Mystery with nDAC after 300DR: track at 24bit 196kHz sounds as white noise until compressed to 96kHz

Both interesting options.  Would an HDX be in the same league as an NDX, that is, following option 2?

Consciousmess posted:

Both interesting options.  Would an HDX be in the same league as an NDX, that is, following option 2?

I have not heard a HDX so cannot offer advice on this one. 

Would an option of an external NAS and a streamer be acceptable?

Briz Vegas posted:

Higher the bit rate the better it sounds on my system.  I can even pick it blind ( for those that are skeptical, just focus on the high frequencies)

Unfortunately in my system i get a digital mini fart about 5 minutes in.  Only for a moment and only the once per album mind you, but it always happens on anything over 44.1 khz on my nDAC.   Just as well i have so few high bit rate recordings.

I'm sure you can it - i'm sure a simple straight to digital recording at high bit rate sounds fantastic and makes the most use of the bandwidth available, but a commercial recording, with a load of effects, electronic instruments, sample rates etc making up the mix, is it really going to make a difference (apart from charging silly prices) over reb book. 

Consciousmess posted:

Both interesting options.  Would an HDX be in the same league as an NDX, that is, following option 2?

I seem to remember at least one forum member, having owned both, reporting that NDX and HDX sounded pretty much identical. 

HDX has similar SQ to NDX, very nice & easy to use,  but it means you are locked into the HDX/Naim ripping/tagging system.   I don't see HDX going anywhere in the firmware development cycle - Tidal, DSD etc.   Streamers such as the N series with separate NAS or similar have so much more options of server software & flexibility.      

Out of interest John (before we get into too much of the usual forum 'throw money at the problem' advice) have you tried feeding the analogue output of the A&K into the 252 as a comparison against your present naim DAC solution. Just a thought. 

Hi James, can't say I have, but SURELY... logic says that an nDAC and 555PS costing what 7k+ is going to outsmart the DAC in a £2200 portable?

I will say, the portable is excellent for commuting (and the stress doing so!) and I am not keen on internet radio as it will never be above 320k/s when one notes red book is 1477k/s - I think.  Besides, the A&K can access that anyway.

I have lots of music saved on computer though and it's access to that which I prefer.

But is the HDX dated?

Consciousmess posted:

Hi James, can't say I have, but SURELY... logic says that an nDAC and 555PS costing what 7k+ is going to outsmart the DAC in a £2200 portable?

I will say, the portable is excellent for commuting (and the stress doing so!) and I am not keen on internet radio as it will never be above 320k/s when one notes red book is 1477k/s - I think.  Besides, the A&K can access that anyway.

I have lots of music saved on computer though and it's access to that which I prefer.

But is the HDX dated?

Don't judge web-radio on numbers - there's more involved than math.  Maybe the same applies to your 7k DAC vs the 2200 AK.

What does the AK sound like on a wire connection vs optical

The HDX is dated in that it does not have enough in the OS hardware to do what the streamers are doing now with the firmware upgrades.    

I will concede that Soundcloud pod casts (iPad to nDAC) sound extremely good with debating voices!

Consciousmess posted:

Hi James, can't say I have, but SURELY... logic says that an nDAC and 555PS costing what 7k+ is going to outsmart the DAC in a £2200 portable?

 

 

Give it a try - you may be surprised (or may be not).

Worth a try anyway before committing funds to other options 

Consciousmess posted:

But is the HDX dated?

Yes. If you want to play ripped CDs and downloads up to 24/192, it's great. It will not play DSDs, so if you have any of those, forget it. It doesn't support web streaming services like Tidal either.

Surely, the best option is ising just a USB stick?

That uses the nDAC at its best - avoids the problems of optical connection, cost of high quality coaxial... most importantly saves the cost of n NDS or am NDX or an A&K...

At the sacrifice of convenience?!!!!

From a convenience point of view, using a USB stick on the Naim DAC is quite some sacrifice.  Once you move beyond a single album on a USB stick, it becomes really frustrating and, quite frankly, a non-starter.  

Consciousmess posted:

Surely, the best option is ising just a USB stick?

That uses the nDAC at its best - avoids the problems of optical connection, cost of high quality coaxial... most importantly saves the cost of n NDS or am NDX or an A&K...

At the sacrifice of convenience?!!!!

Convenience is ONLY  NAS to streamer -  (with its pretty all right internal DAC)   

Cost of ethernet is peanuts, unless you have convinced yourself that you really do hear a difference between viper & python snake oils.  

USB is like drinking top end real ale out of a plastic "glass",  doesn't quite taste the same.     

Hi Mike, yes I see what you mean (and what Richard means), but isn't a USB stick just the same as a CD used in a CD player?  At much cheaper as well.

Thus putting CD players out of the market.

(This isn't a plan of mine, but I am sincerely trying to understand the issue!)

I suppose the USB stick idea will work (with the caveats already mentioned) but this is reliant on you having got the music stored somewhere to start with (either downloaded or ripped from a CD) that you will have to copy to the stick(s).

As you've already got this stored music, there are far more elegant ways of finding it and playing it - hence the suggestions above for streamers etc 

Thanks for the clarification, and I have just found this review which says the sound quality is the same connected to the USB than it is with the other digital connections. So in summary, it is just convenience that any streamer brings to the nDAC!!

Moderated Post:  Link removed - please don't post unauthorised links in the Hifi Corner.

In a nutshell John, yes.