Calling Tony62

Posted by: Mr Underhill on 26 April 2011

Hi Tony,

 

Your thread got knocked off course - have you made any progress?

 

M

 

Original Tony62 post:

 

Dear all, 

 

This is my first post but I have read the forum on and off for a while with interest. It's time to change my old active 92 / 2 x 90 / flatcap CD3.5 Naim Credo set up that has given great pleasure for the past 12 years. It still sounds pretty fantastic but I have the opportunity and desire to upgrade. 

 

Like many, a lot of my exploration of new (to me) music listening is done through the macbook and i tunes. Currently, I hook up to my hi-fi via a Cambridge DAC. The results have been pretty good from downloads but even better from a ripped a CD, especially in WAV. 

 

I am considering setting up a wired network to my iMac. In the future my computer will be my music library with most of my CD's ripped to it or a NAS. This tempted me to do some listening at the dealer. I am pretty much settled on replacement amplification - I reckon on  202/200/HiCap/napsc 

 

There seem to me to be three (Naim) options

 

a) NDX 

 

b) nServe and nDAC

 

c) NDX and nServe 

 

I have heard my macbook / wav files at the dealers through the above set up with nDAC and Ovator 400 speakers. I have also heard my macbook through the same combination with NDX. My preference to date is the NDX but I am not decided. My dealer doesn't have an nServe to compare. 

 

It seems to me on paper that the sound quality advantage should go to nServe and nDAC. Am I right in saying that combination should provide much higher quality rips from CD than my iMac but still be able to read my itunes library via a wired connection through the addition of some software or just straight -  once my i tunes library is converted to WAV or the like?

 

Has anyone compared performance of nServe and nDAC versus nServe and NDX?

 

I would be interested in your observations as to the pros and cons. 

 

Finally, I loved the Ovator 400's but they may be a little on the large size. Without redesigning the lounge / furniture - and the necessary domestic consent - I may not have enough space for them. Any suggestions for other speakers, that work well with Naim amps, to demo?  

 

Thank you

 

Tony

Posted on: 27 April 2011 by Tony62

Hello to Mr Underhill and everyone in the Naim forum.

 

I am pleased to report that I have been back to my dealer and all things considered am going to go down the NDX route - hardwired to my iMac with NAS - as opposed to 'serve n dac'. 

 

I couldn’t conduct the proposed comparison because the dealer doesn’t have an nServe in the shop!

 

However, we did play with music served up via HDX. I also tried the nDac. Personally, whilst there was a difference in the sound I couldn’t honestly say one was significantly ‘better’ - enough for me to justify the additional outlay. The ‘serve n dac’ combination is over one thousand pounds more expensive! I figure I can rip my CD collection in WAV over time on to a NAS via the iMac. 

 

I have been so impressed with NDX - it also offers the added factor of internet radio and wi-fi capability.  I tried it out hooked to my macbook playing WAV rips from CD, my itunes library,  wired and wireless to the NAS in the shop, USB sticks and ipod. Brilliant every which way!

 

The value for money / sound per pound equation came into it, so my considerations were also based on the fact that this is an entire new system purchase for me requiring (for me) a huge capital outlay.

 

After many years of exemplary service my old Naim system is being retired to the seaside to live with my son in law.

 

I am still going with an entire Naim system again, looking to the future with

 

NDX,202/200/HiCap/napsc/Ovator 400’s.

 

Happy listening everyone

 

Regards

 

Tony

Posted on: 27 April 2011 by Mr Underhill

Hi Tony,

 

Glad you got a result.

 

I sympathise with your approach. When I was looking for something to go on the front of the nDAC I listened to the US and NS01, thought about the Linn front ends, but decided I liked what I was hearing, and loved the Naim ripping solution, so just decided I would rather get on with listening to music.

 

What have you moved on from?

 

M

Posted on: 27 April 2011 by Tony62

Thanks M. I had an active set up - CD3.5 92 / 2 x 90 / flatcaps / Ixo / Credo from new,  for - must be nearly 14 years. Still love it - but time to move on! 

 

As a point of interest do you use itunes? If so how have you overcome the format streaming problems? There seems to be no consensus as the best route to get itunes into the NDX or Serve. Or do you just rip cd's. I have an extensive itunes library and a large CD collection - yet to be put on a NAS. 

 

The computer is in another room upstairs.

 

As I see it I have the option to;

 

a) hard wire the NDX to my iMac router / NAS employing a switch 

 

b) use the wireless option to stream from the iMac to the NDX - but then I have to convert itunes library  to WAV or other acceptable format? 

 

c) buy a mac mini and park it next to the NDX and go in via the S/PDIF

 

d) any other ideas?

 

It's a really tough call - I loved the nDac sound too but prefer the NDX - just. 

 

Maybe I could see myself adding a Serve in the future (convenience). Seems very extravagant though. What advantages do you see / hear? How do you use it in your set up? 

 

Haven't placed the order yet............but you are right - I want to crack on listening. Got some studying to complete so have a month before I want it in the house - too distracting! 

 

Regards 

 

tony

Posted on: 27 April 2011 by Mr Underhill

Hi Tony,

 

I've heard a few cracking active systems - best was based around a series of valve amps, into some 15" Tannoys - Bat Out of Hell, bloody brilliant.

 

Networking:

 

Personally I would always look to have a physical network, and avoid wireless.

 

Laying a physical lan isn't difficult, but available routing could be interesting. My house was built in 1908. The central heating pipes run down next to the chimney stack, which has been a convenient route for me - plus suspended wood floors. As I've redecorated I've extended the network throughout the house.


You could consider running some shielded network cable on the outside of the house.

 

My Setup:

 

I use an old PC in the loft as a fileserver via Ubuntu, with a couple of large USB HDDs to give me resilience, one has a Network Share and a Network Store, using Samba - I then use rsync and a cron job to do the backup every night; saved me the cost of a NAS.

 

If I want to re-tag files I use lltag.

 

I have VNC on my PCs and use this and SSH to connect between them. I bought The Moody Blues - Days of Future Past last night (thx Harry). Downloaded on my Laptop. Copied up onto the fileserver. Kicked off a rescan of my share via DTC, and overnight the files were backed up.

 

It works really well, and is an interesting journey.

 

In the meanwhile you could set things up locally using a switch. As you move forward you could relocate the hardware.

 

iTunes:

 

I don't use iTunes, I have an Apple aversion. I detest companies that sell you computer hardware but want to constrain how you use it.

 

NS vs NDX:

 

I love NS01/nDAC, works brilliantly. But if I had gone the NDX route I almost certainly would see a serve as an extravagance.

 

Assuming you get the NDX I would look at the Vortexbox, as recommended by Tog, to do the ripping and get the artwork.

 

I stream the remote audio files to the NS01 using smb - windows shares, a la Naim standard methodology.

 

I think the nDAC is very good, and I need all four inputs. I use EAR amps and so I know that things are tonally a bit different for me than those using Naim amps.

 

Good luck with the studying.

 

M

 

 

 

Posted on: 28 April 2011 by Rich27
Originally Posted by Tony62:

Thanks M. I had an active set up - CD3.5 92 / 2 x 90 / flatcaps / Ixo / Credo from new,  for - must be nearly 14 years. Still love it - but time to move on! 

 

As a point of interest do you use itunes? If so how have you overcome the format streaming problems? There seems to be no consensus as the best route to get itunes into the NDX or Serve. Or do you just rip cd's. I have an extensive itunes library and a large CD collection - yet to be put on a NAS. 

 

The computer is in another room upstairs.

 

As I see it I have the option to;

 

a) hard wire the NDX to my iMac router / NAS employing a switch 

 

b) use the wireless option to stream from the iMac to the NDX - but then I have to convert itunes library  to WAV or other acceptable format? 

 

c) buy a mac mini and park it next to the NDX and go in via the S/PDIF

 

d) any other ideas?

 

It's a really tough call - I loved the nDac sound too but prefer the NDX - just. 

 

Maybe I could see myself adding a Serve in the future (convenience). Seems very extravagant though. What advantages do you see / hear? How do you use it in your set up? 

 

Haven't placed the order yet............but you are right - I want to crack on listening. Got some studying to complete so have a month before I want it in the house - too distracting! 

 

Regards 

 

tony


Tony

 

I was in a similar position to you by the sounds of it.  I have an iMAC with about 300gb of music all ripped in AIFF format and stored on a NAS.  iMAC and NAS are both hard wired to my router which is in a separate room to the hifi. My iTunes library sits on the NAS in a shared folder which is then available to any other upnp enabled device.

 

Up until this week most of my listening was done through a Sonos ZP90 linked up to my NDAC or a Mac Mini that was also connected to the NDAC via a Hiface USB thingy.

 

I borrowed an NDX this week and this in my opinion sounds much better than either of the other two streaming sources above.  NDX was linked wirelessly (I know Naim say you shouldn't!) and happily plays all of the AIFF material off the NAS (with no conversion needed).  It also works seemlessly and looks great!

 

You will have no issue with the NDX and itunes it just works, at least with AIFF.  I haven't tried ALAC but it is an easy job to convert files from ALAC to AIFF, iTunes can do this for you.

 

Any questions happy to help.

 

Cheers.