New Tech/ Old Tech Advice Please

There are plenty of options, but how about:

Sell the Nac

Buy a Naim Dac V1 (Dac and preamp in one little box)

Buy a Mac Mini

Uses iTunes if you really must; music stored in the Mac Mini; access to cloud streaming services (Spotify, Tidal, etc); access to iRadio (not DAB but it's got all the normal stuff). Control music via remote or iPad. The Mac Mini goes on the network and you manage it from your laptop or an iPad.

Or sell the whole lot and buy a Mu-So.

As Solid Air says lots of options so one alternative is to buy a DAC-V1 and an Auralic Aries streamer. This would be a good option if you want to minimise computer use.

Connect the DACV1 to the NAP 180 and the Aries to the DAC-V1 via USB.  Hook up an external HDD with your music to the USB input on the Aries and control everything with the Aries and Naim remotes or the Lightning DS app from Auralic. The Auralic will maintain the database on its internal storage as well as provide streaming radio and online streaming services. It also has AirPlay for ad-hoc output from iOS devices etc.

Out of curiosity Dave,

Whats the reason(s) for not using the Mac as a music controller any more ?

Purely to get a big step change in sound quality all you need is some new speakers (I assume the Yamahas are active ?), with the Naim gear in between them and your DAC.....

Thanks chaps.  Golly this is confusing.

Mr Karlos

Ideal scenario, in my living room, I would like to be able to sit on the sofa and control my music with its own dedicated remote without having to go to the desk (possibly in another room) and start messing around with my laptop.  As soon as I open the laptop I will be distracted by that thing they call the internet.  Cue another 4 hours of my life lost.  Yes the Yamahas are active.

Mr S.Air

Am I correct in thinking that the DAC V1 is wired only connection so must have a hard drive with permanent hard connection?  You mention a remote... is this a Naim remote that can control the Mac mini?

Mu-So looks interesting, I wonder if it can compete with an 82/180 and JMLabs setup?  I understand this would link wirelessly to my laptop via Airplay?  Can it take external speakers?  Guess this sort of defeats the purpose.  

What about the other Naim products, Uniti and 172?  Considering it more I think having my music stored only on the laptop and beaming it wirelessly to a device might be the best option.  Separate secondary storage seems to be a backwards step in terms of technology.  Also I really want a dedicated remote (not in the form of iPad or iPhone).

Maybe I should just go to a dealer!  None near me unfortunately.

With a  NAC82/Hi and NAP180 I would seriously look at the ND series

Or sell the NAC & go with the N-172 or better the brand new 272

Avoid wireless,  its not robust & you will sooner or later wish you had something else

Go wired all ethernet - seriously

Storage medium is either  a Mac based system - & with that I will  leave it to others you know it better than me. 

I use a NAS & have yet to find anything better for ease of use, flexibility & just doing the job.

As for remote,  you really do need to get to know iPad with the Naim app if you go down the Naim streamer route,  it makes control, album browsing & the ability to do it all without the need to get out of your chair to squint at the small Naim screen as you will have to with a remote.

I don't own a Dac V1 but I believe it is hard wired connection. Of course, what you connect it to, eg Mac Mini, can/will be wireless, so you get access to the internet and local network that way. The V1 comes with a remote but I don't know what it does exactly - volume and input control I guess, not sure about song selection.

The Uniti range is very good. You can play it from your laptop - as I sometimes do - over wireless, control it with an excellent remote (or app), etc. But it's really better with a wired NAS. That's not a step backwards at all, it's a very useful thing, not just for music but also to store photos, movies and documents that other devices in the house may need to access. Unless you need to play CDs, the top and bottom of the range are the ones to go for and seem (subjectively) to get the most love: Unitiqute and SuperUniti. Both are brilliant at their price point. Or you could do what I did and use a 172xs and power amp, which amounts to the same just in two boxes instead of one.

Mu-So isn't designed to take external speakers.

Dave,

Unless you want to go down the CD route you are going to need to use either a computer or NAS and an iPad as a control point. This applies to pretty much every hifi manufacturer these days. If you are willing to spend a bit more money some companies; Naim is one, offer their own storage solutions if you don't want to setup your own UPnP server. In Naim's case it's the UnitiServe.

The reason I suggested the Auralic Aries is that it's the only streamer I know that allows you to connect a HDD, and thus dispenses with the need for a NAS or computer.

The DAC-V1 remote can provide basic control over USB (Only) to a Mac Mini running iTunes. Play, Pause, advance and go back a track. For anything else you are going to need an iPad/iPhone. The DAC-V1 needs to be hardwired to your computer. There is no UPnP server built in so it needs to be connected to a computer via a TOSLINK or USB cable.

Back on the Mac for a moment Dave,

You can control iTunes (and some other s/ware players) with a remote app, so it isn't necessary to actually sit in front of it.  However, if its located in another room then going the Mac>DAC>NAC route will entail some lengthy cabling which is not ideal.  And it does have to be switched on.

That tends to point towards a streamer solution, as others have suggested.  A number of Naim products would fit the bill, depending on budget.  Though Greg's suggestion of the Auralic is also appealing.  Apart from strong reviews, it does have that additional USB device playback functionality which is useful if the whole NAS thing looks a bit irksome (its one method I use and like).  Though even the Mac can be turned into a network server quite easily, again with the caveat that it's kept on.....

Well......

First off the ND series is too expensive for me, so that's out.  I hear what most of you are saying about a wired connection, and after some thought I agree that is the route to go.  Wanting to stay with an all Naim system, it appears options that will not completely break the bank are:

A.  172 + Mac Mini + NAP180

B.  DACV1 + Mac Mini + NAP180

C.  Unitiqute + Mac Mini + NAP180

A few queries....

- Am I correct in thinking the above are arranged in descending order of sound quality?

- Am I right in thinking that the DACV1 is the only one that has no wireless connection?

- What is the difference between systems A and C?  Apart from the obvious that C has an integrated amp?

- Can the DACV1 only be controlled with its own remote?  i.e no iPhone/ iPad control?

- What are the upgrade options on the above systems?  Except for beefing up the power amp.

- If I was to buy a half-width unit would I lose anything sonically by selling the NAP 180 and buying a NAP100 in an effort to obtain visual nirvana?

I spoke to my local dealer and he said Unitiqute and NAP100 was, in his opinion, the way to go.  I wish the Naim website was a bit clearer as to what all these devices do and their differences, I am sure I'm not the only one struggling to find the exact differences between all the boxes.  Maybe a comparison grid chart type thingy would be nice...  Also I wish the ND range wasn't so expensive as then I could keep my beloved 82 and Hicap.  Oh and NAPSC.

Thanks for all your help chaps.

- I don't think you can assume that the 172 is a better preamp than the DAC-V1. The DAC-V1 is likely the better DAC.

- Yes, the DAC-V1 is just that a DAC, not a network streamer.

- NC

- Yes, No iOS control. You can also use something like a Logitec Harmony as well as the Naim remote. I'm happy to use an app - Apple Remote App and Sonos - to select and manage music, but I don't want to have to pick up an iPad or iPhone, unlock it and open the relevant app in order to mute or adjust the volume.

- Other than potential future firmware updates, none really. You'd need to jump to a NAC-N 272 which can take a PSU upgrade.

- The DAC-V1 / NAP 100 are a beautifully matched pair. They definitely benefit from their joint development. What's harder to say is if the sum of the DAC-V1 / NAP 100 is better than the 20 year old NAP 180 design. Only your ears can make that decision.

Putting sonic capability and synergy to one side, I think your decision comes down to how much flexibility and future proofing you want/need. Buy the DAC-V1 if you want to be able to play your existing music and use any future streaming service. Buy the 172 if you are happy to play your existing music and use Spotify. Buy for what the devices can do today and you won't be disappointed. Bringing sonics back, it might just be that one particular combinations speaks to you. If find that more often than not this goes a long way to helping me crystallise my thoughts and feelings.