Good net-work player?

That app for iPhone is called n-Stream, and is also used for the Uniti family of products as well–and can be used to control volume and input selection, among other things, on your existing system.

NDX is still not available, so only very few people will have heard one. But it will indeed be interesting to hear how well the DAC in the NDX compares to the Naim Dac.

Best wishes,
Peter

I am happy with my Mac Mini feeding the Naim DAC via M2Tech Evo. The music is stored on the hard disk of my Mac. I use Pure Music on top of iTunes to play it. An iPhone or iPod can be used as remote control. The sound is superb.

Hi,

there's the Squeezebox Touch with a good touch screen display, and the Olive Media streamer. They have very different prices, though.
I have heard the NDX a few times, first streaming via CAT cable from an HDX, then streaming from a UnitiServe. For what I can tell of the sound of a media player, it appeared to work very well.

M.

I suspect that the SB touch and classic don't work very well as a scource for a high end dac as the Naim DAC. I have red some review where some guys could not hear a difference with the Naim DAC compared with the cheap Cambridge DacMagic when they connected it to a Squeeze box even though the rest of the equipment was pretty good. Previously I thought that you could feed a high quality dac to any cheap scource such as a computer (with a cheap music card) or a SB and as long the information was sent digitally and reclocked in the dac - that the dac does the main job but I now think that I had underestimated how icreadibly important the 1st scource is, correct me if I am wrong. Originally my plan was to hook my SB classic up to the Naim Dac but now I expect the coming NDX to perform much better so I am eagerly waiting to hear it!

The difference in cost between a Squeezebox Touch and an NDX is laughable.  If the NDX doesn't sound better (by a LONG shot) then there is some "splainin" to do.  I love your remark Max.  That is damning with faint praise if I have ever heard it!

I know that a SB (Touch or classic) is not in the same league as the N-Dac; but there's also the Transporter, which is still (sparingly) available sometimes and has a reputation of sounding like a hifi product.
realhifi,
perhaps I meant to sound different, my remark is partly unintentional.. :-) The first time I heard the NDX was at the TopAudio in Milano, where it streamed from an HDX. Now, since the HDX is a complete machine that can be connected to an amp with a HiLine, thus constituting a hi-end source, I thought that the inclusion of the NDX - via CAT cable, something which I still need time to get accustomed to - was meant to show its capacity not to sound worse than the HDX, that is to be a hi-end product. I'd say that the NDX is meant to be the best media player available; only, I hadn't the chance to compare it to the bare HDX. When I hear it in a friend's store, in Merate, not far from where I live, it streams from a UnitiServe into 282/250/HC/Ovators 400; I can only say that to my ears, familiar with CDX2/202/200 - upwards, it sounded like excellent Naim gear usually sounds.
Max

IMO, used as transport (digital out), squeezebox touch and classic are quite different, with the former being significantly better.
Now, when used as standalone source (analog out), I don't expect the SB Touch to be close to the NDX...
However, it would be interesting to see how SB touch + nDAC performs versus the NDX...to be tested! 
As Max sais, the Transporter is definitely a top-notch streamer, both as transport (dig out) or as standalone (analog out). Unfortunately is out of production...

Indeed it would be interesting ot make this comparison between the NDX and n-DAC+SB! Basically what I am looking for is a fairly cheap transport that hasn't spent much on the internal DAC but rather on the digital out sockets such so that it will work well in conjunction with the n-DAC. You said that the SB touch is better in this regard than the classic, but what about the SB duet? I have a classic and a duet but used as standalone (analogue out) I think that the classic performs better.
Are there any other options out there of transporters that don't cost as much as e.g. the transporter - that could be a good fit the the n-dac?

I used the duet for one year, then one month ago I got a touch, which now I use directly connected to my SN. The touch's digital out is superior when compared to the duet: better 3D, more details and sparks. I also applied the mods described in one threat in "distributed audio", which basically disactivate the analog out, the usb in, the volume control and other unused things that might have negative effect on the signal. These mods make the dig out cleaner, the improvement is evident.
Time ago, I tested the SB touch against the Tranporter, both connected to the NDAC in a 282-250 system...the Transporter was still better, but the Touch was not modded yet, and it was connected to the DAC with a cheap optical cable (while the transporter with a DC1). I'd do the test again, but anyhow, for the price the Touch offers a very decent digital signal and a very nice user interface. Highly recommended, IMO.

Transporter SE is available (same specs but without the wheel).



Best wishes,

Peter

The Transporter is a good source for the Naim DAC - I'm listening to one now!

Me to!

I think the Bryston BDP-01 looks interesting. It can read files from an external hard drive by USB or from a USB drive and outputs a digital signal. No dac section.

I for one don't really understand the logic of spending a lot on a streaming device that includes a DAC (like the transporter or NDX) and then spending a bunch more on a DAC that's just a little better. Seems like splitting the functions...streaming files to a digital output and a DAC is a better approach. Or go with a combination like the NDX, transporter, Linn DS, and be done with it.

I guess I also don't understand why you would use something like a CD5XS as a simple transport feeding an external DAC. Surely you can get good transport for much less than a mid level Naim cd player.

Or am I missing something?

I toatally agree! but then again, maybe I have been missing something too since the technical aspects is not really my cup of tea. Thanks about the tip on the Bryston BDP-01 I will look into that. I think it ought to be more products like these on the market and I think that Naim should also sell devices like these or e.g. a cheaper NDX without the DAC for those who intend to use the n-DAC togethether with it anyways.

Must say that the modded SB touch seems an interesting and cheap canditate too. I just don't get it how it works with the touch screen - it doesn't seem as if you can you carry it around as a remote controll to to sit in you couch and use the touch screen from there except for with the remote. But then what's the point with a touch screen if you have to walk to your stereo rack every thime you want to change song through the touch screen?

You can control your SB Touch from your sofa using one of the following:

• the basic remote provided (if you are close enough to see the screen)
• the Controller, a logitech remote with screen, similar to a classic ipod in term of functioning
• an iphone/ipod touch

cheers

Hifinerdwannabe

You will need the very basic remote that comes with the SB Touch, or, if you cannot see what is on the screen from your preferred listening position, use either an iPhone/iTouch/ipad(?) (with iPeng on it) or another remote with a screen on it (the Duet controller or another such device).

If you use a remote with a screen, it means that you will be able to turn off the Touchscreen entirely and harvest the improved SQ that comes with it. This according to conventional wisdom on the subject.

I agree that Naim should release something like an NDX without the Dac so that people who have invested in a quality (Naim) Dac will be able to use the streaming functionality of the NDX. But it may turn out that the NDX will be so good that the need for an external DAC is nil ...

Best wishes,
Peter

Alright, Matpip just beat me to it ...

Honestly I don't see how Naim can do it.  Naim  is a small manufacturer -- comparing to Logitech.
They have completely different production/marketing infrastructure. These are two different businesses.
Naim will hardly go for SB Touch type devices. Audiophile systems is an essentially small-scale business where every element is granted with fanatical care. The price "per box" is high but the quality is way above the stock products.

Asking Naim to produce cheap digital streamers is the same as asking Ferary to produce something similar to VW Golf in red finish.

quote:

Asking Naim to produce cheap digital streamers is the same as asking Ferary to produce something similar to VW Golf in red finish.

It doesn't have to be a cheap streamer, but just a streamer without a DAC or amp (and preferably with SAMBA connectivity ) for the nDAC owners.

-
aleg

I think that I was a bit unclear, of course I don't think that Naim should produce cheaper products such as Logitec. I just mean that they could sell a NDX and HDX but without the DAC internally for those who intend to get the n-DAC anyways. This would result in cheaper production cost, people would be more prone to get the n-DAC and SQ will therefore be improved. A win-win...

Aleg, you are most wellcome to Naim UnityServe or Bryston BDP-01 
Both do what you ask for.

If you can forget about built-in DACs then Transporter is the reference quality streamer.
I've tested it against UnityServe both through nDAC  and sonic-wise they were absolutely identical.

I'd love to see Bryston GUI and operational comfort in live -- could be a good upgrade to my Transporter.
On the other hand with iPeng on iPhone/iPad Logitech range is very difficult to beat.

Ama



Thank you for your suggestions.

I see this Bryston being recommended regularly but it is extremely limited in function.

According to the Bryston factsheets it has only one function

quote:

"The Bryston BDP-1’s single function is to play high-resolution digital music files from any USB storage device"

Even though I don't like superfluous features, this is a bit to meager for me, it needs to be a network player at least.

-
aleg

There is also a small German website that offers their own network player. It is called netPlayer. It is supposed to sound quite neutral, perhaps on the lean side. I would love to listen to this unit to see how it compares to other streamers/Dacs.

It can be configured in various ways, and you may add one analogue input (so it may double as a pre-amp):
netPlayer + cdPlayer + DAC (w. dsp)
netPlayer + DAC (w. dsp)
cdPlayer + DAC (w. dsp)
DAC (w. dsp)

I wonder if any of our German members will have had a chance to listen to one of these?

Best wishes,
Peter

What about the Logitech Transporter. Can you use it's DAC to connect to other devices such as CD/ DVD as you can with the n-dac?
Would you say that the Logitech's interface through iPhone is better than Naim's interface through the app n-Stream? Is it a huge sq difference between the n-dac and transporter?

Yes.