Moving my files to portable player

Posted by: WInnes on 09 February 2014

I know.... there are several threads in this forum regarding the issue of converting and metatagging the NIAM format *.wav files. However.. I want to start a new thread with almost the same topic as I find it hard to believe that the current options are the best way to go. I honestly think that we consumers deserve better.

 

Since I have bought my Naim system all my portable audio devices have been obsolete due to unsatisfactory sound quality – I have been spoiled by NAIM and thank you very much for that.

 

So now I have decided to buy an Astell & Kern AK 120Titan and it is an extremely nice device. However – moving my music from NAIM to the device is painstakingly slow and difficult.

 

For best audio quality I rip and store my music files in *.wav on my NAIM userve. As the audio quality is very dear to me I have no interest in ripping in FLAC. But my Astell & Kern device do not read the NAIM Metadata when transferring the *.wav files*. So in order to move the music from my NAIM userve to my Astell & Kern I have to go through a looooooooong process:

 

  1. Selecting the individual files I need to transfer
  2. Copy them manually from my userve to my computer (sloooooow)
  3. Converting the files into FLAC format with external audio converter. I am using dBPoweramp (even Slooooooooowweeeeeeer)
  4. Re-tagging them manually. to help me out I have written a small piece of software that will metatag the new FLACfiles according to filestructure (but still very sloooooooooooooow)
  5. Copying the files from my computer to my Astell and Kern AK 120 via A&K USB 2.0 (sloooooooooow)

 

All in all a PAINSTAKINGLY slow and troublesome process when you bear in mind that these are digital data and processes that could be handled digitally. This is clearly something that would be fixed in a more mature technology. After all... using digital audiofiles on different platform is one of the major drivers for developing the technology in the first place

 

NAIM have ALMOST seen the light. With the latest update to firmware 1.7a I now get a LQ library with tagged *.mp3 files as well as my MQ library with tagged *.wav files. And I also get the option to convert my current *.wav library to *.FLAC and to rip in FLAC format in the future. But I want my *.wav library intact AND a library of tagged *.FLAC files as well just as with the *.mp3 files

 

So after a long fly-in here goes my question/request.

Would it be possible for NAIM to provide one of the following:

 

Or

Or

 

The last option is the most fantastic and clever solution, but would probably be difficult to achieve as it requires two companies to agree on funding, support etc etc. but maaaaaan imagine if I could just move my files without converting, metatagging etc etc… wouldn’t that be great?!

 

I am very well aware that there is no such thing as “just making a piece of software”… But for all of us users that also like high quality audio when on the move this is a big problem (look at different forums), and if NAIM could be the first to assist its users with a clever way to do this it would make us very happy…. 

 

best regards Martin... a happy NAIM customer

Posted on: 09 February 2014 by Audioneophyte
Originally Posted by WInnes:
Originally Posted by Bart:

WInnes, I think that the root of your "complaint" if you will is the way Naim store metadata for wav rips.  That's a fair criticism, and I suspect how we got here is a rather long and winding road.  Including Naim's conclusion at the time that wav sounded better than flac, and I would suspect, their prediction that most of us would use Naim servers in a bit of a vacuum, and exclusively for rips of our own cd's.  As high quality downloads for purchase became available, it was a while before the "Downloads folder" feature appeared.  I would offer that Naim have not quite kept up with the features desired on home servers in 2014.

 

That said, what they do do, they do really well.

Hi Bart.... do not get me wrong... this is not a complaint regarding NAIM, but a wish for some added functionality... regarding the NAIM setup i have heard a lot of stuff and nothing have come close to the NAIM way of doing things.

 

I am just flagging the fact that some of us also listens to HQ audio while on the move and for this NAIM have some unused potential that could give them an even better market position if they pursued it... imagine if they were the ones not only to make the best sound but also where the ones that gave their customers the best opportunities to transfer ripped files to mobile devices while keeping the high standard for metadata that they do on the hifi components

 

Naim assisting the hq portable music world would do nothing but improve naim reputation.  The Naim/AK colaberation idea is an excellent one...

 

I too have been searching for a way to take portable my music and would appreciate a better Naim experience to make this happen.

 

Though parsing of meta data may be difficult to code in the first place...  the meta data format is fairly standard, therefore an easily replicated process perfect for a software solution....

 

Re ripping disks is a bad idea....

 

nice thread!

 

 

Posted on: 11 February 2014 by Paul Quigley ie

For me Naim have made converting to other formats way too difficult. I much prefer ACC to MP3. For me it is so much better at every bit rate. Also for me WAV is better than FLAC. So I had to jump through hoops to convert my library to FLAC so I can then convert this to ACC but still have the origional WAV library!

 

I want an option to export the tags to Id3 format in the WAV files. From this anyone can convert to any format using Dbpoweramp.