I am a Complete Amateure ref Streaming /Down Loads etc
Posted by: The Sarflondonboy on 12 April 2012
I have a Lp 12 amagedon ect
CDX
102
Hicap
140
sbl's
Normal olive Naim system which I love .I have a huge collection of LPs Cd's and I .will not want to down load them .Made that mistake in the early 70's onto cassette havent got a single one now 2 suitcases of mint 45's gone forever never again .
As I said I know nothing re bitstreaming ect and mags which i read asume you do .I have had two strokes and am not the sharpest pencil in the box .So can it simpily be explained re didgital my internet is very slow will that make a difference what are the benifits. or should I up grade to cdx2 xps and dac .Can it be explained very simply please
thank you
As you can read on the forum there is a lot of technicalities with streamers. With all the naim streamers you need to have the music stored outside the box that has the streamer, and you need software that will send the digital files to the streamers.
With the Naim servers everything is taken care of by the server. With the servers that has harddisks inside you just put a cd in the draw, wait about 6 to 8 minutes while the server rips the cd and retrieves the information about the disk and artwork.
With regular cds the network is only used to find and download the data about the disk, and the speed of the internet connection does not matter.
You need a way to find the music, with the HDX everything can be done with the touchscreen display on the front and the remote, but you can also use a pc, and Ipad or an Iphone.
With the cheaper servers ns01, ns02 or ns03, you do not have the touchscreen so you need a computer or Iphone/IPad to find and play the music.
With the current server software you can play internet radio and this is the only situation you will need a relyable internet connection.
The servers are basically a small quiet pc optimized to deliver high audio quality. This comes at a price compared to the pc sollutions but it is a really simple way to start with digital audio.
The only time you would need a computer is to download digital music obviously highRes audio, but maybe also music that you cannot find on cds. You need to store this music outside of the server, but you can use a usb stick that you plug into the server, no need to work with extra software.
Claus
for the serverthe server rip it to the hard disk,
I forgot the Unityserve the cheapest server, but if I read the specifications in the right way, it does not have an analog out only digital out, wich means it does need a DAC.
I also seem to remember that iit has only 1 internal hard disk unlike the other servers that has 2 one extra only used as a backup drive. I have never seen the Unityserve but I hope these facts are correct.
Claus
As a sarflondon boy myself, here’s what I did:
LPs – keep them and enjoy them. They didn’t invent a replacement yet!
CDs – keep them, but I used an HDX to rip (copy) them onto itself. So all my CDs are copied onto my HDX.
Having copied all my CDs to my HDX, I can use the HDX to find them quickly (by artist, album title, track etc etc) and play them through my Naim amp. I can get at the HDX through its front panel, through the remote, through my computer or through my iPod or iPad – it doesn’t matter which you use, but I like the computer access the best.
The CD copies on my HDX are ‘digital’ copies, simple as that.
The beauty is simply the speed at which you can search through your collection and start playing something, AND the fact that you can build play lists of your favourites as you go.
If you’re a lazy sod like me, you can swap the effort of getting up and changing CDs one by one for the ease of sitting in your chair with a remote control (or laptop PC or i-thingy) and only having to get up when your glass is empty. Others will disagree!
So far as UPnP and the rest of that networking stuff goes, you don’t have to be concerned with it until your ears tell you that you want the convenience of this ‘digital’ library of your CDs, but with the sound quality of your CD player... then you’re into NDX’s, DACs and even NDS’s. But even then, you will already have all your CDs copied onto your HDX, so all you’ll need is a couple of network cables to join your HDX to your new NDx via the router that you already have that gets you onto the internet. Digital is as simple or as complex as you like to make it!!
Get an HDX with internal drives.
Rip, THEN KEEP, your CD collection.
The Linn website has a useful guide to streaming etc under Linn Docs.
Rjstaines, " digital is as simple or as complex as you like to make it " ... Very true words.. I totally agree with you.
Simon
As S-in-S has stated before....mac mini-dac-amp......simples?
Thank you all for your replies ,but sorry still not sure what I am doing the two strokes ruined me unfortunatley just cant get my head round it will probably get CDX2 with Dac and XPS thank you all anyway .
Bob
Bob
Have a listen first - you may find CDX2/XPS sounds better on its own than CDX2/DAC/XPS. I'm a big fan of the Naim DAC, but please audition as the two sound different and personal preferences count for a lot.
An easy way to computer audio is a Mac Mini - connected with a SuperNova 6 optical cable to a Naim DAC - inset CD and it'll rip it and put it in iTunes and you just click it to play. I'm assuming you have an Internet connection wjo ever provided it gave you wireless access.
An even easier way is get a dealer to set-up a Sonos system for you - again connected to a Naim DAC.
I can't say if you'll like any of these better than your CD player, but both are easy to use.
All the best, Guy
thanks for that Guy
Will go for an Audition
Bob
If you are going to your Naim dealer to listen to the CDX2, you could ask him to show you the HDX too, then see what you think.
When you are shown it in the flesh and can see how it works, it really is quite simple. You might be surprised!
If you still don't think it's for you, you've lost nothing. I bought an HDX because I couldn't get my head around a lot of the streaming issues too, and I find it a joy to use. The one machine does everything for you.
Good luck with your demo.
If you are going to your Naim dealer to listen to the CDX2, you could ask him to show you the HDX too, then see what you think.
When you are shown it in the flesh and can see how it works, it really is quite simple. You might be surprised!
And if this route is the one you consider, try listening to the ns01 plus ndac, very close to the same price as the hdx.
Claus
Worth remembering - the current MacMini doesn't have an optical drive so you can't use it to rip CDs. You'll need a separate computer or an external Superdrive.
Which, obviously, makes it not quite as simple.