NDX forgets to play FLAC's ?

Yes, it does happen from time to time but it seems to be album specifc, and random i.e. only tracks from a specific album won't play, and next time it happens it will be another albums/tracks.

It is resolved by re-choosing the UPNP server, or by itself after some time.

Doesn't happen to often though.

Hi sondek71

This happens on the Qute as well, usually says ‘Can't Play’ even though the same tracks were playing a short time before. I have just shut mine down, as a re-boot didn’t fix it on this occasion.

In my case I store the files on a NAS and have found that when running a control point on a computer this also is unable to ‘play’ the files. However, the files play perfectly well in MediaMonkey on the computer. This leads me to suspect that the problem is at least in part a problem with the DLNA server on the NAS. I intend to try and run a server on a computer tomorrow and see if this can play the files.

Not a lot of help I know, but you are not alone.

Peter

Happened to me again.

Tried a few tricks:

- simply waited a few hours

- re-scanned and re-chose the UPNP server in the NDX

- re-converted the flac files with DBPoweramp (my usual convert app.)

--> nothing.

Then I remembered that once I re-converted with Foobar in this situation: it worked.

Any reason come to mind why such a thing can happen ?

All my library is converted with DBPoweramp.

As a point of clarification–a DLNA mediaserver, in its strictest sense, does not support FLAC–but an UPnP mediaserver may.

There are some UPnP mediaservers which do not support all file formats, but all DLNA-certified mediaservers must support LPCM (baseline profile), with AAC and MP3 as part of the extended profile.

Are they Naim ripped FLACs or non-Naim rips?

non naim rips + downloads.

My first question is answered as others seem to have the same problems. Many thanks to all contributors.

Now next would be to find out the cause of the error.

In my setup it can be either

1. The UPnP Server (I use Twonky 6.0.32) or 
2. The Control Point (n-Stream V 2.1) or 
3. The firmware of the NDX (I use version 2.0.34.11138).

I would be interested to know what UPnP Server others (such as sbilotta) are using. If different servers are casuing the same problem on the NDX my guess would be the firmware......

Let's leave discussions about Naim or non-Naim rips out of this thread.

Many thanks.

sondek71

Hi There,

I'm using TwonkyServer 6.0.30 that comes with QNAP NAS, and I don't use nStream.

NDX Firmware 2.0.34.11138.

Again, I find curious that flac conversion makes an apparent difference (DBPoweramp vs. Foobar): may be worth verifying too.

All the best.

Stefano

A simple, free, thing you might do is to configure foobar on your pc/laptop as a UPnP renderer and see if the FLACs play to it. Or try dBpoweramp Renaissance - another free renderer. Trying either might help you find whether the problem is at the serving or the rendering end of things.

It has nothing to do with rips -- just a poor software. I hope Naim will improve on software soon.

Never had any problem with playing thousands of FLAC, WAV, APE, MP3 (and many others) by Logitech SB3 and Transporter. It just plays everything.

I tend to agree with AMA; nothing to do with rips IMO.

I have also used Foobar UPNP Server and NDX as renderer: that I recall it has never happened, but then again it doesn't happen too often in general.

Hi Sondek71 et al,

Sorry for the inconvenience caused here.

FLAC intermittant playback issue is a known bug in NDX platform in the public release, I've seen it here every now and then.

We are working on a fix for this at the moment

Av

@ Av: Many thanks for your appreciated answer. As I understood we get a Firmware Update for the NDX soon. Right?

Thx, 

sondek71

Yes, that is the intention, I can't give a date atm though

Are there any other bugs in your implementation of FLAC on the NDX that would account for the reports of FLAC sounding worse than WAV on it?

Hello David

OK, thanks for the clarification.

That is quite strange really because the model I have is the ReadyNas_nvx and as far as I can see it is the only Netgear model to have a DNLA compliance certificate (on the DNLA website).

Even stranger, it has NEVER made any WAV file available to the Qute; they are just not available (visible) on the Qute’s screen. However, my main libraries are ALL flac files, and these are visible and playable on the Qute.

It is a fact though that from time to time the Qute CANNOT play a number of these files. The ‘Cant Play’ message is displayed, even though they have been played numerous times before. The problem is, once they stop playing they may never play again; this is the most frustrating part of the entire process, and is stopping me from adding further to the system; having already added the nDAC & XPS-2.

I have installed Asset UPnP on a computer over the weekend (just for testing purposes) and this IS able to send all the flac AND the WAV files to the Qute for playing, even the flac files that won't play via the ReadyNAS server.

Any further thoughts would be appreciated.

Could the known issue referred to above by AV@Naim with the NDX also apply to the Qute? I know that there are others with similar problems.

Regards

Peter  

I wouldn't suggest this as a bug really.

As the NDX audio processing core is similar to DAC technology, this has been noted on DAC posts. This is generally down to higher current consumption and RFi generated as a by product of decoding FLAC files, compared to WAV

AV@naim,

if that is the reason i.e. "higher current consumption and RFi generated as a by product of decoding FLAC files, compared to WAV", would the new (still beta) DBPoweramp Flac Uncompressed format bypass this issue ?

Thx

Stefano

With FLAC it's a case of more function calls - i.e. reading the FLAC file in, decoding it and then moving the decoded buffer to the DAC.

Theoretically it should sound better - but I haven't tested this personally myself with that implementation of DBP, so really I can't comment at this time

Would someone explain the point of uncompressed flac.

If it isn't compressed then what advantages does it have over wav or aiff?  It has all of the disdavantages but no advantages over the other uncompressed formats.

A better mousetrap?

Tog

Wouldn't it be a good idea to shield whatever in the NDX is so sensitive to the extra RFI involved in decoding FLAC? And shouldn't there be an adequate enough power supply not to be signficantly challenged by what is supposed to be computationally trivlal? There must be plenty of other sources of RFI and demands on the power supply in the NDX apart from FLAC.

I did another demo earlier in the week at a Linn-Naim retailer's shop where we compared FLAC and WAV, ripped off the same CD through a variety of applications.

The Linn DS unit (Akurate mkII w Dynamik) also exhibited a difference between WAV and FLAC performance–you should do the demo yourself, though.

Ideally–any power supply, Linn's, Naim's or anyone else's, should be adequate to handle the task–but this ignores the maths involved–WAV is still better.

Tagging that can be handled by all programs instead of only a few that can handle WAV tags

What on earth is mathematically better about WAV than FLAC? Could you demonstrate the maths please?! Which ripper did you use? Which  server did you use? Did you bit compare the audio?

Why would I be interested in a dem of a product that can't play FLACs as well as equivalent WAVs?  Happy to come to a dem when they've sorted out whatever causes the difference - until then I'm hanging on to my money.