Is my networked streaming audio system set up correctly?

Posted by: Audiofool on 16 February 2014

 I’d appreciate feedback on my network streaming audio system setup. As in how to best set it up with the limitation of NOT having a wired connection between the room where my wifi router lives and my listening room. 

 

My current networked streaming music system:

 

Cable modem wired to Airport Extreme in my home office. In my listening room (no wired connection between office and listening room) is an Airport Express acting as repeater for the office Airport Extreme and an access point for my listening room equipment. The Airport Express in my listening room has an Ethernet switch plugged into it. Plugged into the switch on the Airport Express is the following: NAS, UnitiServe SSD, NDX.

 

Here is an attempt at a diagram of my current setup. 

 

Wired connection  ————    Wireless connection  >>>>>>

 

Current set up:

 

OFFICE Cable modem ———— Airport Extreme (office) >>>>>>> Airport Express (listening room) ——— switch with the following items plugged into this switch: NAS, UnitiServe SSD, NDX 

 

If I’m understanding how all this works correctly then my current system is a wired system for purpose of the music file transmission for best possible sound? However, my system uses wireless to send internet data and control signals (nStream, nServe) etc?

 

Is this correct? 

 

Is the the best possible network set up as I do not have a wired connection between my home office where the modem and wifi router are located. To run an Ethernet cable from my wifi router to my listing room is not practical. 

 

 

My old set up was:

 

Wired connection  ————    Wireless connection   >>>>>>

 

 

OFFICE Cable modem ———— Airport Extreme———— switch with the following items plugged into this switch: NAS,UnitiServe SSD.  Airport Extreme >>>>> Airport Express

 

Listening room:   >>>>>> Airport Express (listening room) ——— switch —— NDX

 

I assume my old network setup was not as good as my current set up since the actual music files were being sent via wireless?

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback and suggestions.

Posted on: 16 February 2014 by Simon-in-Suffolk

Yes, that looks fine. You are correct by transferring stored media over wired connections you should have no dropout issues with Hidef and be decoupled to some extent from traffic on your wireless network.

Apple Airport works well as a wifi extender of another Apple Airport device, so this should work really well. Within Airport utility what is the signal strength of the repeater base station link? Best have it good or excellent.

Another possible optimisation, is that if your wifi SSID is very busy, you might want to consider a dedicated wifi for your audio bridge and control point.. Otherwise you might get timeouts on Nstream etc.

Simon

Posted on: 16 February 2014 by Harry

This is how I started out and it worked fine. The only wireless component is used for the internet connection. I did run a cable through the house in the end when a convenient opportunity presented itself but we ran with this configuration for about four years and experienced no difficulties. 

Posted on: 17 February 2014 by Sorren
Originally Posted by Audiofool:

 I’d appreciate feedback on my network streaming audio system setup. As in how to best set it up with the limitation of NOT having a wired connection between the room where my wifi router lives and my listening room. 

 

My current networked streaming music system:

 

Cable modem wired to Airport Extreme in my home office. In my listening room (no wired connection between office and listening room) is an Airport Express acting as repeater for the office Airport Extreme and an access point for my listening room equipment. The Airport Express in my listening room has an Ethernet switch plugged into it. Plugged into the switch on the Airport Express is the following: NAS, UnitiServe SSD, NDX.

 

Here is an attempt at a diagram of my current setup. 

 

Wired connection  ————    Wireless connection  >>>>>>

 

Current set up:

 

OFFICE Cable modem ———— Airport Extreme (office) >>>>>>> Airport Express (listening room) ——— switch with the following items plugged into this switch: NAS, UnitiServe SSD, NDX 

 

If I’m understanding how all this works correctly then my current system is a wired system for purpose of the music file transmission for best possible sound? However, my system uses wireless to send internet data and control signals (nStream, nServe) etc?

 

Is this correct? 

 

Is the the best possible network set up as I do not have a wired connection between my home office where the modem and wifi router are located. To run an Ethernet cable from my wifi router to my listing room is not practical. 

 

 

My old set up was:

 

Wired connection  ————    Wireless connection   >>>>>>

 

 

OFFICE Cable modem ———— Airport Extreme———— switch with the following items plugged into this switch: NAS,UnitiServe SSD.  Airport Extreme >>>>> Airport Express

 

Listening room:   >>>>>> Airport Express (listening room) ——— switch —— NDX

 

I assume my old network setup was not as good as my current set up since the actual music files were being sent via wireless?

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback and suggestions.

This is equivalent to the way I do it and it all works just fine.

Posted on: 17 February 2014 by Solid Air

This is how mine works too and is fine. 

 

One thing - of course iRadio will come over wireless. Whether that's an issue depends on your connection speeds, but has always been 100% good for me.

 

Alex

 

Posted on: 17 February 2014 by Dambor

I have a similar setup using Airport Extreme/Aiport Express. I have no issues playing 24/192 files. My advice building on Simon-in-Suffiolk opinion would be to set up the Airport Extreme to create a 5ghz network to work exclusively in the n band (o ac your apple network units are of the new sort) and get your AirPort Express connected exclusively to that n network. 5ghz band is usually not very crowded so you don't get interferences and get a great network speed. I have my network configured that way in an apartment block full of wifi networks, and get constant wireless network speeds of around 250-300mbps. On top, you can also connect the Airport Express to the NDX via Toslink so you can use Airplay, which is handy if you are -for example- a Spotify user and/or if you want your kids/partner/friends to be able to play the music they have on their iphones and ipads....but this only works with old "plug in the wall" Airport Expresses. The new squared ones have too much jitter and good dacs do not lock well to the digital signal, creating a "stutter" when playing music.

Posted on: 17 February 2014 by Audiofool

Thanks Simon, Harry, Sorren, Solid Air and Dambor for the feedback. One best things about owning Naim gear is this excellent forum with all it’s helpful members and it’s vast store of knowledge. 

 

To Simon’s question the Airport Express shows Excellent signal strength when I look at it in the  the Airport Utility. 

 

Extreme and Express are the newest models and I’ve been very happy with the performance. 

 

At the risk of jinxing myself I’ve had zero issues streaming audio with this set up. Even when the NAS and Userve were located with the modem / Airport Extreme and the actual music files were being streamed to the Airport Express in the listening room… still no problems. 

 

I moved the NAS and Userve to the listening room go get a wired connection and to get the best possible performance out of the system. Even though I was not having streaming issues with my ‘old’ previous setup.

 

To Dambor’s point I’m using a Sonos CONNECT via TOSlink to the NDX to get all the cloud music services into my Naim system. I did not realize the current model Airport Express has gone downhill on the TOSlink output vs the first gen Express. That’s too bad. What about Apple TV TOSlink out into the NDX to get Air Play functionality? How does the Apple TV digital out sound?

 

Posted on: 17 February 2014 by Dambor

Apple TV still works via toslink (I've tested it). It resamples 16/44.1 to 16/48, though. IMO, Apple TV sounds better than the old AirPort Express, but nowhere close to streaming to my ND5XS (and for sure to an NDX :-))