Navigating through Naim digital range of products

Forum threads can go off-topic; this is usual, but it was interesting that a recent discussion about confusion of terminology about different products burst into a thread titled for Naim-Linn comparison. It is easy for Linn: it produces only one type of product in the digital range: UPnP stream client with dac incorporated. That's all. Naim has a wider range of products. However, NAIM OFFERS NO TOOL FOR NAVIGATING THROUGH THIS RANGE OF PRODUCTS AND MAKING PURCHASE DECISIONS. Salmon Dave was complaining on that thread: “It is confusing, and that I think is the trouble now with Naim's approach - they've got some great products out there, but the potential audience is in a fog.” There were many others complaining with “confusion” on that and many other recent threads. On that thread, there was “consensus that Naim could make some progress in a tutorial type approach” and “provide more information … to their prospects who are trying to make network audio purchase decisions.”

I took some time this Sunday to work on a guideline to the Naim digital range for beginners. I tried to bring together what I have learned during the last year. I request the more experienced members to correct or improve what I have come up with. This may really help some new members...and we may turn this thread into a quick reference thread for Naim beginners.

I noticed, Naim does not create its own terminology and feels itself helplessly delivered to the existing confusion of different terms and standards worldwide in this field. There is not even a consistency in the terms used in the Naim website: NDX is categorized as ”Network Player"; then, under  All-in-one players, the totally same function is mentioned first as "network stream player" on the Uniti Overview page; five lines below as "Digital stream player"; on the Features page of the same product, as "Digital audio streamer". Is this carelessness, insecurity in the face of general terminology confusion, indecision, or an attempt to embrace all these circulating terms? Whatever this is, it adds to the confusion of especially of the newcomers to the field. (There are other confusing things on the website, like UPnP being named as input in the HDX specifications, whereas it is actually a UPnP server.)

It is not surprising that many of the newcomers look for information in this forum. The forum is truly a valuable source of information. In fact, even Naim staff is sometimes more generous in providing information to the forum than in the main website. I remember Phil explaining with patience what UPnP server and client are in the first thread announcing the planned release of NDX. Such information has never been available on the main website. However, because of the abundance of such dispersed information on the forum, life is not easy here, either.

Hook's long contribution on that thread was really shedding light on some of the issues. However, I believe it fell short in one aspect, namely in that, it reproduced the distinction which Naim makes btw Network Player and Hard Disk Player. I find this distinction totally misleading and dysfunctional. HDX, NDX, UServe, Uniti, UQute are ALL network players par excellence! They all play music files located on the network. The fact that they use different protocols to achieve this is secondary (HDX and UServe through SAMBA protocols, NDX, Uniti,and UQute through UPnP). This secondary information should be explained decently though, as it influences the configuration of the rest of the system. The differences btw the five Naim network players reside in the additional features they accommodate.

Firstly, I have a list of all the functions that exist in this range of Naim products. Then I will try to assign the functions to each product:

1) Ripping of CDs to hard disc: Typically, this can be done on a computer or on two of the Naim network players.

2) Storage of music files – ripped CDs as well as downloaded music: this is typically on a NAS, on the hard disc of a computer, or on a Naim network player with storage functionality.

3) Database: Access to all your music files stored on one or multiple locations on the network with all the associated metadata

4) UPnP Server: Indexes and makes music files available for UPnP stream clients, which are normally in another zone (room) or in special cases in the same zone. Two Naim network players accommodate this function, but it could also be in a computer, or a portable device.

5) UPnP Client: Receives a UPnP stream (normally from a Naim server in another zone or a computer server in the same zone) and supplies the data to the playback chain. This kind of streaming saves the client from duties like scanning, databasing, or indexing music files, as all information is provided on the fly. However, this type of network player requires a server elsewhere on the network.

Note: I must say I do not like the use of the term “streamer” as it does not specify which end of the stream we are talking about.

6) UPnP Control Point: Controls the playback functions of UPnP stream. All Naim clients incorporate a control point, but this is not true of all clients on the market (e.g. Linn). Control point could also be on a computer or a portable device (N-Stream).

7) Rendering/Pre-DAC Processing:  This includes all the processing of the music file digital data in order to render them operable by the DAC, like pre-dac DSP and S/PDIF generation.

8) DAC: converts the digital data to an analogue signal, which will be amplified later and transmitted by the speaker.

Before making this list any longer, let me try to remember, which network players have which functions:

HDX:       Ripping, Storage (non-ssd version); (Extended) Database; UPnP Server - typically for stream client(s) in other zone(s); iRadio (soon with the upcoming update); Rendering/Pre-DAC Processing; DAC

UServe:   Ripping, Storage (non-ssd version), (Extended) Database, UPnP Server - typically for stream client(s) in another zone(s) or for sonic upgrade in the same zone, iRadio (soon with the upcoming update); Rendering/Pre-DAC Processing

Uniti & UQute: UPnP Client; UPnP Control Point; iRadio; Rendering/Pre-DAC Processing; DAC; DAB/FM Tuner; Integrated amplifier

NDX:       UPnP Client; UPnP Control Point; iRadio; Rendering/Pre-DAC Processing; DAC; DAB/FM Tuner (optional)

nDAC:     basically only DAC; but some browsing/rendering, as well, as it has a USB input in addition to its classical dig-in

All devices have different designs and we should not expect those that share the same functions to perform these functions equally. The fact that the components play multiple roles makes configuration decisions more complicated, and however you configure your system, it is very probable that you will end up with redundancies in your system (the same function being existent in multiple components), especially in upgrade paths. This means you may end up using only some of the features of a particular component. This is Naim’s policy and it has advantages in spreading upgrades over time, but poses difficulties if you know exactly what you want from the beginning – e.g. me wanting the ripping/database/rendering features of HDX but the dac section of NDX. They don’t come in separate boxes.

I think the basic initial decision to make is if you want the ripping/database roles performed by Naim. If yes (the more holistic and more Naim solution), you should start with one of the two network players with these functions, and choose the model which fits more to the Naim range you aim for; otherwise, the upgrade paths will be more complicated or expensive. If you want to keep the ripping/database roles on a computer (the more computer enthusiast solution), a UPnP client is more like the device you would start with.

This proposed guideline is only for those aiming a full Naim set up. Of course, it is possible to mix with third-party components, like connecting a foreign network renderer to nDAC or connecting a computer to nDAC with an adapter etc. There are many examples of such suggestions on this forum.