An awful mistake?

Posted by: nimrodmr2p on 05 January 2018

Following my previous posts regarding streaming I have just received a phone call to say my ATOM has arrived from Naim, however I am now thinking I have made a serious error of judgement. All I wish to do is to rip, store and play my CD collection through my existing amp (Nait XS) and perhaps listen to internet radio. Now I know about the issues and costs of subscription streaming services I can do without these. It has been suggested I can get what I need with the same quality  as a CD replayed on my CD5 XS by using the following:

Innuous ZEN mini

Sonos connect device

Will I also need a DAC or is this included in the above

 

Any comments welcome

Posted on: 06 January 2018 by WilcoFT
Timo posted:

Re Tidal, I am totally with Bob The Builder. I also didn’t expect to keep it after the 3-month trial. But it‘s great for exploring music and especially new recordings.

I’m also in this camp, and am frankly mystified by those who state they aren’t at all interested  in Tidal or other streaming services, particularly when price is cited as the issue.  It’s $20/€20 etc. per month.  If it saves you from buying on bad LP or a few bad CDs it’s paid for itself, as Bob The Builder has already noted.   Try the free trial and see what happens!

Posted on: 06 January 2018 by Morton

Do you need a Sonos connect? My Zenith steams internet radio without needing Sonos, I’m pretty sure the Mini will as well. You will need a dac though.
You are under no obligation to carry on with the Atom purchase, take your time to get things right.

Posted on: 06 January 2018 by nimrodmr2p

Some interesting thoughts

I am convinced about streaming services not being for me, I can always audition new albums using 'you tube' for free

The whole topic is frustrating and I could well end up doing nothing!

At the moment I am thinking of changing my order for ATOM to a CORE and buying the Rega DAC, the Naim one being too expensive

Posted on: 06 January 2018 by Adam Zielinski
nimrodmr2p posted:

Some interesting thoughts

I am convinced about streaming services not being for me, I can always audition new albums using 'you tube' for free

The whole topic is frustrating and I could well end up doing nothing!

At the moment I am thinking of changing my order for ATOM to a CORE and buying the Rega DAC, the Naim one being too expensive

CORE is a good product. I would also look for a pre-loved nDAC - there isn’t much that can go wrong there, so buing used is not a risk.

Posted on: 06 January 2018 by Gazza

I have Nova, Core, a great streaming combo if you do not want to play with pc,s or macs......it’s a choice. The former is more expensive, the problems with Core are real, but overplayed, it’s sound quality is undersold. Naim have largely fixed the Core problems.

 

Posted on: 06 January 2018 by Morton

The Core is almost three times the price of a Zen Mini and doesn’t have internet radio

Posted on: 06 January 2018 by nimrodmr2p

I was led to believe by one dealer that all issues with the CORE were now resolved, perhaps this is not the case?

I think Monday may well result in a cancelled order for an ATOM and a retirement to the loony bin!!

There again i may just listen to a few CDs

Posted on: 06 January 2018 by Perol
nimrodmr2p posted:

Some interesting thoughts

I am convinced about streaming services not being for me, I can always audition new albums using 'you tube' for free

The whole topic is frustrating and I could well end up doing nothing!

At the moment I am thinking of changing my order for ATOM to a CORE and buying the Rega DAC, the Naim one being too expensive

No idea if you have paid in advance ?

Then your journey seem to have some bumps

If you just ordered to get old pricing without a down payment, your entitled to do anything or nothing, it seems a you don't know what to do.

Posted on: 06 January 2018 by Timo
nimrodmr2p posted:

 

At the moment I am thinking of changing my order for ATOM to a CORE and buying the Rega DAC, the Naim one being too expensive

Not sure about this solution. I don‘t know the Rega DAC, but Rega amps. A rather different sound signature that might not work with Naim. In the second-hand market, the Naim DAC can be found for a reasonable price. Or maybe look at Signal‘s Chore 2Qute special offer — also a very fine DAC. Well I liked it when I audiotioned my PMC speakers — certainly Chord should present a better match for Naim than a Rega DAC...

Posted on: 06 January 2018 by Olly

I interpret your situation as this

1 - you want to turn your CD replay into a 21st century solution with your entire library in a jukebox you can dip into at will with a tablet from the comfort of your sofa. Of course you do, it's fab. 

2 - you don't want to be faffing around with computers and software to construct, maintain and operate your digital jukebox. Of course you don't. 

So, you need a ripper/server. The naim options are unitiserve, core, hdx and uniti star. I think you can use a CD drive attached to a Nova too but not as far as I know with the Atom. There are also other solutions available as noted above. 

Personally, I think the ripper/server is the cornerstone of a modern hifi system and you should get the best one you can't afford. 

It seems you think the atom is a downgrade from your current amp which you wish to keep. So I'd suggest you swap the Atom for a Core (or alternative ripper/server) and find an DAC to keep you going for the time being. 

I did this with a UnitiServe a couple of years ago and used it with a Cambridge DAC Magic & third party linear power supply. Not expensive as a stop-gap solution and actually something of a giant killer. 

Olly

Posted on: 06 January 2018 by Singlespeed
nimrodmr2p posted:

I was led to believe by one dealer that all issues with the CORE were now resolved, perhaps this is not the case?

I think Monday may well result in a cancelled order for an ATOM and a retirement to the loony bin!!

There again i may just listen to a few CDs

Don't beat yourself up over this bud. Relax & listen to your CD's... If your dealer is worth a damn you should go back & get him to help you to formulate the right upgrade path for your needs. If you're not happy with their options then find another dealer! Don't rush it, it's supposed to be an enjoyable journey 

Posted on: 06 January 2018 by Huge

Simple answer...

1  A NAS to store the music files and serve the digital audio stream (no need to pay more than £300 - you don't need anything sophisticated)

2  A streamer (the ND5 XS is a small step ahead of a CD5 XS in overall SQ, but it has a slightly different balance)

3  A PC with EAC or dBPoweramp or a Mac with XLD to rip CDs

4  A network switch and cables to link it all together.

5  A Chromecast (£30) and an optical cable to link YouTube (and other internet browser music content) from a tablet to the ND5 XS.

Posted on: 06 January 2018 by ChrisSU

If you're going for a DAC using an SPDIF feed, I wouldn't skimp on the budget for a DAC. By all means listen to the Rega, but personally I would want to keep the NDAC on my shortlist. Used Hugo's are quite cheap now, so that's another one to consider. Personal preference should be the deciding factor here.

Posted on: 07 January 2018 by badlyread

Get an AURALiC Aries Mini. You can then store your ripped music on an internal HDD/SSD (so no need for a NAS - just rip on your PC and transfer to Mini via your network), Internet radio, a good internal DAC. Just set the Mini next to your amp, plug it in and enjoy.

I love Radio Paradise but would like to point out that it is not Naim exclusive at 320. A quick internet search will give you feeds at that bitrate.

Neil

Posted on: 07 January 2018 by Innocent Bystander

There are threads on here discussing the Core, from which you can get a good idea of the present state of play, which has moved far from the abysmal position when it was first released. 

To me it seems a possible approach. I have a personal ‘bent’ towards combining a store and renderer in one box, which Core does if you use the SPDIF output direct to a DAC, because it removes the potential problems that networks can have (at least according to some of the posets on the forum, though I personally had no trouble when I did use a separate NAS). Alternatives include the Melco N1A, and there may be some old stock presently going cheap as a new version has recently been released. There are also more DIY approaches - I use a Mac Mini with Audirvana, then there is the microRendu (used with a suitable store), but they are not for everybody. fFor DAC, the remarkably cheap Chord Mojo is said to be very good I’ve no personal experience of it, but it’s bigger sibling, Hugo is excellent, but at a similar price to the Naim DAC that you say is too expensive, unless you went secondhand.

it does seem to me that you need to talk to your dealer pronto and discuss tease out what you really want, and assess whether the Atom really is wrong, or right, and if not right cancel the order and spend a bit more time considering options (including discussing in detail with your dealer).

Posted on: 07 January 2018 by Pcd

As others have said you seem to be undecided on which approach to take. I would also suggest you spend some time with your dealer discussing and listening/using various options then decide which approach suits your personal requirements after all it's what the dealers are for, just take your time.

Posted on: 07 January 2018 by nimrodmr2p

Taking on board the many comments I feel it wise to stick to Naim for the components which influence overall sound quality

Thus perhaps buying a CORE may be OK so then I suppose keeping the ATOM and using it via my Nait XS will deliver what I am looking for

Posted on: 07 January 2018 by Pcd

Seems a waste to have an XS and a Atom as I sad previous spend some time with dealer.

Posted on: 07 January 2018 by ChrisSU
nimrodmr2p posted:

Taking on board the many comments I feel it wise to stick to Naim for the components which influence overall sound quality

Thus perhaps buying a CORE may be OK so then I suppose keeping the ATOM and using it via my Nait XS will deliver what I am looking for

I don’t think a Core is justifiable paired with an Atom on sound quality grounds. For approximately the same price you could get a Nova and a cheap Synology NAS, which I think you would find a big step up in sound quality from Core/Atom. Then you might well be able to sell the Nait too, given the better power amp in the Nova. 

Posted on: 07 January 2018 by nimrodmr2p

The Nait XS has no thumps and has adequate clout

Posted on: 07 January 2018 by Timo
nimrodmr2p posted:

The Nait XS has no thumps and has adequate clout

Back to Square One — does the OP really seek advice or just "confirmation“? 

Posted on: 09 January 2018 by alan33
badlyread posted:

I love Radio Paradise but would like to point out that it is not Naim exclusive at 320. A quick internet search will give you feeds at that bitrate.

Although there are now multiple feeds from RP, there is (was?) certainly a “sponsorship” relationship with Naim for the 320k feed. In the old days (ha ha), there was a “dedicated” 320k server with access from Naim devices only. Given growth and much more robust server infrastructure at the RP end as compared to, say, 5 years ago, it may be that the “exclusive” channel has merged into the main line... I’ve not read anything about people having trouble securing a connection lo these many years. That said, I think Naim still contributes and supports the Station, which I think is awesome: it’s a great station and about the best DJ I’ve heard since my formative years (decades ago, if I’m honest). 

Regards alan

Posted on: 09 January 2018 by ChrisSU
badlyread posted:

I love Radio Paradise but would like to point out that it is not Naim exclusive at 320. A quick internet search will give you feeds at that bitrate.

If you're referring to the 'Radio Paradise Naim Exclusive 320K NY' station listed in iRadio, it was set up to give US users a more reliable stream - something to do with latency IIRC - but really, this is ancient history, the FLAC stream is much better to my ears.

Posted on: 09 January 2018 by nimrodmr2p

Have been to a Naim dealer today and seem reasonably sure that a Uniti STAR rather than ATOM may be the way to go

I was told it had internal storage but have rung Naim and they said no it hasn't

So what is the best plug in and use storage for the STAR also can you make a backup from the Star or is a computer required

Posted on: 09 January 2018 by Pcd

I would expect the dealer to recommend a storage solution and set it up to work correctly.