Some Simple Advice Guys - Please!!!!!!!

You need a Switch ... plug the HDX, Qute and Router in to the Switch. You can use very long Ethernet cables and route them around the walls.

With HDX SSD (are you sure - why not use the one with HDDs) you'll need a music storage device such as a Vortexbox or Uniti Serve.This also plugs in to the Switch. 

You will also need an iPad and a wireless capability (your router may provide this) to run nStream/nServe to control things. 

Thanks Guido. I thought the advantage of the SSD variant was that you used a NAS to store and thereby had lots of capacity?

Yes you are right, but if you use a NAS then why HDX and not NDX? As the NAS does the "H" bit. You do get a nice little screen on the H. Some of the digital options are confusing - at least I find them so. I'm still using a Mac Mini in to Naim DAC/555PS and it seems a simple option with superb SQ - let Apple do the computer bits and Naim do the audio bits. The SQ is not at NDS+2 x 555PS level, but I'd bet it would match or better the N/HDX + 555PS options as stand-alone players. 

It is difficult what would suit best ... the HDX with disc is a neat one box solution, which is nice and you can expand later with a NAS if you need the extra capacity, The HDX has a screen so you don't need an iPad, but you will if you want to play music through a Qute from the HDX or a NAS, 

I have about 4,000 CDs, but am thinking I don't play them all and there is much duplication and quite a few rubbish bonus tracks I would not miss. I could choose 1,000 favourites for my main system and keep the rest on my Vortexbox should I want to play them. If I had a HDX that is what I'd do. Using a Mac Mini means there is no capacity issue as I have a large external drive. 

My reservations about Naim units are their proprietary nature, but when working as they can the SQ is excellent. That said I try to have good vinyl pressings of my most favourite albums, but some of my vinyl is showing its age and not easy/possible to replace except with CD rips/downloads. So having digital is essential for me. 

Still - the main ingredient I think you need is a Switch and some long Ethernet cables and I think you'll be fine with the system set-up. This will accommodate your Naim kit and NAS and the "DHCP" built in to your router so just work in making sure all the boxes can auto configure to talk to each other (you may want to fix the NAS parameters as the other kit might not like them changing which could happen if you powered it down for a good while). 

To me running long cables is the most arduous bit. The Mac Mini set-up means I don't need to do this. 

Hi Strat - moved from CDS3/555PS to HDX nDac/555PS and have absoloutely no regrets.  I sourced a newbuild 1tb version courtesy of TomTom and sonically it out performs the previous set-up by some margin.

I've ripped about 800 cd's from a larger collection so still have room for plenty more plus NAS if necessary.  The interface on iPad or touch is fantastic and I've listened more as a result.

I chose HDX as I still like to own the music as 'hardware' read liner notes etc. (plus it's so cheap!)

G

I agree with Graeme ... this is a neat solution and you could connect the HDX to a wireless LAN so it could access the Internet for ripping duties ... otherwise no network required. 

The Qute will work wirelessly for CD quality or you can use Airport Express if you experience drop outs. 

Gentlemen - once again thank you.

Ah - so as it's purely for ripping and internet radio I could have a wireless LAN using Airport Express or similar. That's easy then?

If I were to opt for a NDX or S what's the best way of ripping my CDs to a NAS? The functionality of the HDX with it's ripping capability and cataloging seems so easy.

I went from a cd player to Mac/dac and now to a Weiss MAN server, absolutely no regrets, everything is kept on my NAS, editing ,tagging ,album artwork is taken care of by the Weiss, it even plays CDs!

H

Vortexbox ... it will rip your CDs and is Naim friendly. You can buy a pre-built appliance that would sit nicely on a Naim rack and have the configuration of your choosing to meet back up requirements  and capacity. It uses CD Paranoia to do the rips, which is tried and trusted. It is the same engine XLD uses on the Mac. The Vortexbox is designed simply to be a music ripper/server and you drive it from any web browser (though mostly it just sits there doing what it is supposed to). 

If you have an old PC then you can download a put Vortexbox on it and see if you like it ... be careful it converts the PC in to a dedicated music server ... so no more spreadsheets. The software is free. 

Yes there are alternatives from other companies, but I tend to stick with Naim/Linn ... Chord Electronics have an interesting set up that will play DSD recording as well. (DSD is the SACD digital format). 

Strat, there are a few differences between the NDX/NDS and HDX approaches. 

NDX/NDS: No internal storage, so all music resides on your NAS.  You can rip your cd's and store the files on the NAS.  Use any computer on your home network to rip; there are plenty of 'bit perfect' rippers for either Windows or OS X.  In this mode, you will have to 'serve' your music using your NAS as a server. Most NAS's that people use here include server software. Each is a little different.  But definitely you will need a "server."  Your NAS will be able to do this, or you'll have to use yet another "box" on your network to serve -- a computer running music server software, or a dedicated server such as a VortexBox appliance.

HDX:  If you get the hard drive model, you can store 2tb worth of music on it -- both what you rip using its internal cd drive AND what you might get from other sources (hi res downloads, stuff you've already ripped, etc.)  And the HDX is a server and a player itself -- it will serve music over your home network to your Qute, and play it directly to your pre-amp or integrated amp or whatever.  I do think that for simplicity, the 'one box' solution of the HDX with internal hdd may serve you well.  That's what Naim designed in it, a one-box solution for playing, ripping and storing.

EDIT: I was typing as Guido was posting.

The Naim servers especially the servers with hard disks are a lot easier to get up and running and maintain. I would suggest 2 alternatives to the hdx, ns01 plus ndac, very close to the same price as the hdx, and the ndac can be psu upgraded later. The unityserve +ndac is cheaper than the hdx, but it is my feeling that the ns01 using the same case and cd drive as the hdx is  more robust, and probably more quiet, that is my understanding from o threads about the unityserve.

Claus