Will there be a HDS?

I doubt whether there will be an HDS. The HDX was a stepping stone into the world of 'computer audio' when Naim were very much feeling the way In a new arena. They now have a better defined product line and I don't see where an HDS would fit in this. It would be very much a niche product and given the tightly packed HDX box it would be difficult to get the necessary step up in performance to significantly raise the bar in a one box solution. 

James

There may be hope.

'End to end' control is the Naim mantra, from ripping and storing, via control, to playback; in his introduction to the whole session, Paul Stephenson had admitted that, for several reasons, Naim was a latecomer to CD when that format was taking off, and followed others' lead.

Streaming: 'an audiophile nightmare'
It faced a similar problem when hard-disk music systems were first considered, he says: 'It was an audiophile nightmare – switch-mode power supplies, high-speed networks and an electrically noisy environment.

'We made an early decision to get into the whole chain: storage, control and networking.'

With that thinking, the obvious strength of the team behind the current project, and the enthusiasm of its buyers for such products – not to mention the contribution they're making to the company's turnover – , it seems likely the NDS is far from Naim's last word on the streaming subject.

http://www.whathifi.com/blog/n...d-nds-network-player

Agree, and I think the HDX fulfilled that role very well.  Remember, though, that "NAIMies" were once considered "Flat-Earthers".  I think there are a lot of folks out there (who don't frequent this forum) who will eventually get into digital audio from their CDS3s and CD555s and who may want to transfer their hundreds or thousands of CDs to digital format with a simple, one-box, flat-earth solution.  Only time will tell if the HDX is a stopgap or the solution to entry into the digital era.

I asked Doug at the show and he said there were no plans currently to develop a new server but Naim do believe the quality and control of how music is ripped is a key part of the process and of course this is what the HDX does so it may be a development for the future.

However Doug stated that record companies and independent artists would prefer you to download rather than buy a CD. So as we move away from physical media then I can't see the point in a ripper. Of course, we are not there yet, but will Naim be able to bring out the HDS before the need for ripping is long passed. 

For those wanting a Naim ripping solution, the HDX and UnitiServe are already with us. 

You can use these with a DAC/555PS to approach the type of sound an HDS might attain. 

Yes he did say that and it makes sense but there are not very many sites available yet where hires downloads are available. I want to download but find I have to buy CD's and vinyl instead.

Agree, but it will change - if iTunes store or Amazon gave me 24/96 downloads of stuff I liked then I doubt I'd buy another CD. I'd still buy vinyl though. I only buy from iTunes at the moment if the CD is unavailable and I can't get a lossless version - AAC is better than MP3, but still way off the mark. However, give it a couple of years and ..... well who knows. 

It is good that an artist like Karine Polwart (and everybody should like Karine in my opinion) can offer downloads rather than rely on CD sales ... however, not sure she has cracked the format or payment method yet. 

I imagine adding the SSD drives, processor and additional software to the NDS (which would be necessary to turn it into an HDS) would have a deleterious effect on sound quality.

Guy, I will check out Karine Polwart.

I really like the convenience of hires downloads and when they are more readily available I will not miss CD's although I think I will continue to buy some vinyl.