NAIM streamer ....when?

You apparently already know more then I do, i.e. that there is going to be an announcement of such a device at all.

I hope there will be, rather sooner than later.

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aleg

it is more an educated guess;-)

Officially, Naim is denying if any such product is in development or in the pipeline. I speculate that this is because any such product is well down in the pipeline that they don't want to impact existing product sales.

I am considering using the Olive 2 with the Naim DAC for the interim until Naim come up with a product. This is because I don't think anything will come out soon.

ASenna04

hi, right...but you think about Olive, i bought a Linn...i think a lot of the community here will go for other vendors...maybe it would be better for Naim to say: "yes! in 3 or 4 month we will have one! " guess we would all wait for it:-)

What about the UnitQute ... has a 75ohm digital output. So yes it's also a radio but why not ignore radio (and built in amplifiers) and just use the streamer part ... CES press releases have it listed at $2000 so not cheep but maybe what people wanted.

http://www.naimaudio.com/unitiqute

Or has everyone missed the 75ohmn digital output on this!!!

Eloise

yes...thought about this Eloise, but i want a pure streamer for the DAC....

quote:

Originally posted by T38.45:
yes...thought about this Eloise, but i want a pure streamer for the DAC....

Right, I think they could at least save a $1000 by not having the pre-/power and DAB/FM-tuner sections in it and just make it a pure networked streamer / mediaplayer.

Edit:

Maybe I can hear Richard say something of the sort in this thread Another plead.... Strip the all-in-one streamers

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aleg

Get a DAC and a Sonos til Naim get the product you want.

quote:

Originally posted by Aleg:

quote:

Originally posted by T38.45:
yes...thought about this Eloise, but i want a pure streamer for the DAC....

Right, I think they could at least save a $1000 by not having the pre-/power and DAB/FM-tuner sections in it and just make it a pure networked streamer / mediaplayer.

Edit:

Maybe I can hear Richard say something of the sort in this thread Another plead.... Strip the all-in-one streamers

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aleg

I doubt it'd save much - the power supply would still need to be beefy, and the tuner module doesn't add much to the BOM cost. Everybody wants cheap–frequent illness 'round here.

Most people want volume control at the streamer (analog domain is best), and my gut instinct is that this product will do exceptionally well for Naim, even if it isn't the one you want - it works exceptionally well as a "pure" streamer with the DAC (using DC1-BNC for connection).

quote:

I doubt it'd save much - the power supply would still need to be beefy, and the tuner module doesn't add much to the BOM cost. Everybody wants cheap–frequent illness 'round here.

May be someone like Modwright should do a mod and charge extra to strip out all the unneeded parts and charge (kidding)

Hi David

quote:

Originally posted by David Dever:
...
I doubt it'd save much - the power supply would still need to be beefy, and the tuner module doesn't add much to the BOM cost. Everybody wants cheap–frequent illness 'round here.

I don't think the BOM ever adds up to the RRP with Naim, but then it doesn't have to with Naim quality.

But if they leave out more then 50% of functionality from a UnitiQute then they would have to reduce the RRP to keep it credible.

So it doesn't have to be cheap for me, it needs to be value-for-money and also in line with the RRP's of other products with similar functionality in the total Naim line-up.

quote:

Most people want volume control at the streamer (analog domain is best), ...

I don't think so, we already have volume control on our NAC's and that's where it belongs. The streamer just has to do that, stream, stream, stream digitaly to the DAC and after that stage with its perfect d-a-conversion, we have the even better NACs in the analogue domain. I'll have my volume control there on the NAC.

quote:

... and my gut instinct is that this product will do exceptionally well for Naim, even if it isn't the one you want - it works exceptionally well as a "pure" streamer with the DAC (using DC1-BNC for connection).

Oh, I think it will sell well, it is a nice entry one-box product, but not a streamer for a multibox setup with a Naim DAC. Too many superfluous components in that one-box. A waste of materials and money.

And indeed it is not the product I want and also not the one several others on this forum want either. But I can be patient and are not eager to spend too much of my money on an overcomplete product for the uses I'm looking for. I have a networked streamer now that does what I want, but I hope Naim will make one too, then I'll certainly switch over.

Regards

aleg

I'd like to see a Reference DAC that includes streaming function via Ethernet (i.e. a Naim DS...). That would be all I need.

for what price?

Well the head unit of the CDS3 minus 20% (no drive needed) could be a reference for pricing, given that the Naim Reference Dac would outperform a Naim CD555, likely to be supposed that such a Dac, having the Naim philosophy of things in mind, would requre an external PSU.

Less to be better forobvious reasons, however, I would not like to see any compromises soundwise.

But who really cares what I think about this....

I do hope that Naim will finally come up with a pure streamer, but personally I think that the Naim NS 01 server in combination with the DAC is a great and interesting combination. The digital parts including the CD ripping engine of the HDX and the NS 01 are identical and when using the iPod touch as a remote control than I would surely not miss the touchscreen of the HDX.

quote:

Originally posted by John R.:
I do hope that Naim will finally come up with a pure streamer, but personally I think that the Naim NS 01 server in combination with the DAC is a great and interesting combination. The digital parts including the CD ripping engine of the HDX and the NS 01 are identical and when using the iPod touch as a remote control than I would surely not miss the touchscreen of the HDX.

All the NS-machines are fan-cooled, less then ideal for a listening room.

Also a ripping engine is not required in a pure streamer.

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aleg

The HDX has got a fan cooler, too. Under normal conditions the fan does not work. I had a HDX for about 10 months and I never heard the fan.

17th July.

hi bigh47,
this should be the announcement date or a dac or...?

quote:

Originally posted by lawoftrust:
I'd like to see a Reference DAC that includes streaming function via Ethernet (i.e. a Naim DS...). That would be all I need.

Then it is not a DAC - I would avoid such a device if used the dreadful Ethernet, which I detest as much as think TCP/IP is way past its sell by date. If God had meant us to use RJ45 connectors he would never have given us the BNC. Ethernet - yuk - let the packets collide.

I still dont really get it.... Why do you want naim to make you a streamer? They are concentrating on the DAC, arguably the most important part.
I just dont see the streamer as an integral part of the issues surrounding SQ.

Ethernet streaming? Why? Why not simply run a long coax from you PC/MAC to the digi in? OR a long run of usb to a transit then into the dac?
Or use one of hundereds of computer streamers in existence.

I still do not understand the need for streaming on this level.

Beyond this lies the Naim Net which will take care of people with 8,000 sq ft homes and dont want a few cables running around.

You want to stream? Use it.

quote:

Originally posted by pcstockton:
I still dont really get it.... Why do you want naim to make you a streamer? They are concentrating on the DAC, arguably the most important part.
I just dont see the streamer as an integral part of the issues surrounding SQ.

Ethernet streaming? Why? Why not simply run a long coax from you PC/MAC to the digi in? OR a long run of usb to a transit then into the dac?
Or use one of hundereds of computer streamers in existence.

I still do not understand the need for streaming on this level.

Beyond this lies the Naim Net which will take care of people with 8,000 sq ft homes and dont want a few cables running around.

You want to stream? Use it.

I don't want to stream. A useless concept in local alrea networks (see my other posts about this).

I also don't want to run a coax-cable through my listening room, up two flights of stairs to my NAS which is just a fileserver and doesn't have an audio card, doesn't have a software audio player and then still needs to be controled by some wired or wireless control device.

I just want a networked mediaplayer that connects to my local network via ethernet and can get the audio files from my NAS directly and play them in my listening room. Only a short COAX/TosLink cable is required to connect to the Naim DAC. Short S/PDIF cable is preferable to long S/PDIF I think. It is better for your signal at the end of the cable.

The player being part of the network can then be controled by any network attached control device or by some nice touchscreen.

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aleg

I do want a streaming device from Naim (irrelevant to me whether implemented in once casing with the Dac or separated), as

(i) Naim clearly insists on the fact that the quality of the source is of major importance and if I draw my data from a network or NAS or whatever, the relevant source for the data to be forwarded to the DAC should be a source (i.e. in that case the streamer) that fits with Naim’s expectations to quality and provides the Data for the DAC in the best possible way
(ii) I do not see how Ethernet streaming has ANY negative effect for the Linn devices, more to the contrary from my point of view and also avoiding lengthy discussion about expensive cables
(iii) I prefer a Linn like solution (NAD, Streamer/DAC as standalone vs an implementation of my actual PC/Mac (this of course not being excluded by a solution that would run as standalone) and it should also fit with Aleg's needs

That's my personal reasoning and I would also be happy with something in that general direction but I do not want all these HDX/Unitiqute etc all in one solutions that I do not need. I want a device only responsible to reproduce my digital source material stored on whatever kind of HD. And as Linn has showed us, such devices can be perfectly suitable sources, however, the current non-Naim offers lack the most important part, i.e. they are not sounding and (by the way) looking like Naim.

I would find a hypothetical Naim streamer interesting if it would also support streaming protocols other than UPnP, like Apple (DAAP?), Sonos or Squeezebox.

That would allow
- for a better usability (UPnP is still not satisfactory IMHO)
- to fit into an existing streaming infrastructure, so that you are not forced to rebuild your
entire Apple, Sonos etc. infrastructure, just to support an additional audio renderer.

Naim seems to have a partnership with Apple anyway (iPod and Naim DAC), so why not design an audiophile replacement for Airport Express?

KR
Jochen

hi,
UPnP works great- i'm using an Linn Majik DS w/NAIM DAC- no problems so far!
ralf