New Product Announcement: Naim HDX

[Audio_ELF]

New Naim HDX high end UPnP streamer...

 

 

The NDX, which will cost £2999.95 when it is available around October 2010, is primarily a UPnP renderer and Naim envisages most buyers using it to stream ripped CDs or high resolution downloads stored on a NAS, an HDX or UnitiServe. It will, of course, provide internet radio supported by vTuner’s services and it also features an on-board DAC with three inputs. Technically, these and the design of the NDX draw significantly on the acclaimed and widely successful Naim DAC. The innovative, SHARC DSP-based buffering with fixed clocks is used along with 16 times oversampling and Naim’s proprietary, low-generated noise, digital filtering algorithms. This enables non-Naim DAC owners to connect their computers, STBs, and other digital sources – their CD player’s digital output, maybe – through a Naim DAC, as opposed to the, superior, Naim DAC.

 

I'm not sure if this means it also have SPDIF inputs?

 

Reports from Malcolm Steward and What HiFi.

 

Due November but on past experience with Naim that probably means Q1/Q2 2011.

 

Eloise

 

[Synfreak]

Eloise, ...

 

You Britts always tend to completele confuse me ... (add a double 'gg' here ... ).

 

HDX ... NDX ... , .. but anyway, thanks for the info!

 

Cheers

Harald

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Thanks Eloise. The more UPnP options the better. This is one area lacking in the marketplace right now. There seem to be a bazillion USB capable DACs but only a few UPnP enabled DACs.

 

I wish iTunes supported UPnP. Using its interface to send audio to a Naim or Linn UPnP device would be a great combination.

 

[Audio_ELF]

The big issue with UPnP is that it's not particularly Universal. I know I've had issues with one UPnP device working with one server and not another and vice versa.

 

Naim's suggested setup is to use their own HDX or UnitiServe as the UPnP server. Though at £2,000 for the UnitiServe (1TB storage) thats not a cheap option. A similar device would be the RipNAS costing £900 for 2x 500GB drives - though the UnitiServe can also provide a (high quality) digital output to a local DAC.

 

Eloise

 

[John]

I was waiting for this one but I just don't get it at all.

 

So I put down £3k and that doesn't even get me their best DAC (Naim DAC is suggested as an upgrade). So they really expect us to believe that this device + an spdif interface with attendant jitter + the Naim DAC sounds better. If so the DAC in the NDX must be pretty poor.

 

- John.

 

[Audio_ELF]

Actually I think it is a pretty good DAC built into the NDX - no one knows the technical details yet nor have many people even heard the production model. It s designed as a moderately priced (though price / value is always arguable) analogue output UPnP streaming device - just like the Linn DS players which are very popular. It doesn't NEED a DAC, nor does it NEED any upgraded power supply, but like Naim's popular (and arguably very good) CD players, the option to upgrade it with PSU (and in some cases DAC) is there for you.

 

Put it another way, you could put down £2000 on a Weiss DAC2 and not get their best DAC and you would be expected to put down another £4,500 if you later wanted to upgrade to the best DAC.

 

Naim's DAC utilises buffers, etc to get round the limitations of the SPDIF interface - and does so very well. Naim DAC plus INT202 has been reported as better than Weiss DAC202 for example (though others debate it and say you need to add the upgraded PSU to the DAC to beat the DAC202).

 

Comments like that really **** me off - as I say, no one hardly has listened to the device, yet they have already written it off. And to write it off because if provides upgrade options - thats just stupid (IMO). Its a device to offer more options to the end user ... thats not a bad thing! You may disagree with Naim's philosophy of "power supply is primary importance therefore we provide options to upgrade it" but it's worked well for them for a long time and reviews and user's opinions tend to agree.

 

Eloise

 

PS. sorry if I sound like a Naim fan-girl, I promise I'm not, just an independent interested observer...

 

[John]

Or I could spend 2k on the naim DAC and leave 1k to get the digital signal to it, for a better result

 

I just can't imagine a rational use-case for the NDX that's all.

 

Hence, to me, pointless.

 

- John.

 

[Audio_ELF]

The point of the Naim NDX is the same point as to PS Audio PWD with Bridge, the Linn DS range and every other UPnP / Streamer device.

 

It has a point, just you'd rather use a DAC with another digital audio source - thats fine!

 

Eloise

 

[blueixus]

Seems a useful product if you buy into the UPnP thing.

 

What I do find daft is they have chosen not to equip it with their best DAC.

 

It seems if the UPnP route has benefits over Firewire/USB you would want to demonstrate that by equipping it with best DAC you can make.

 

Seems probably counter productive to go NDX -> DAC as surely there must be another whole load of interfaces which, if UPnP does have sonic benefits, will likely be dissipated.

 

I am not sure Naim are really on the pace with Computer Audio, yet. I am sure their die hard loyalists will lap this product up though.

 

 

 

 

[Audio_ELF]

From the information I can work out, the NDX has the buffering technology from the DAC, but then links to the PCM1791A DAC chip rather than the PCM1704 chip. The PCM1791A is also used in the Naim CDX2.2 and the previous HDX server.

 

I do agree that, though it's a touted upgrade, NDX into Naim DAC doesn't seam a likely combination. The NDX is a more standalone, analogue output product. The logical "upgrade" being a PSU upgrade (IMO).

 

I think Naim's thinking is that the NDX is a mid-level (part of their Classic range) rather than the Uniti which is lowend and that they (may) produce a high-end device as part of their 500 (reference level) series later.

 

Naim are really getting on board Computer Audio (I think) after a slow start with the HDX. But yes their offerings can be a little confused.

 

Eloise

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

I agree Eloise that Naim is getting on board. I'm really interested in the UPnP offerings.

 

[Audio_ELF]

Hopefully they will play nice with Asset, J.River and other UPnP servers, though as I understand it the gapless playback is a function of the Naim UPnP server - not sure if its open for other to implement.

 

Eloise

 

[John]

What I was hoping for was that this product would have the same performance as the naim DAC (or better given that there's an interface taken out of the equation). Wouldn't even mind paying a bit more for that and, actually, I like the upgrade path being a 555ps. Just wouldn't upgrade a DAC with a DAC.

 

So, time to audition the naim DAC that I have been holding out on I guess. Question will be, how to feed it. Have a transporter in the attic somewhere that could do. A cheaper version of the NDX without the inbuilt DAC would be nice.

 

- John.

 

[Audio_ELF]

The cheeper version of the NDX is the UnitiQute. How the performance of them would vary via SPDIF I don't know. Yes the UnitiQute has inbuilt pre/power amp, but if you actually work out the cost of these components, removing them may actually increase the cost as you have a device which will sell in less numbers.

 

Before you jump on the "DAC" portion of the NDX, I'd wait and have a listen...

 

The "I wouldn't upgrade a DAC with a DAC" comment always amuses me with the number of people who have (in the past) upgraded an intergrated CDP with a DAC, etc.

 

Eloise

 

[ziggyzack]

Hello Eloise,

 

I think you're being a little unfair - the reasons to add a separate DAC to a CDP are a little more clearcut than those to add a DAC to a UPnP DAC, which largely defeats the purpose.

 

I hope that Naim's idea with this is to introduce UPnP connectivity to their highest spec DAC in due course! Agreed it's a touch early to write off the NDX though...

 

ZZ