the Naim user community then the code for songcast is open, so there is a place to start.

Claus

I'm curious if Naim's bdm is tracking this thread! 

Hope he is...

Er, yes.

Perhaps Linn developed their solution so as to avoid paying a licensing fee to Apple for Airplay.

Perhaps they felt that their own solution could also potentially provide better sound quality.

Works from any iPod or iPhone type device also.  Just like Airplay, in fact shows up in the list of devices available under the AirPlay icon on those devices.  No special software needed at that end.

Maybe but it enables direct digital streaming to any Linn DS rather than limited SQ Airplay devices. If your computer can output higher res audio via e.g. i-tunes and Bit Perfect you can playback files mastered at 96/24 for example.

regards

Geoff

Songcast is a nice and neat solution, but it is not unique. We have Airfoil in order to stream live audio from computer to other locations on the network (requires AE on the other end). If you want to play the same music simultaneously in different rooms, you may use JRiver as your UPnP controller; it can link different zones.

And AMA, I didn't understand why it should leave your nDAC/555PS without a job.

Because KDS1 can do the same job now -- play audio tracks from my computer video.

Oh yes, KDS1 has no dig-in and it becomes an even more versatile equipment with Songcast. I thought you wanted to purchase a KDS for every single room of your house

Not far from truth, btw. Apart from Logitech Transporter (which is a complete and very fine audio-streamer) I also have nDAC/555PS, Linn KDS1 in my personal audio-room and Linn Renew DS in the main hall (which is essentially the old KDS motherboard in the simple less-audiophile chassis) where I keep my large TV and video. Before I needed DAC anyway for watching movies both in audio-room and the hall -- but now KDS and RDS can do the job on their own. Obviously, I can't use S/PDIF transports with either of them -- so I still need nDAC/555PS to play BlueRay DVDs. Alternatively I can sell both RDS and nDAC and buy Linn KDSM which has S/PDIF input.

I'm also intrigued if future NDS/555PS will outperform KDS1 (given the fact that I normally favor Naim sonic character over Linn)... 

I believe that Naim will come up with the statement streamer one day.

I can believe that. It is a bit clunky but only in a minor way. The streaming process works very well and casting the same track so it plays on multiple DS's simultaneously is also fine from what i can gather It is a bit reluctant to exit back to normal audio streaming but that is fixed by stopping and restarting the Kinsky control point so no big deal.

Geoff

Interesting that unlike Songcast which I start using everyday but I have never found the synchronous multiroom streaming as a useful option. Can you share how exactly would the people use this feature?