Naim streamer update 3.21 experience

I used a Win7 laptop and the required USB cable for my NDS. No issues at all so I can't highlight any potential gotchas. I've done it twice since I've had the streamer and the only thing I can advise is patience. 

Did Naim advise you to do the FW update to correct this issue? It is impossible to tell but personally I would suspect something amiss with the network, not the player.

Harry's "patience" word is spot-on.  I've done this twice too, once for my Qute and once for my NDS.  I was impatient with my NDS (we were leaving for a weekend holiday) and ended the process too soon, rendering the NDS unusable.  Re-did the upload, with patience, and all was well.

(I used a Windows 7 laptop.)

That's really interesting Ken.

My NDS has also been freezing at 'Connecting...' or at 'Restoring history...'

The only way to get it working after freeze up is by switching off then on.

It happens on average about once every 2 months and has done so since new.

My dealer and Phil Harris is aware. We hoped that the latest firmware version would solve it, but in my case I had another freeze up a couple of weeks after the update. So I will be returning it to Salisbury at a convenient time in the next few weeks for a check over.

I hope the firmware update works for you.

Gav

Hi Gav,

The last thing i would want to do is send my NDS to Naim for whatever reason, so i am really hoping this will not be necessary.  Over the past year, i have had bits and pieces back to Naim for upgrades and repairs -- and i really don't want to go through that again.

This is the reason why i am being very careful with this update --- and asking people who have done it before to share their experiences.

And thanks to you all for doing this. Very useful...

On windows 7 (which is what i have), did you need to install the USB drivers?

enjoy

ken

IIRC I had to install drivers the first time I did the update. And install the software to do the update. It was bog standard first time set up for a device/service but it did feel odd doing it for a HiFi component. One hour should be more than sufficient from start to finish.

Hello Ken

My advice would be read the instructions; read them again; and then follow them!  So when it says do things like have your upgrade PC with a wired connection and the NDS with a wired connection on the same network, then make sure you do that.

Instructions have links for the drivers etc. and definitely worth doing the upgrades. 

As Harry says, be patient. 

I've done several upgrades now on Uniti, SuperUniti, Qute, Serve and not had any problems (including one last night).

Good luck

David

Thanks Harry.

did windows find the drivers for you or did you download the driver software from the site mentioned in the doc?

 so you installed the drivers first? before installing streamer 3.21?

enjoy

ken

thanks David,

no problems here with network setup -- PC, NDS have wired connections to the same network -- that's been my config from day-one.

do you install the drivers before you do start the upgrade process?

i have a LOT of patience -- so no problem there...

enjoy

ken

TBH Ken I don't remember but I am pretty sure I installed the drivers as part of the software installation. I don't recall plugging the NDS in and then downloading the driver.

Many thanks Harry, i will see how i get on...

enjoy

ken

OK, i am installing now and the appropriate driver has been installed. this was a lot more straight fwd than i thought reading the instructions.

i am now at the next step where its asking me to switch the product OFF and then ON. I am just wondering whether this step is necessary for the NDS??

enjoy

ken

It think it best to follow the instructions. I seem to recall a switch off. But I was just following the instructions.

i have done it now. as i said, the process itself is a lot more straight forward than the instructions imply.

i had 1m USB cable -- so i had to move my PC from its normal location to sit atop the LP12. But then there was another issue -- the network cable to the PC in this new location. Fortunately, there was just enough slack to pull some more through -- this was a bit of a palaver as i had to open up some wall panels to do this.

an alternative of course would have been to move the NDS from its place on this Fraim to my crowded desk -- this would have been a much bigger deal -- reaching behind the Fraim to disconnect -- and in any case i would have faced another problem -- the network cable to the NDS may not be long enough to reach my desk. 

So it does look like moving the PC to nearer the NDS was the way to go.

As soon as i plugged in the USB cable to the NDS, Windows 7 tried to install the driver -- which is what i expected -- it actually had the correct driver name, but couldn't find it on my PC, so it gracefully asked me to locate the driver myself -- again as i expected. This is the point at which i was able to install the driver -- and this was quite straight fwd.

After installing the driver, i proceeded with the update. This is when i ran into a nerve wrecking issue.

The update program asked me the switch 'the unit' OFF and then ON. Harry kindly responded that i should just follow the instructions -- which i did.

When i switched on, the NDS now failed to find the network!!!! Why?

So, i switched it OFF/ON again -- same problem. A few French words were uttered.

Third time OFF/ON, then phew -- it initialized OK. I have no idea what that nonsense was about.

So i proceeded with the upgrade --and after oh, 15minutes or so, it was done. At that point, i was asked to re-install 'the unit'. Ah! so i can see assumption was that i had  moved the unit from its normal location!!! I don't recall reading this anywhere -- and in any case, as in my case, this is not always possible. So, thankfully, i didn't have to execute this last step -- the upgrade was done in situ

In my humble view, the instructions could have been written to avoid all these little doubts -- which are of course really trivial when you have gone through the process. I also write user manuals as part of my job.

In my view also, unless one doesn't know anything about computer s/w installation, it would not be good use of dealer's time to have them do this upgrade. unless there is some other issue that needs the dealers' attention.

i am 2 updates behind on my UnitiServe/SSD, so i guess i might as well do this as well soon i guess. 

In the meantime, here are a couple of photos - click to see a fuller image:

you can see i had to move my lapstop and use it atop the LP12, and you can see the blue network cable just reaching the PC. NDS just below the NAT01.

and finally:

enjoy

ken

thanks for your help Harry, and to everyone else who responded here.

Its all done now as in above post.

And it is definitely a lot easier than breeding panda !!!

enjoy

ken

I'm glad it went through Ken. More than this I hope it has written over the bug which was causing the issue. The power and network connection cycles that you went through don't sound familiar to me. I think I had to power cycle it once. Maybe it was flushing the bug? I hope so.

Because NDS updates have been infrequent, I forget all the sage morsels learned and start getting all sweaty again. But it has gone through twice without disaster and very little head scratching in my installation. I actually find the HDX updates a bit more convoluted - but they still work.

well, so far, the  "Connecting... please wait" hasn't happened yet, hopefully that's the end of this annoying problem.

In the meantime, i swear the NDS sounds quite a bit better after the upgrade 

enjoy

ken

The latter is a point of historical debate. When I first got my NDS it needed a FW update within a few weeks. Only the early units produced left the factory in this state. I did notice that the update overwrote the DSP settings and it is possible that this affected my judgement. However, I thought my NDS sounded inferior after the upgrade. It still sounded very good mind you - let's keep it in perspective. I have been told from many angles and at great length that this is not possible. Naim were more sanguine about it. The possibility of a roll back was discussed with my dealer. It kind if fizzled out because I got used to it and because the DR mods were looming. After all the musical boxes with DR upgrades, the NDS being fixed back at the factory for cosmetic reasons and latterly adding a second 555PS to the NDS, a long enough interval to evaluate the FW you have just installed did not present itself. Immediately post the last (present) FW upgrade I thought I detected some mellowing without loss of detail. Who knows? If you think it sounds better it probably does. The reason for this is unimportant so long as one is happy.

well, at least i didn't feel it sounded 'worse'  -- that would have been rather sad...

i will see how i feel about other sources, as a 'control'

enjoy

ken

3.21 wouldn't have improved my SU sound quality, surely not?  but it seems like it to me - maybe it's that I powered down, unplugged, moved it to do the update and replugged it all in

i only power cycled mine - didn't move the NDS at all. i somehow doubt its simply a power-cycle effect, i have no idea what it is. but i "felt" it sounded better, a stronger raw into the music.

enjoy

ken