Nativ: High-Res Music System & Touchscreen Control

[astrotoy]

On 2/4/2018 at 1:49 AM, beerandmusic said:

Hi, just curious if you recieved yours yet? 

I just got an offer to buy one at the promo rate and they said they are NOW SHIPPING and have current stock.  Have you got yours and are you happy?

 

No, and No  :-(

[beerandmusic]

2 hours ago, astrotoy said:

 

No, and No  :-(

i would contact sally, if you bought a vita?

she said they are shipping and asked if i wanted to buy one that they have stock

 

[astrotoy]

15 hours ago, beerandmusic said:

i would contact sally, if you bought a vita?

she said they are shipping and asked if i wanted to buy one that they have stock

 

I just got an email today (and also a Fedex confirmation) that the unit has been shipped!  Will post when it arrives!  Ordered it on November 27th.  I was giving up hope.   Thanks for keeping track of them.   Larry

[The Computer Audiophile]

Somebody is selling one here - https://superphonica.com/all-products/components-digital/music-servers/nativ-vita-music-server/

[brucknerdoc]

FYI - the CD Ripper has shipped - I received mine the other day.

Still awaiting the DAC, power supply...

[The Computer Audiophile]

There's another one for sale here - https://superphonica.com/all-products/components-digital/music-servers/nativ-vita-music-server-2/

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

And another for sale - https://superphonica.com/all-products/components-digital/music-servers/nativ-vita/

[brucknerdoc]

Just received notice that the final components - DAC and power supply - are shipping in a couple of weeks.

 

It's been about 2 1/2yrs since I contributed to the IGG campaign - long time coming - hope it's worth it... ;-)

[LowMidHigh]

Can anyone comment on the sound quality? Especially AES/SPDIF. 

This unite is exactly what I need for my active components (Genelec subwoofers + monitors). My other option is a DAP as a transport (e.g.,Hiby R6), potentially connected to a spdif/Aes converter to boost SQ (Quloos QA-661). 

[TubeLover]

Oddly, High End Palace is now apparently representing the Nativ player and selling them.

 

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis95199-12-000-cd-high-end-transport-music-server-super-deal-at-high-end-palace-media-servers

[uncola]

I believe they have a dealer network..  I’m eagerly awaiting their DAC and linear supply..  supposed to ship later this month!  

[LowMidHigh]

25 minutes ago, uncola said:

I believe they have a dealer network..  I’m eagerly awaiting their DAC and linear supply..  supposed to ship later this month!  

What special about thier DAC? It's a honest question. (I'm waiting for their music server).

[uncola]

Well it’s not multi bit r2r or fpga based, just a very nice balanced dual delta sigma chip dac with a unique vertical stand, analog attenuated preamp outs with two gain levels and remote control, balanced headphone out..  two oled screens that can display vu meters..  and the nice optional linear supply.  I preordered it a while ago so I’m already excited to receive it. 

[LowMidHigh]

12 hours ago, uncola said:

Well it’s not multi bit r2r or fpga based, just a very nice balanced dual delta sigma chip dac with a unique vertical stand, analog attenuated preamp outs with two gain levels and remote control, balanced headphone out..  two oled screens that can display vu meters..  and the nice optional linear supply.  I preordered it a while ago so I’m already excited to receive it. 

It's definitely elegant and packed with features. But I feel they could've opted for more cutting edge DAC chipset. 

Do you  have their music server? Care to share your impression?

[uncola]

I did have their Vita music server for a while, but I greatly prefer to use my ipad to control playback and they didn't release their remote control app for a long time so I was stuck with it sitting in a box.. because I don't have roon, that was the other way to remote control it.  So I sold it to another audiophile.. sad to see it go, it had beautiful build quality and materials and the updates and software improvements came out steadily and the firmware was very stable and nice looking, which was a great relief to me after reading about other companies streamers.  When I had it I did try to do some listening tests swapping between USB, AES and a BNC to coaxial spdif cable I had.. I ended up concluding the differences were too subtle for me to get worked up about, and I decided USB was best because the cable was the most flexible and easy to run through the wooden stand

edit:  oh I forgot to say.. yes the vita did sound better than using my pc, slightly cleaner.  But my pc is already pretty optimized so it was only a subtle improvement

As far as dac chipsets go.. yah in some ways they missed the hype train with the current flavor of the month r2r and fpga designs, but as charles hansen of ayre said on this very forum.. dac quality is more about power supply, analog output stage, filter and circuit design to reduce emi/etc and other issues.. I like to think of it like this.. the sound quality is determined by the skill of the dac designer.. not the dac chip.  the chip just determines what sample rates are supported.  Kind of like the music quality is determined by the player, not the type of guitar he uses   So if the player is very practiced with one type of guitar, he should stick with that guitar.. or dac chip 

[LowMidHigh]

Be very wary of Nativ:

 

[Charente]

1 hour ago, LowMidHigh said:

Be very wary of Nativ:

 

 

I've decided against one of these ... the MacMini with Audirvana has performed flawlessly over the last 3 years or so, and I'd probably be better off improving the power supply with something like the Uptone Audio MMK. 

[brucknerdoc]

I've had a Vita and CD ripper for a while now - but am still endlessly waiting for the DAC and power supply...

 

My units haven't had the same production problems, but I think I have one of the earliest units so maybe the build ethos was better back then.

 

Another reason to be cautious with these campaign funded companies - I'm still reeling from the LH Labs debacle...

[LowMidHigh]

8 minutes ago, brucknerdoc said:

I've had a Vita and CD ripper for a while now - but am still endlessly waiting for the DAC and power supply...

 

My units haven't had the same production problems, but I think I have one of the earliest units so maybe the build ethos was better back then.

 

Another reason to be cautious with these campaign funded companies - I'm still reeling from the LH Labs debacle...

 

I feel your pain...

 

The only problem is that you don't know if your Vita is not completely taped up inside.

[brucknerdoc]

3 minutes ago, LowMidHigh said:

 

I feel your pain...

 

The only problem is that you don't know if your Vita is not completely taped up inside.

Held together with cobwebs and moonbeams...

[uncola]

I think you guys are being too harsh on them, they did give a full refund.. many displays are held together with tape and adhesives now, I've noticed like when you read the teardowns on ifixit of apple products.

[LowMidHigh]

6 hours ago, uncola said:

I think you guys are being too harsh on them, they did give a full refund.. many displays are held together with tape and adhesives now, I've noticed like when you read the teardowns on ifixit of apple products.

 

Thank you for your viewpoint. I always appreciate an opposing opinion; an opportunity to re-assess my own

position.

 

1)

Issuing a refund is an extremely low bar to pass, for which Nativ doesn't deserve credit. First, they offer 30-day money-back, thus there's a contractual obligation. Second, PayPal would step in, so refusing refund would’ve been futile. 

 

2)

The fact that Apple might also engage in such questionable practices doesn't absolve Nativ. IMO, paying $1,600 for relatively simple piece of electronics with claims of audiophile grade warrants higher standards than biding components together with electrical tape. In fact, Nativ explicit agree with that position and even denies employing said methods. 

 

Mind you, I wasn't supposed to gain access to the innards. So there's a whiff of deceit here. Some people may shrug it off; I prefer to exercise caution. 

 

3)
It went beyond the LCD screen. There was a circuit board that was taped in place (see images above). I mean, seriously? 

 

4)
The glue job was also a botch-up of the first degree, compounded by a HD compartment that rattled like a pissed off snake. To me it felt like $125 AliExpress gadget. 

 

In conclusion, I hazard to guess most people would agree with me. However, the rest are free to contact Nativ and place an order.