NAIM HDX questions, please help.

To my ears the HDX plays at about the same level as the NDX. It will play music stored on a NAS, the SSD version has no internal storage for music and therefore must be used with external storage, such as a NAS. Using a NAS with any variant of HDX is easy and seamless.

I don't know when things like Spotify (and DSD I expect) will come through for the HDX and US but it will happen at some point. The dedicated streamers are first in the queue.

For me the HDX was a very simple and painless thing to use and capable of CDX2 bettering quality. I used one for five years and it just made everything so easy - including the unexpected benefits of convenience and availability of music at above CD quality. If you have a reliable wired network you'll be up and running quickly.

Key thing here is that the HDX is a server and NOT a Streamer

thanks Harry... with your answer i guess my assumptions are correct

Hello Cbr600... i read in some places that the HDX has streaming capabilities, for example Radio etc, and like Harry pointed out the HDX is able to play music coming from a NAS.  Your answer is exactly the reason i am confused.  Can you please be a bit more specific and give a concrete example of what the NDX can do that the HDX cant? (leaving SQ comparisons aside)

Did you check the Naim Homepage?

NDX

• UPnP-enabled to allow streaming of audio files at up to 24bit/192kHz resolution from Naim hard disk servers, network-attached storage (NAS) devices or any home computer

HDX

• Bit-perfect CD ripping to internal 2TB hard disk, sufficient for 2,400 CDs in uncompressed form
• Solid State Drive (SSD) variant available, HDX-SSD, for the music lover with an extensive collection
• Supports a broad range of music formats: WAV, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, AAC, Windows Media-formatted files, Ogg Vorbis and MP3
• Naim Extended Music Database delivers track-level resolution for music browsing and selection
• Naim Network Scanning discovers all playable music and accompanying data on networked PC and Mac computers
• 24bit/192kHz playback and storage
• vTuner 5* full-service internet radio

What is the confusion about?

Thanks Ceckthisout68,

Again, please excuse my stupidity... I did check the NAIM website and it is clear to me that the HDX is able to play music stored in a NAS (the point of the SD version) hence the point above is also applicable for the HDX.... meaning the HDX is a NDX with the capability to rip CDs.  Is that assumption correct???

The point of the ssd version is so that the music can be stored externally to the HDX, on a nas.  This way the HDX need not contain a spinning and sound-generating hdd, and the storage capacity need not be limited by the 2 tb upper limit of drives currently available for the HDX.

One can still do external storage with the hdd HDX, but if that's the plan the ssd version would make more sense (to me).

Thanks Bart,

That i understood and its clear to me. 

But my question is more on the functional difference between the NDX and the HDX.  They can both play music stored in a NAS, they can both play internet radio, etc... so at the end their real difference is that the HDX is able to rip CDs and the NDX not, otherwise they are the same?.  Can someone give a practical example of what the NDX can do that the HDX cannot?.

Checkthisout68 pointed out the differences in the specs but practically (according to my understating) the HDX is a NDX with ripping capabilities,

I am waiting for someone to get loose patience over my questions

No, that is incorrect. 

The HDX is a server, meaning it has got its own music database and serves HDX managed content to other clients, but it can also act as a server for up to 6 multi-streams to different rooms in the house at the same time. 

The NDX will play what other sources may host, i.e. your ipod, your macbook. But the database information will not be hosted inside the NDX.

So to be clear: The HDX is a full computer, it is the server inside the home music network and it can use multiple NAS Systems as an additional source replacing the internal HDD (SSD version) or adding up to existing drive space (HDD version of the HDX). It will manage your Music.

NDX will stream your music, whatever the source. But it will not manage the source. IMHO.

Now clearer?

Chris

Hello Chris,

Now we are getting somewhere!, thanks for your reply

This means then that the music i have stored in my NAS (combination of MP3, FLAC, etc) will not be played by the normal NAS streaming but the HDX will look for the physical files and manage them in his own way.

As long as I can play my music stored in the NAS which has not been ripped by the HDX i will be happy.

In any case i would then still see the possibility that the HDX gets pumped to use Spotify Connect...

Thanks again!

You got it. My HDX will play anything it can find on the network in a playable format and on a shared drive of course.

It will store the information in its own database and give me an error message in case it cannot find the source file anymore. It is something like itunes for hifi if you will.

Best control, however, you will always have with a HDX and ripped CDs. 

Chris.

If you already have your music on the NAS, you are clearly happy ripping them via a computer and downloading them as well. In that position, I'd be very wary of an HDX. As I understand it, spotify will not come to the HDX or the UnitiServe, the HDX will not play DSD, and it looks most unlikely that integration of lossless services such as Qobuz will come either. I would not be surprised if Naim withdraw the servers at some point - I have no knowledge on which to base that, it's merely supposition based on the way development is going. In your position, I'd get an NDX.

Agree with Hungryhalibut, at least when it comes down to the 7.000,-€ Naim is asking for a brand new HDX. I got mine little over 3.000,-€ and one year old. That deal you cannot beat with a brand new NDX. Cheers, Chris

U will find one in Germany for under 4k. Don't go higher. That is the right value. I found mine on eBay Germany in February after searching for only 2-3 weeks. There were at least 2 more on sale in the U.K. at the same time. They all went unter 3.5k €. Great deal.

But be careful, there are also deceivers around...run your due dilligence ,-)

Chris

The HDX is a server AND a streamer. And a music repository should you want it. And an iRadio client (AKA a streamer). And a bit perfect ripper. And an X level CD player.