NOOB question: FLAC to Naim 5, options

You might want to try a USB DAC.   I have a Halide, which is no longer available, and a Meridian Explorer, which is now out in its MQA ready  version.    Neither of these requires a shelf or a wall plug.   Each is less than $500.    A Naim DAC V1 will also do the trick for better sound,  more money,  and shelf space.   

Have you considered a N272 for streaming the FLAC?

I'd go with the DAC option - e.g. second-hand DAC V1.  Also, is the PC zero noise?  If not, then it's probably worth looking at getting it out of the listening room or addressing the noise issues.

The biggest question is how much money are you wanting and willing to spend?

in the Naim Family you could do a ND5XS as your player component. Think of it as a CD player for FLAC files. You could also also use your PC attached to your rig through a DAC V1.  (Less money by about half than a ND5XS). 

If you are willing to go outside of the naim world there are many options, mostly dictated by how much you want to invest. 

I will try Sonos Connect ;-) optional with Chord Mojo DAC

i agree that the Sonos/Mojo combination would work very well here. the Sonos is so easy to set up and use and is a great introduction to streaming audio. connect the Sonos and the Mojo with an optical/toslink cable and you're all set.

Auralic Aires Mini ;-)

As mentioned before please indicate budget as there are to loads of options which range from a couple of 100 bucks to thousands....

Indeed, it was pertinent information that was missing, I consider this important enough to spend up to 1000 euro and 2nd can be considered as well. But above 1000 would require permission from my wife and the inevitable argument

A decent DAC is likely to make all the difference. Within your budget (I think - depends on what it costs where you are) and said to be excellent is Chord Mojo - search on this forum, there's a current thread about it.

I've no idea what the outputs of the lexicon soundcard are like - generally on a computer for best audio quality it is desirable to bypass the soundcard if possible, e.g. using a renderer (=player software) that can output via usb (I don't know what is available on PC: on a Mac the best is widely considered to be Audirvana), but then unless the DAC has good RF noise isolation (Mojo doesn't) an isolator would be needed between computer and DAC (I used the Gustard U12 to good effect, but there are other options). Optical from soundcard to DAC obviates the need for RF isolation, but may be lower quality.

As well as RF noise, PCs tend to be acoustically intrusive, which Noogle referred - there are computers that are silent, and there are benefits from having one solely dedicated to the music reproduction when you are listening - I use a headless Mac Mini, which just sits tbere as part of my hifi system, but going that way and with the necessary DAC would cost considerably more than your budget.

the alternative is a separate 'streamer', using your PC for now as a UPnP fileserver via a network, preferably wired. They add convenience, and quality is easy to assess without the variables of using computer sources, though in terms of sound quality they are not necessarily better than a good computer renderer adequately RF isolated with a decent DAC.

I stream in my second system (with TV) using a ChromeCast Audio optically into a Naim AV2 which acts as a Stereo Dac. The AV2 acts also as a Pre-amp and feeds the poweramp section of my Nait 5. Works perfect.

Previously, I used the either the ChromeCast Audio directly into my old technics stereo, or the CC Audio into the AV2 into my technics, but I had all kind of grounding / humming issues. This was all gone since the AV2 and Nait 5 are together.

I love these Din cables.

Extra benefit is that the AV2 matches the Nait 5 in style.

I also like the idea of a Chord Mojo. I would buy one if I did not already have bought a Dragonfly Black.

One more thing: my sourcefiles are wav files - cd-rips. This seems to work the best. I don't know if flac works on an AV2.

Peter,

You have a balanced system at the moment.  How do you like the way the Lexicon presents your FLAC files, compared to the CD 3.5?

If it is not "night and day" difference, I would do nothing.  Otherwise, I would consider Naim DAC V1 or ND5XS, if you want to stay with Naim, long term.  Or consider changing the amp first -- but you like it, not surprisingly.

Nick

Peter Thompson posted:

Current equipment: 

CD3.5 + Nait5 + Flatcap + Neat Motive SE2 

I have PC with a huge FLAC classical music collection, currently using Lexicon Alpha soundcard to Nait 5 , sounds pretty good.

Question is , should I buy a better DAC or a stand-alone FLAC player like the Pioneer n50a? Any other options welcome as I know a lot about sound cards for music recording but not a lot about dedicated DAC options 

I can vouch for the n50a if you do decide to go that route. It is an amazing piece of kit for the price. I have the n50 connected to my NAC202/NAP200 and it sounds very good. 

"You have a balanced system at the moment."

That's an astute observation.

My advice, as a Nait 5 owner, is pick-up a Dragon Fly Dac for $100 (As Skip says it is a USB Dac) and see how you like it.  Balance is key with the Nait 5.  

Here in Canada used Dac V1's go for $1,600.00.  One of your pre-amps would be redundant and if you're not doing head hone listening then it's a whole lot more than you need.

Good luck and have fun!

or head phone listening ; )

Ian Brown posted:

"You have a balanced system at the moment."

That's an astute observation.

My advice, as a Nait 5 owner, is pick-up a Dragon Fly Dac for $100 (As Skip says it is a USB Dac) and see how you like it.  Balance is key with the Nait 5.  

Here in Canada used Dac V1's go for $1,600.00.  One of your pre-amps would be redundant and if you're not doing head hone listening then it's a whole lot more than you need.

Good luck and have fun!

Nait 5 + DF Black for $100 is indeed a very budget friendly - but also smart and good solution.

Regarding the Nait 5, I have a 16 yrs unserviced one and I'm only using its poweramp. The pre-amp is still quite ok, but I feel that the pre-amp is needing a service more than the power-amp section. So, pairing the Nait 5 with e.g. an Dac V1 or AV2 in my case (both have pre-amp), could save you a Nait service.

I agree with IB, a descent DAC will make all the difference. Suggestions have been made from the Naim portfolio - there are also other options such as from Chord or Audioquest Dragonfly series - really does depend on budget. I suspect a Dragonfly Red playing into your Nait is going to sound pretty good...

If your Nait 5 is 16 and not yet serviced, then you're starting to run into the sort of age where it might suddenly go wrong in a catastrophic manner (and depending how that happens it could also damage other things connected to it, principally speakers).  I would advise getting it serviced fairly soon to keep the risk down to a very low level; each additional year increases the risk of a catastrophic failure by a little bit more.