Streamer advice
Posted by: Ben Williams on 06 May 2015
I have an opportunity to purchase a 2nd hand Naim UnitiServe at a good price but have been reading good things about the Simaudio Moon 180 MiND streamer. To add another to the mix, the Bluesound Node also seems like a reasonable option and I was wondering if anyone has had any experiences with these streamers?
I'm currently using a PC but would be looking to set-up a NAS with the streamer into a Chord Hugo. From what I've been reading recently there can be a bit of a sound difference between these models even when using the S/PDIF out with the same DAC, has anyone experienced this?
If this is true then I would be tend to lean towards the Simaudio, otherwise I would probably go for the Bluesound option based on cost. I quite like the Naim option to go with the rest of my Naim gear but am put off a little by the n-Serve app which a friend has told me can be quite buggy and doesn't seem to get much support whereas the Simaudio can be used with third party apps and the Bluesound app looks good.
An A to B comparison between these models is going to be difficult, would appreciate some thoughts.
I'm not quite sure what you're aiming to achieve here. The Unitiserve is a music server/NAS, the other devices you mention are streamers which would need a NAS or something to feed them.
Regarding N-serve, I find the current version reliable and versatile, and it's good that there's also a desktop version unlike the Naim (N-Stream) app.
I have an opportunity to purchase a 2nd hand Naim UnitiServe at a good price but have been reading good things about the Simaudio Moon 180 MiND streamer. To add another to the mix, the Node also seems like a reasonable option and I was wondering if anyone has had any experiences with these streamers?
I'm currently using a PC but would be looking to set-up a NAS with the streamer into a Chord Hugo. From what I've been reading recently there can be a bit of a sound difference between these models even when using the S/PDIF out with the same DAC, has anyone experienced this?
If this is true then I would be tend to lean towards the Simaudio, otherwise I would probably go for the Bluesound option based on cost. I quite like the Naim option to go with the rest of my Naim gear but am put off a little by the n-Serve app which a friend has told me can be quite buggy and doesn't seem to get much support whereas the Simaudio can be used with third party apps and the Bluesound app looks good.
An A to B comparison between these models is going to be difficult, would appreciate some thoughts.
I know neither the Simaudio nor the Bluesound and I certainly would not buy a UnitiServe. I do not have a Hugo but if you want to feed yours via a streamer (why so?) then the Sonore Signature Series Rendu has received a very positive review on http://www.computeraudiophile....series-rendu-review/. Best, nbpf
My friend who's parting with his Unitiserve uses his as a streamer connected to his NAS. I wouldn't usually have considered the Unitiserve because I don't require the hard drive or CD ripping but as he's offering it for a price between the other two streamers mentioned, I'd thought I'd consult with the forum.
Apologies if I wasn't clear, I won't be using the hard drive on the Unitiserve as I have quite a large music collection. The idea is to set-up a NAS drive which will sync with the PC, this will also feed into a Mu-So in another room so that we don't have to leave the PC on all the time.
Every dealer I've spoken to is convinced there is a difference between the streamers even when using S/PDIF (optical) but how can this be so? The Simaudio comes highly recommended, does anyone know how this compares in sound quality?
The Serve is a server, not a streamer. You dont need it.
I have an opportunity to purchase a 2nd hand Naim UnitiServe at a good price but have been reading good things about the Simaudio Moon 180 MiND streamer. To add another to the mix, the Node also seems like a reasonable option and I was wondering if anyone has had any experiences with these streamers?
I'm currently using a PC but would be looking to set-up a NAS with the streamer into a Chord Hugo. From what I've been reading recently there can be a bit of a sound difference between these models even when using the S/PDIF out with the same DAC, has anyone experienced this?
If this is true then I would be tend to lean towards the Simaudio, otherwise I would probably go for the Bluesound option based on cost. I quite like the Naim option to go with the rest of my Naim gear but am put off a little by the n-Serve app which a friend has told me can be quite buggy and doesn't seem to get much support whereas the Simaudio can be used with third party apps and the Bluesound app looks good.
An A to B comparison between these models is going to be difficult, would appreciate some thoughts.
I know neither the Simaudio nor the Bluesound and I certainly would not buy a UnitiServe. I do not have a Hugo but if you want to feed yours via a streamer (why so?) then the Sonore Signature Series Rendu has received a very positive review on http://www.computeraudiophile....series-rendu-review/. Best, nbpf
I'm looking for a way to remove the PC from the equation (without spending thousands). I currently access my music via Jriver, it's all digital. The PC is connected to a Chord Hugo via optical 24bit/192kHz. I'd like a NAS & streamer that can slot into my existing set-up. Putting my music on a NAS also means we can stream to a Mu-So. Thanks for the recommendation but it's a little out of my league, is there any reason why you wouldn't buy a UnitiServe?
The Serve is a server, not a streamer. You dont need it.
But it can be used to connect to a NAS and play music? Considering I don't need the hard disk or CD ripper but can pick it up for a good price, isn't that a good option?
Why not just get a Mac Mini to feed the Hugo?
Why not just get a Mac Mini to feed the Hugo?
Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought that Mac Mini's max out at 24bit/96kHz (Optical) and I have a lot of high-res albums in 192kHz. I could use the USB connection but would prefer to use optical with the Hugo as USB introduces RFI and the Hugo isn't galvanically isolated like it's TT sibling. I've been looking at other fanless media PC's with a capable optical out but they would cost more than these three streamers I've mentioned.
If the Unitiserv is a good price then buiy it, feed it into the hugo, add a NAS drive into your network somewhere and happy days ! All you will need to play good music for the forseeable future.
Later on, replace the Hugo with an NDS and even happier days.
The UnitiServe is both a server and a player. If you are looking to use it only as a player, you're only using about 1/5th of what it can do. It'd not be my first choice as a player.
Now if you said you wanted to use the UnitiServe to rip cd's, and store them (on its internal hard drive, or on a nas on your network), and use it as a server to serve music to a streamer/player elsewhere on your network, I'd say get it if it's a good price (or skip it and rip your music on a computer and use the nas as the music server).
But as a player only . . . it doesn't feel like the right tool for the job.
I'm looking for a way to remove the PC from the equation (without spending thousands). I currently access my music via Jriver, it's all digital. The PC is connected to a Chord Hugo via optical 24bit/192kHz. I'd like a NAS & streamer that can slot into my existing set-up. Putting my music on a NAS also means we can stream to a Mu-So. Thanks for the recommendation but it's a little out of my league, is there any reason why you wouldn't buy a UnitiServe?
You could run a UPnP server (to serve the Mu-So's UPnP client) and a UPnP client on a small fanless PC (a Fit-PC Fitlet costs about 150 EUR) and connect to the Hugo directly via USB or, for better clocking, via a 200 EUR Meridian Explorer (with optical and electrical SPDIF outputs both up to 24/192). You could add a 1TB SSD for about 370 EUR. This would give you a very flexible and easily upgradable setup for significantly less than 1K EUR.
There are a number of reasons why I would not buy a UnitiServe:
1) the US is essentially a computer with high quality SPDIF interfaces. This is good but the hardware is outdated (which I do not care so much) and the software is proprietary (which I tend to avoid). The documentation is very spartane. I would consider buying a US if I needed a ripping station and if the hardware was certified for an open OS.
2) the US is (as far as I have understood) primarily a ripping station, a UPnP server and a music player. I thought you were looking for a streamer which the US is not (I see now that you could use it as a UPnP server for the Mu-So and as a player for the Hugo. But you still will have to control the two devices with two different applications).
3) I do not particularly like Naim's control applications and do not know if one can use the US with non-Naim control applications.
4) The US seems to have a fan and I prefer fanless devices in the living room.
and, most importantly:
5) The US requires a wired LAN connection (even if the music data are stored locally, I am afraid) and I do not want to lay down Ethernet cables to the living room.
What about a Fitlet (http://www.tinygreenpc.com/com...s/fit-pc/fitlet.html) with a Meridian Explorer for 24/192 optical SPDIF ?