Another HDX lands in the West Country

An early start this morning so by 9.30 I was justified to take an hour off to check out the HDCD rip of Close To The Edge through the HDX USB. Again, better than I have heard before and somewhat more easy and detailed than playing the CD on the CDX2. This is good progress. The bumping, grinding and buzzing was not magically removed but in the bigger, more detailed, smoother sound stage they were kind of “fenced off”. It was a bit easier to think in terms of what happens when the level needle on organ hits the stop, than be distracted by the distortion. It comes as no surprise but is always welcome to hear just how much information is buried in those little pits and you have to wonder how much more is waiting despite the fact that many mass users have already written CD off as obsolete. I guess it was ever thus with vinyl too, but I had other issues with that format. I know from recent experience that a 555PS will dig a bit more out and present everything more coherently. Happy times.

As an aside. Some years back I paid a bloke to install a dedicated spur for the music system. For reasons too boring to go into I was fiddling with the consumer unit earlier in the week. I discovered that of the six sockets installed, two are on the spur and the other four are wired to the ring main. Why the hell did he do that?!!! Audience Bath will get me a Musicworks six way block for £400 which sounds like a decent price. So that’s something else which will be sorted in the near future.

@Georg,

wow..that bad?...even with the DAC connected?
from look and feel point of view, the Olive is pretty cool....

thx Ralf

Ralf,
the Olive is not that bad but the HDX is that good. That Level with a Naim streamer and I would be really happy!
I really Wonder how your DS compares to the HDX

100% agree- a streamer on HDX level would be perfect!
...but Majik DS + NDAC is not that bad:-)
really hope to see black gear in Munich next month (or let's say to hear something from it in this forum)

(aahh- cool: Majik DS can stream internet radio as well!)

What Allen said.

As Paul Stephenson posted earlier on another topic:

"We still have strong demand from customers who want a complete single box solution, they have no interest in NAS storage. It may surprise you but this is a much bigger group of people than those who would buy the SD variant."

Kind Regards,
Michel

quote:

Originally posted by AllenB:
It's what a lot of us want, a HDX without the DAC and output stages, just a dig out, with the ripper engine, save to NAS, and stream to DAC. I will even pay for the touchscreen, just for added bling, doubt I would use it that much apart from maybe some checking of settings occasionally. Would have to be SSD for the OS as well, no spinning disks please. The HDX SSD version is close, but still not quite there yet (why pay for bits not needed).

Unitiserve?

[though without the touch screen and SSD]

The dealer has come in at £38 under my cost to change tipping point. So a 555PS is now ordered. Looks like I guessed it realistically. I expect there will be a couple more posts before I disappear for a few years again, smiling contentedly and enjoying the music.

Just out of curiosity, who does make a standalone streamer without any bells and whistles and no internal DAC. All of the major streamers I know of at least have a DAC if not more.

-patrick

Further information just in. The 555PS will come with a new Burndy, the one presently on the XPS2 will go back with it. The mains block is in and will require a lead. They advise Powerlining the block then Powerlining the 555PS. When the 555PS arrives I will have the two PLs necessary to cover this. No reason to omit a PL from the HDX or DAC but hand on heart, there’s no really compelling reason to add them if the 555PS is covered. So the wisdom goes. Of course they will be happy to take my money if I want to box it off for completeness, but it’s nice to get some honest, sane advice.

The 555PS is now at home but unfortunately not powering the DAC, or anything. A Burndy was thrown in by Salisbury but due to a mix up the jiffy bag turned out to contain something else. Audience Bath will get it sorted on Tuesday and I'm sure we'll be powered up and running soon. In the mean time the 555PS is in the rack, sucking amps and burning itself in, in silence.

Speaking to them about the still notional reference level DAC, they were very discrete and profession but a glint in the eye suggests something is coming down the pipe. "Don't worry, if that happens and you end up wanting one, we'll see you're not badly out of pocket if you chop in your DAC". No confirmation but no denial . The body language suggests they know something that we think we do. I could be wrong of course.

The new sound card for the HDX is a £250 job but check with your dealer first. Recently purchased HDXs receive a complimentary upgrade. Mine is about two months old and will get it gratis. What I don't know is lead time and cost for swapping out the HDDs. So I'm waiting on that.

Hi Harry,
Do you know if the new sound card for existing HDXs is now available to be fitted by dealers? Also what sort of improvement the new soundcard is supposed to make?
Any information about double the RAM retrofit?
I've an HDX/nDAC/555PS so interested to know
Cheers Jon

quote:

Originally posted by Jonn:
I've an HDX/nDAC/555PS so interested to know
Cheers Jon

Do you have a Burndy with yours?

Card and (I think) RAM is dealer fit but thank you for reminding me about the RAM, it wasn't mentioned. Maybe the £250 quoted for the card fit includes RAM? I'll find out in due course. SSD swap is factory and as soon as I have any details I will share.

Some observations for anyone auditioning the HDX/nDAC/555PS.I've had my HDX/555PS for 18 months and nDAC for about four months. One thing I've found is that it takes at least an hour or two from switching the HDX on from standby to sound really good in this combination. This is not a subtle change. For the first hour it can sound quite edgy and uninvolving then suddenly it snaps into place, vocals became very realistic, instruments more defined in space and three-dimensional,every detail becomes audible and much easier to listen to.On some recordings it sounds if the performance is taking place in the room- it's that good.
While all Naim equipment takes some time to warm-up, the nDAc in this combination appears to be much more sensitive. Hopefully the amount of time it takes to come on song will reduce, but it is a significant factor.
Other equipment is 552/300/DBLs.

Jon

quote:

Originally posted by AllenB:

Bummer Harry, didn't your dealer have a burndy he could loan you?

It came in a jiffy with my name on it and I omitted to open it and look before I got home. By then we were pushing against closing time. Oh well.

The Burndy arrived on Tuesday. One and a half working days to sort it out, that's good going.

Had a first proper listen last night. Christ on a bike! I don't remember the loan 555PS sounding that good but memory is a funny thing. Obviously, some ups and downs coming over the next couple of months but at less than a week run in it's sounding beautiful, just beautiful.

It appears I'm the first customer to request HDD/SSD swap and they will do it. I am waiting to hear how long and how much. Sound card and RAM will be updated in any case. With hindsight I should have held back on buying the HDX but it's no mean performer in its present state (well doh!) and I first heard of the SSD version the week mine turned up - wonderful timing!

I've also ditched the BC1 for a Chord Indigo Plus and over the coming weeks and month I will post reports of the differences between this and BC1 (I have a BC1 on the CDX2 so I can swap) which are not too subtle, 555PS and the upgraded HDX when it happens. But what I'll be doing for 99% of the time is listening to music

We are gliding along nicely now with the 555PS. The benefits in detail, weight, scale and overall musical enjoyment are worth the upgrade cost to me. Looked at from some angles, the addition of a £5.5k PS onto a £2k component seems ludicrous. If in doubt do an audition. If curious but not inclined to dig that deep – don’t go near it! Within the bounds of the law of diminishing returns the 555PS is a wonderful (compelling in my case) upgrade for the nDAC but having heard it bare and with XPS2 I don’t think you can lose at any level. Each is excellent for its respective price point. The nDAC now represents for me the best VFM component in the Naim range, closely followed by the Hi Cap – obviously is a more ubiquitously useful box to acquire.

I never shared the scepticism over the benefits of DACs but I was happy to concentrate more on the PS upgrade route for Naim CDPs for the obvious musical benefits. I was surprised when the nDAC appeared although I never doubted that it would potentially bring benefits – subject to the usual audition. If I had much more money and rack space, and genuinely couldn’t find anything better to do with either, I might still install a CDS3, because I think it’s one of the most special players ever produced and destined to be an all time classic. But that’s just sentimentality. I stress that I have not done an A/B but I’ve heard a lot of CDS3s for many hours with XPS2 and 555PS. Loved every minute of it and remain convinced that my setup is easily performing at the same level, which is not surprising considering the cost of mine vs CDS3/555PS. I’m sure this hair could be split for ever but I think at least 95% of the bases are covered.

The DC1 that I bought with the HDX turned out to be a clicker. This is a happy coincidence because I tried a Chord Indigo Plus and found it to be a little more spacious and airy, preferring it to the DC1. Naim have taken the faulty cable back and the refund will be knocked off the cost of the Indigo. I still have a DC1 because I’m also running a modified CDX2 into the DAC. The DC1 Sounds “darker”, a bit more vital, with more grip. The Indigo tends to open the curtains and let more sunlight in. The differences are not huge but I know what I prefer. I won’t be getting another Indigo for the CDX2. It’s in some ways nice to have the contrast and I think the CDP’s days are now numbered – although I have no itching urge to out it at the moment. Habit I suppose – I had a tape deck on the rack for years after I’d transferred all my tapes to CD and disposed of them.

The real, imaginary, perceived, whatever differences between transports and digital interconnect is the same old trope that it ever was. It was alive and kicking in the 80s and it’s no different now, after many years off. Manufacturers far and wide, including some of the established players in the 80s are bringing (or have brought) external DACs to the market and it won’t be long before we have a small number of dedicated “precision transports” to cater for CDphiles and are up to our necks in a bewildering variety of digital interconnects – many more than are already circulating. Been there, done that, been there again, nothing’s changed, although the sound quality has been raised. The HiFi comics will love it. I wish I’d kept some of my old 80s issues so that I could spot what’s been copied and pasted from 1985 to 2010.

There is more to come. Naim have confirmed to my dealer that they will swap out my HDX HDDs for SSD. RAM and sound card changes will be carried out FOC so I just need to wait to hear how much for SSD and when they will do it. When that has been done and has settled in, I will be taking home a 252/Super/300 for a road test. I can still remember with great clarity how disappointed I was with a 282/Hi/250 I had at home some years ago. But I have subsequently listened at length to 252/300 and 552/500 at the dealer and have been hugely impressed with both. I’ve also listened to 282/250 at same and not changed my opinion. The 500 combo is not attainable. Even if I had the money I could easily think of 20 other things to spend it on. But I can justify a 252/300 IF it clicks in my lounge with the current speakers. It’s going to be a tall order because my Graaf GM50 is an exceptional amp which punches comfortably above its price point. I think if they charged 25% more for them they might sell more! A moot point alas as the company now has an uncertain future in the wake of the death of its founder and designer. Such a shame.

I am convinced that the next 18 months will yield a Reference Series DAC . Who knows if the benefits will be any more than cosmetic? I’m in a grey area of being sceptical about most things audio yet still end up being occasionally pleasantly surprised. So that’s something to look forward to.

Having done some hours of listening and being happy that HDX ripped HDD playback is indistinguishable from HDX ripped to NAS , I have migrated everything onto a ReadyNAS Duo and it didn’t take me long to use up the full 500MB I had installed. So I’ve just replaced both disks with 1TB and that should keep me going for the foreseeable future. It was a very easy and comparatively cheap operation. I will get a Free Agent drive to back up the NAS soon and that should do it. It will be plugged in when new files have been added and put away in a metal filing cabinet in my office between times.

I will lurk and occasionally contribute but for the most part I have nothing more to say until the next change to the system. This year’s audio odyssey has been thoughtfully planned and executed with as much care as I could manage. The results sing for themselves. Happy days. Beautiful music.

quote:

Originally posted by Aleg:

quote:

Originally posted by pcstockton:
Aleg,

Sorry to burst your bubble but the 24 bit files sourced from 16 bit CDs will sound identical. You can magically make them hi res just by encoding them to 24 bit.

Who knows.... they may even sound worse.
-p

Patrick

I'll just glue my bubble back together again

We were talking HDCD here and they have 20-bit data if used with a HDCD converter.

So when a HDCD is just ripped to 16-bit, the encoded extra 4-bit of data are still there. So when you pull these ripped 16-bit HDCD through a HDCD converter you will get the 20-bit audio data, all be it in a 24-bit format.

And those 20/24-bit will sound better than the 16-bit.

-
aleg

I've actually preferred redbook to HDCD in the past when I've heard the same file converted to each but using DB to make a new file from HDCD may be viable. I think some of what I don't like is the active nature of expansion and compression. Maybe it's something else but decoding to a 20-24 bit wav file ahead of time may cure some of that effect for me.

Harry. Good stuff, thanks. Keep your head down, Andy may be lurking.

quote:

Originally posted by Harry K:
I got a half ripped copy of Eagle’s Hell Freezes Over and deleted it in the DTC. This left me with an Eagles listing in the DTC under Artists, with no albums associated, that I cannot remove. The Artist listing does not show up on the HDX menus. Moreover, subsequent re rips of the CD, although achieved seemingly correctly with no errors, results in no album visible on the HDX, in the DTC or on the network. Strange. I think we have some software issues here.

Hi,

If an album is deleted from the HDX using either the web GUI, front panel GUI or DTC then it isn't removed until the recycle bin is emptied - this means that the artist name will remain (if it was the last album) until that album is actually finally discarded.

Also if you flag an album as deleted but do not empty the recycle bin and re-rip the album then it will remain flagged as deleted.

Empty the recycle bin and you should find that all is back to how you expect...

Cheers

Phil

quote:

Originally posted by Phil Harris:


Empty the recycle bin and you should find that all is back to how you expect...

Cheers

Phil

Thank you Phil. I twigged this and omitted to post my success. I appreciate your posting to this effect,

No worries Harry - only just saw your post about it. :-D

By the way - if you want to try a couple of my favourite tracks to show up the differences between an HDX and HDX + DAC and HDX + DAC + PSU then try:

Sarah McLaughlan's "Angels" from the 'Surfacing' album,

Peter Gabriels "Mercy Street" from the remasterd version of 'So'

and the whole of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" - that had me late for a date, it was *THAT* good!

Phil

The bog standard original release of So has featured much in my listening and gets included in the pile of "test CDs" when we audition or try things out. Another track which swung it by no small margin to the 555PS over the XPS2 was Rhythm Of The Heat. It wasn't so much what the 555PS appeared to add at the time, so much as what had gone when the XPS2 went back in. Detail and for want of a better description, atmosphere. It served to illustrate the two stage nature of home auditions. Sit back and relax. Enjoy and return to dealer with hands out of pockets. Then go back to your old set up and see how it hits you.

...also chuck in there David Sylvian's "Orpheus" from 'Secrets Of The Beehive'.

I get my DAC this week - already have an XPS on my HDX which will get transferred over to the DAC when I get it home. I had to wait for all you guys to get yours before I could get one.

Phil

quote:

Originally posted by Harry K:
When that has been done and has settled in, I will be taking home a 252/Super/300 for a road test. I can still remember with great clarity how disappointed I was with a 282/Hi/250 I had at home some years ago. But I have subsequently listened at length to 252/300 and 552/500 at the dealer and have been hugely impressed with both. I’ve also listened to 282/250 at same and not changed my opinion. The 500 combo is not attainable. Even if I had the money I could easily think of 20 other things to spend it on. But I can justify a 252/300 IF it clicks in my lounge with the current speakers.

Just one thing on this Harry - I'm running a 252 / SuperCap / 300 combo here in the flat and I *THINK* you'll be pleasantly surprised by it if you do try it ... I was running 252 / SuperCap / 250 and swapping in a 300 for the 250 was definitely one of those "OMG!" moments ...

The 250's are now doing rear and surround duties hanging off my AV2.

Phil

Thanks for that Phil. I'm really looking forward to listening to the 252/300 at home but I can wait. I've turned out rather chatty for a lurker but hey, I started the thread - wouldn't want to appear rude. Grateful for all the comments. They are all given serious thought and consideration.