All audio output from laptop to multiroom

Danson

A limitation of all Naim streamers AFAIK and not always properly understood even by dealers.

Best bet is to try https://rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/

Roger

Airplay from a Mac can play to multiple devices. You would need to attach an Airport Express to each Unitiqute with an optical digital cable. As Roger mentions above, you could also look at Airfoil, especially if you find any sources on your Mac that aren't Airplay compatible. Even if you choose Airfoil, which might work direct to the Qutes over Bluetooth, I would probably add the Airport Express to give a more robust connection.

Only iTunes allows AirPlay to multiple devices and so Airfoil would still be needed for VLC Player and other sources.

Agree that Airport Express, configured to support AirPlay would be more robust, particularly if using the LAN Ethernet port for input, but then would also likely need a small Ethernet switch to connect the Qutes too.

Roger

For multi-room streaming without any compression I think you need to look at plugging a streamer into Naim and using Naim only for the DAC and amplification side of the business.

I currently do this in three locations in my home, using Bluesound Node as the streamer into Naim DACs and amplifiers.  You can also use Sonos, which has a slicker control interface but doesn't sound quite as good as Bluesound and won't play higher than CD quality.  For relatively low cost (certainly in the case of Sonos streamers) this gives great flexibility - playing the same thing in one or more rooms; playing different things in different rooms; independent volume control in each room; control via multiple devices; access to services such as Qobuz that Naim doesn't give; robust connections esp if (as I do) you can connect everything by ethernet. 

I don't think you're going to achieve comparable results with a just a laptop. 

A couple of  sonos connects are your friends here. They'll do everything you want.  Each has an analogue input that can be shared across the network and both can be plugged into the digital inputs of the unitiqutes so you can use the naim Dac and amplification.

Actually with your set up one of the UQ needs to ask as a 'server' and 'take over' the control of the other streamer.

Make sure 'multiroom' is enabled as an input.

Thanks for the response chaps. Various avenues here for me to pursue but I think two airport expresses going into optical inputs of both qutes is sounding like a good solution. I've done some searching online and I believe it's  possible to send all audio output from a computer via airplay - http://www.tekrevue.com/tip/mac-audio-airplay/

Having said that, it's an extra expense that I really wasn't expecting to pay after shelling out for a second qute. I don't understand why Naim have made their multiroom options so limited. It seems that the hardware is capable of sending more of the outputs over wifi or bluetooth. Therefore it's surely just a software programming thing. Maybe someone from Naim could confirm this?

Matt, I understand your feelings.  If there is any defense against the feature deficiency, maybe it is the fact that the Qute amp and pre are gems that deliver real benefits with better external sources -- kind of an Easter egg, if you loved it with the on-board sources, eh?  I don't know how many competitors offer that.

Best,

Nick

Dan, (sorry, not Matt!)

FWIW, I have heard Sonos playing Deezer at my dealer and it sounded great.  I removed my own Connect to simplify my system, and because the sound quality was noticeably inferior via the Naim DAC/555 compared with NDX-FM, Mac Mini, Squeezebox Touch, and AirPort Express.  I have enough sources to cover bases well enough without the Connect.  Might be I got a bad one.  Too late to exchange it.

Nick

Danson

Airplay itself does not support multiple devices. Even using the Multiple device option in Audio Midi setup, which can be very useful, only allows you to include one Airplay device in the aggregate. So you could, for example, include the Mac digital output to go to one Qute and the Airplay output to go to an Airport Express connected to the other Qute.  Here is something similar done for the Naim Mu-so which have Airplay included.

There is some drift control and this might work ok for you. Otherwise you will need to have an Airport Express for each Qute and use Airfoil. There is no option to include a Bluetooth device in the Multi-Output Device as far as I know.

Remember, even though it is called Airplay, the Airport Express can be configured to take Ethernet LAN input and not use Wi-Fi. If you have Ethernet going to one or both Qutes consider adding a small network switch to connect to both.

As for asking Naim why the Multiroom support is so limited, the answer I got when I asked about the Mu-so was "Neither the S/PDIF nor the analogue audio input pass through the streaming hardware and so cannot be encoded and re-broadcast". So it is not just a software issue.

But I would also ask Apple why they continue to limit support for Multiple Airplay devices to iTunes only.

Happy listening

Roger

danson posted:

Thanks for the response chaps. Various avenues here for me to pursue but I think two airport expresses going into optical inputs of both qutes is sounding like a good solution. I've done some searching online and I believe it's  possible to send all audio output from a computer via airplay - http://www.tekrevue.com/tip/mac-audio-airplay/

Having said that, it's an extra expense that I really wasn't expecting to pay after shelling out for a second qute. I don't understand why Naim have made their multiroom options so limited. It seems that the hardware is capable of sending more of the outputs over wifi or bluetooth. Therefore it's surely just a software programming thing. Maybe someone from Naim could confirm this?

I've been using AEs like this for a few years, and it works pretty well, although sound quality is never going to be as good as it is with the built-in Naim streamer inputs. The old style AE works fine, and you can pick up used ones pretty cheaply. Just make sure it's an 802.11n one, not 802.11g.

Thanks again for all your help guys. I've been checking out airfoil and seems a really handy programme so will certainly use that alongside the AEs.

Another quick question I had (slightly off topic), I'm currently using Playback to send UPnP from my computer. It's a really great, simple little programme and importantly it recognises iTunes playlists. Only thing is, in the Naim app when I hit play on first song in an iTunes playlist it just plays that song and then stops. Is there setting that makes it play the full playlist?

ignore my last question. I found it