Difference between server and streamer

The US, as the name suggests, is a server, it serves up files to a renderer of choice, such as the ND5XS or NDX. A streamer requires files to be served to it, it cannot access them on its own.

Better? How do you define better? Both combinations will sound superb. Do you need to squeeze the last bit of sonic gain from your system? NDX/nDAC/US is a pretty costly combination for what it does. 

JKMP,

Where I think this can confuse is that Naim does not make strictly defined products in this area, with the exception of the nDAC - perhaps.

The nDAC is a DAC, and a digital hub.

The US is a CD ripper, an upnp server and provides digital output.

The HDX/NS01 is a CD ripper, an upnp server, a DAC and provides digital output.

The ND5XS/NDX render upnp data streams, and can the forward this to an internal DAC, or through digital outputs.

In my case I stuck with the NS01, and won't be buying a Naim renderer.

In these terms I have started to think of Naim in the same box as Meridian, packing together desperate functionality in different boxes.

I now own Naim DACs in my AV2, NS01 & nDAC - although I know which one a listen to in preference.

M

To  me the US is a computer. Naim has started with a basic computer system that does networking so it can access music files on a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device. It can also rip CDs and store the files it creates on a NAS along with a database of metadeta that tells you about the music file and links in the artwork. It also has a sound card so it can output a stream of Post Code Modulation (PCM) - 1 and 0s (rendered as music) to a DAC. The DAC turns the digital music in to analogue music. So it does quite a lot - a Mac Mini can do the same, but does not have Naim's build quality and is a general purpose computer rather than one built for music. The US also has built in software to act as a UPnP server (the Mac Mini does not, you have to add it). 

A NAS like the Vortexbox can store music files and can act as UPnP server too, this means both it and US can respond to requests from a UPnP client such as the NDX. Here the US does nothing in the way of turning the file in to PCM digital music, it just makes the file a bit at time available to the NDX. The NDX turns theses in to digital music and can either use its own DAC to turn them in to analogue music or send them to a DAC to do these duties.

So we end up with NAS - Ethernet Connection - UnitiServe - Ethernet Connection - NDX (possibly with external power supply) - S/PDIF connection - Naim DAC (possibly with external power supply).

You can completely eliminate the NDX and everything will work fine, but some members say the S/PDIF from the NDX is better than from the UnitiServe (I think Naim concurs).

You can leave the NDX and eliminate the Naim DAC and everything will work fine, but some members say the Naim DAC sounds better than the NDX (I'm one of those and Naim seems to  concur by suggesting the DAC is a NDX upgrade.

The NDS is the player to put this all to bed as US/NDS should sound better than any of the combinations above and the one I heard seemed to support this. 

I am a little sceptical as I read posts saying it doesn't play FLAC files as well as WAV files, which concerns me as I want it to play everything I have stored on my Vortexbox or Mac Mini with equal aplomb and I see no reason why it should not - unless engineered not too, which would be silly and certainly something I think Naim would never contemplate let alone do. However, my scepticism may well be cured by a suitable audition. 

My current belief is Mac Mini ->  SuperNova 6 optical connection -> Naim DAC/555PS is a superb combination, but there are other ways to achieve great (better?) results (I'm not sure many/any are more cost effective and just work though). 

If I may end on a controversial note: I firmly believe things that are the same, sound the same - so a  PCM file created by iTunes that is the same as one created by a US do sound the same. In some ways I prefer a program like XLD or dBPA, because it tells you about how well it has been able to do the rip, which is reassuring. A bit like adding up a column of numbers from top to bottom and then bottom to top and getting the same answer, though you may ask why bother when a spreadsheet or pocket calculator does this for you.  

Thanks all for your comments.

I believe the sound card in US is the same as HDX. If NDX sounds better than US in teh SPDIF, the only reason is the power supply in US i.e. a cheap laptop PC one.

It is very costly if squeezing every bit of music by adding NDX in a US/nDAC system.