While I've been away.....

For me streaming Tidal has been a very nice alternative. I still play a lot of vinyl and CDs, but I appreciate the simplicity of streaming Tidal. I made a few comparisons listening to the same album on Tidal and CD, using the Naim CD5XS as transport into my NDS. I preferred Tidal. I subscribe to Tidal HIFI. I'm sure though, if I would have bothered to try all of my CDs, I would have found albums where the CD version sounded the best. Besides, I have CDs that are not on Tidal. 

I don't know first hand the Naim strategy, but it would seem they are very serious about streaming, and that they obviously think the CD player is a niche product that won't be selling in large volumes. 

I just moved from Oslo to Berlin and I am waiting for my internet connection to be set up. This means I had to dig up my CD collection again. I have rediscovered a lot of great music I had forgot I owned, and I'm now having some sort of personal CD renaissance and I really regret selling the CD5XS. Loading a CD into the Cambridge Bul-ray player I have now is a very different experience.  

Their strategy is to sell as much as possible in order to provide high profit for investors

Cd players are not mega sellers these days, but new range of streamers will sell like hotcakes

I am old fashioned and have grown up with picking a record from shelf, putting it on the player

Can't see myself leaving this method allthough I admit I use my Qute for internet radio

I own a small coffee company in Berlin. My strategy to maintain a sustainable business that pays taxes, salaries and dividends is to supply my customers with the best possible product with the best possible service at the best possible price while creating a work place that is fun and interesting to work at so my staff remains aboard for a long time. I need to work and think this way to survive in a very competitive market. I think this applies to many companies around the world. 

IMO, it's good that Naim is making business decisions to ensure the company remains profitable. Streaming of some sort looks to be the future of digital music, although the CD will probably live on for many years to come. 

Qobuz is not available in Norway, but it is in Germany. I will give it a try as soon as I get internet at home. I found Tidal useful to check out new music. The albums I've really enjoyed I have bought on vinyl. 

ursus262 posted:

.... I've noticed that Naim's separates range has contracted somewhat.  Looking at the Naim website, there's been a drastic reduction and there's only one CD player on offer at the moment.  At first, I thought the web page hadn't loaded correctly, but it would appear that is the case: only one CD player in the range.  What is Naim's strategy these days?

As I mentioned in another post, my original Uniti has gone off for repair, service and 24-bit upgrade and I've heard a lot about streaming and stuff like that.  I've always prided myself of remaining abreast of developments but ill health had made that more difficult and it would seem that progress has outstripped my ability to understand the changes.

When I get my Uniti back, I'd love to be able to take advantage of this technology and use it properly, beyond my vinyl and CDs that I use mostly at the moment (although I do use my MacBook Pro as a UPnP server).

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Dave

Hi Dave,

Now that you've used a Macbook as a UPnP server, if you enjoy that mode of playback you can progress with this technology.  I, for one, have long ago abandoned physical media (LP's and CD's) in favor of UPnP based music at home.  You can pretty easily set up a music server on a device that unlike your Macbook won't have to be booted up each time you want to listen.  This can be a NAS device, so long as you are up to being comfortable with a new device where you have to learn its interface. Given that you've got UPnP running on a Mac, this should NOT be a problem for you at all!  Or you could purchase a Core, which is essentially the same thing only pre-configured for you by Naim.

ursus262 posted:

What is Naim's strategy these days?

1) Maximize shareholder profits for the Vervent Audio Group.

2) Not to marginalize efforts competing with Focal for speakers (that's a done deed). 

3) To no longer produce Naim CDPs which only ever offered direct CD replay.

4) Gradual egress from A/B into digital amplification, and concurrently, one box solutions.

joerand posted:

ursus262 posted:

What is Naim's strategy these days?

1) Maximize shareholder profits for the Vervent Audio Group.

2) Not to marginalize efforts competing with Focal for speakers (that's a done deed). 

3) To no longer produce Naim CDPs which only ever offered direct CD replay.

4) Gradual egress from A/B into digital amplification, and concurrently, one box solutions.

Actually, all joking aside, I'm fairly certain that number 1 on the strategy list of Naim Audio is to build the best performing Hifi systems they can.

Same as it has ever been.

Otherwise there's not a lot of point doing what they do.

Richard Dane posted:

joerand posted:

ursus262 posted:

What is Naim's strategy these days?

1) Maximize shareholder profits for the Vervent Audio Group.

2) Not to marginalize efforts competing with Focal for speakers (that's a done deed). 

3) To no longer produce Naim CDPs which only ever offered direct CD replay.

4) Gradual egress from A/B into digital amplification, and concurrently, one box solutions.

Actually, all joking aside, I'm fairly certain that number 1 on the strategy list of Naim Audio is to build the best performing Hifi systems they can.

Same as it has ever been.

Otherwise there's not a lot of point doing what they do.

And as Richard might also have said, the reason that Naim stopped selling CDX2 recently was explained by Trevor Wilson as being the realisation that the low yield on good CD mechanisms had got to the point where he had to worry about being able to provide service to all the players they had already sold. So the strategy is to continue to provide the sort of repair service Naim customers are used to.

best

David

Yep, I’d love to buy a Renault 4, but Renault merely to follow the lure of filthy lucre stopped making them. 

Back to the OP, your upgrade uniti will be able to play Tidal from the Naim app, this as mentioned previously is a good gateway into streaming. The UPnP server will also be seen by the Naim app so you can play any of your own music you’ve ripped or downloaded. 

Tidal for all it’s detractors is like a very rich great uncle who collected tens of thousands of CDs and bequeathed them to you. And €20 per month buys you that rich uncle!

i hope your health issues are behind you or at least under control and you can enjoy the brave new world of streaming. I sold my CD555 as I could both get better sound and a better experience streaming. I don’t think there is an need to lament CD players demise but I do miss those Renault 4. 

.sjb

You must also miss the RAC or AA then

Sloop John B posted:

Yep, I’d love to buy a Renault 4, but Renault merely to follow the lure of filthy lucre stopped making them. 

 

I had an L reg (1974) back in 1978 - in the days when you asked someone has your car been undersealed? It suffered from a thing called rust - a 70's thing. Oh yes, it had a choke and the gear change stick came out of the dashboard. Bench seats and no seat belts.

Thank goodness for the lure of filthy lucre. 

Perol posted:

Their strategy is to sell as much as possible in order to provide high profit for investors

I'm more cynical than most and even I don't believe that. If they wanted to maximise returns they'd say "screw this hifi business. Tomorrow we're making iPod accessories" ir something like that. 

As opposed to trying to make a penny in a niche market where many companies vanish overnight.

feeling_zen posted:

Perol posted:

Their strategy is to sell as much as possible in order to provide high profit for investors

I'm more cynical than most and even I don't believe that. If they wanted to maximise returns they'd say "screw this hifi business. Tomorrow we're making iPod accessories" ir something like that. 

As opposed to trying to make a penny in a niche market where many companies vanish overnight.

Marketing wise Naim are the Apple of the audio world.

One thing that anybody buying a streamer must understand is that they are basically buying a computer that plays music. From an investment point of view computers are about the worst thing you can buy as they are planned obsolescence and will lose their resale value overnight.

Iconoclast posted:

feeling_zen posted:

Perol posted:

Their strategy is to sell as much as possible in order to provide high profit for investors

I'm more cynical than most and even I don't believe that. If they wanted to maximise returns they'd say "screw this hifi business. Tomorrow we're making iPod accessories" ir something like that. 

As opposed to trying to make a penny in a niche market where many companies vanish overnight.

Marketing wise Naim are the Apple of the audio world.

One thing that anybody buying a streamer must understand is that they are basically buying a computer that plays music. From an investment point of view computers are about the worst thing you can buy as they are planned obsolescence and will lose their resale value overnight.

Which makes that annual price increase hurt more.

Driving over the Wicklow mountains Hotel California blaring on the radio......................... Ah wonderful memories if not a wonderful car!

.sjb

Iconoclast posted:

One thing that anybody buying a streamer must understand is that they are basically buying a computer that plays music....

You mean just like a CD player, DAC or a DAB receiver or any audio device that plays digitised audio???

Well these ‘computers’ don’t go obsolete very quickly... but yes in fifty years time they may be curios.

Can you send your iPod Classic back to Apple for repair?  Not a fair comparison at all.

If Naim spent all their time pandering to the old farts on here who want 20 boxes and yards of cables to play LPs and CD’s they’d be in deep, deep trouble.

Love that Renault 4

Dang! SJB - you reminded me of PAL 665L, my Renault 4.

A friend and I used to chuckle at a written comment on an MOT report of 'Brakes dangerous'. And they were! Four drums which faded very quickly if required, going downhill.

The funny bit is that I think it passed that MOT. Different times, circa 1976.

Wonderfully wacky gear-lever poking out of the middle of the dashboard and just about enough power to pull a skin off a rice-pudding. It ploughed on through snowdrifts and all sorts and never let me down. Happy memories.

John.

(Apologies to the OP for drifting off topic).

Had one of those 750cc R4s (1966-1973) - after a particularly wet holiday in Norway, I found a hole in the floor, and a toadstool (yes, a toadstool) growing between the rubber mat and the floor.

Those were the days... real motoring!