Thoughts on my new NDX etc

Posted by: Dungassin on 24 February 2012

Well, I've had eventful few days since taking delivery of my NDX and 555PS.

 

Initially set up by Phil from Cymbiosis, with the 555PS powering the NDX, and connected to the nDAC with DC1 cable.  Sounded great.  Had teething problems with the QNAP/dBpoweramp and had to change the tags on a lot of the files to get them to display how I wanted.  Have discovered that Twonky on the QNAP seems to have a habit of occasionally not allowing me full access to some of its search facilities (loses Album/Artist, Album/Genre etc).  Most of the time seems to be cured by rebooting the QNAP, but still annoying.

 

The Network man and his mate arrived a few days later and installed our Ethernet.  Alas this meant dismantling my other (Active SBLs) system to allow them access to route some of the cables.  Just put it all back together today, and working well, but my LP2/Lingo is no longer working!  Lights come on on Lingo and LP12, but platter doesn't rotate.  Pulley vibrates, but doesn't turn.  So ... that'll be off for Cymbiosis to have a look at next week.

 

Finally got round to trying various combinations of NDX/nDAC/555PS today (all with HiLine).  My preferences in ascending order are :

 

1. NDX alone

2. NDX into nDAC

3. NDX/555 into nDAC

4. NDX into nDAC/555PS

 

All combinations were very good, but I like what the nDAC added to the NDX, although I know that others here have differing opinions.  The 555PS was a great improvement whether on the NDX or nDAC, but I prefer it on the nDAC.

 

Have discovered that the iPhone which I am using to run n-Stream has pretty lousy wifi reception.  Didn't notice this until the Network man had finished.  We'd decided to move the N600 router from my study (where the NDX lives) to the living room to stop SWMBO complaining about her sometimes iffy wifi reception for her laptop.  Alas, this resulted in me having to go and stand outside my study to use n-Stream (no signal!).  So, I've invested in a wifi range extender (yet more expense) to cure that little problem.

 

The only other hiccup has been that my laptop has a broken LAN port (iffy connection sometimes cured by wobbling the lead in the socket) and is away being repaired ATM, so I'm typing this on SWMBO's laptop much to her disapproval. Hence, don't expect rapid replies to any comments!  

 

p.s. when I get my laptop back I'm going to see if I can persuade Twonky/n-Stream to let me search on COMPOSER, which doesn't appear as an option AFAICS

Posted on: 24 February 2012 by Bart

Rather than a range extender for your wifi, I'd recommend trying the Apple Airport Extreme.  Use that instead of the wifi built into the router you have now and see if that along doesn't give much better performance.  If you still don't get whole-house coverage, buy a second Airport (or a TIme Capsuleif you're interested in in-home backup) and use them in the mode where one extends the other.  I've found that setup MUCH faster than anything else Ive tried for in-home wifi, including various range extenders which I've long since thrown in the trash

Posted on: 24 February 2012 by Hook
Originally Posted by Dungassin:
...

4. NDX into nDAC/555PS

 

All combinations were very good, but I like what the nDAC added to the NDX, although I know that others here have differing opinions.  The 555PS was a great improvement whether on the NDX or nDAC, but I prefer it on the nDAC.

 ...

 

Hi Dungassin -

 

I came to this same conclusion and IMO, it is a superb combination!

 

Hope you enjoy it for many, many years to come!

 

Hook

Posted on: 24 February 2012 by Simon-in-Suffolk

Hi Dungassin, congrats on your purchases. I agree with your choice, and I find the ndx -> ndac/555PS performance is wayahead of the others especially with RF chokes on the SPDIF lead.

 

Also agree with Hook, try Apple Airport Extreme, rather than the range extender, this will give the garenteed multicast bandwidth  wifi support you need for reliability in the future and give a responsive performance on your apple or upnp control points.

Simon

Posted on: 25 February 2012 by Dungassin

Hate to say this, but after I posted last night, I spent some time listening to music via the NDX>nDAC/555PS combination.  After a while I began to feel that there was something missing.  The combination in some ways seemed to lack the emotional content of my music selection as heard through combination 3.  This morning I reverted to NDX/555PS into nDAC, which restored the emotion I'd been missing.  So, I'm going to have to reverse my preference for combinations 3 and 4.  Perhaps that just shows how close the two combinations actually are.  Perhaps I should get hold of some ferrite chokes and see if that changes my preference again..

 

The only combination I haven't tried is NDX/555PS on its own.  I'm resisting trying this because

(a) it's a real pig plugging and unplugging the HiLine - always seems to take ages to get it into the socket, possibly because I'm doing it "blind" at the back of the equipment stack. 

(b) I suspect that in a few months I may want to audition the NDX/555PS into nDAC/555PS.  Now, that's an expensive combination - right up in CD555 territory ... and then there's the NDS to consider ...

 

As I said, I have already bought an Netgear wifi extender, which is working well, but I will bear in mind the Apple suggestions should I have problems.  I think the problem is more to do with the iPhone wifi than the Netgear N600, as SWMBO's laptop gives 5 bars for its wifi in that room, and my XBox 360 and wii seem to have no wifi problems.   Got hell from her because I forgot to log her back into BTYahoo, and she was trying to order something online and wondering why it "wasn't working properly". (sigh)  Be glad when I get my own laptop back ...

 

Posted on: 25 February 2012 by Dungassin

Just one little addendum.  Since getting the NDX etc, I find that I now run the stereo side of things (282/HiCap/250/nSATs/nSUB) with the nSUB muted (except for the occasional very "thin" sounding track).  Just don't seem to need it any more for that purpose.  Pity I can't accommodate larger speakers in my sonically adverse study.