Totally confused re going digital again
Thu, Feb 7 2013, 11:03PM
After about 16 years of hifi inactivity
I've been upgrading a bit lately and after a bit of faffing around,
have settled with my Naim – based system which is now CD3.5 with
Hicap, Supernait, and Neat Mystique 2 speakers. I like the sound I'm
getting and feel unless I was going to splash out an awful lot more
cash I won't get much better.
Anyway, I know my CD won't last forever
( I bought it in 1997 ) and I'm going to look to the hard disk type
thing for the future. However, I'm knocking on a bit, not terribly
techie, and I'm a bit baffled by all it entails. I would like to
stick with Naim as far as is practical so was considering saving for
an NDX and a Q NAP set up to buy in a few months time. However, in
preparation I've been nosing around a few forums and spoken to a
couple of dealers and this has confused me.
I have been variously advised
-
The NDX is all right paired with
the Q NAP and with the files ripped on my mac using XLD. -
Above system will sound second
best and really I'd need to use a unitserve to rip the CDs as
ordinary computer ripping is not going to give as good quality. -
I should use a Naim DAC with
Unitiserve for the very best sound quality -
I should use a Denon streamer (
forget which) plugged into a Naim DAC for the best quality -
I should use a Mac Mini with Naim
DAC -
I need both a NDX and Unitiserve
I'm getting really confused. I realise
some might prefer the sound of a Naim DAC to an NDX out of
preference, and others might feel the Denon sounds nicer than other
makes, but I don't really understand the basics. Does it really
matter to the quality of the files if you rip using XLD on a Mac or
use a Unitserve? Do I need a unitiserve in addtion to the NDX? Would
I be better forgetting the NDX and going with a mac mini and
unitiserve?
I know everyone will have a view but is
there some sort of “idiots' guide “ I could find which would
explain all this to me. I have asked dealers but they haven't given
me the same advice and left me more confused than ever.
Fri, Feb 8 2013, 1:29PM
#2
RE: Totally confused re going digital again
Hi - even brand new CDs are not expected be manufactured/read without errors, so all audio CDs are encoded with various levels of error correction information built in that the CD-player uses in its processor to perfectly correct errors that occur during the reading of the disk. This error correction happens all the time without you knowing and means that (unless there is something very wrong with the disk) ordinary computer ripping should extract all the required audio information from a CD with no problems, providing you rip to an uncompressed wav file or to lossless format like FLAC. (You will lose information if you rip to mp3.)
The only possible issue with computer ripping is if there was a very bad error that the CD player couldn't correct and the software doesn't tell you about this (as most don't). If all your CDs are in reasonable condition with only minor dust and surface scratches, then I wouldn't worry about how you rip them. Some people like to use software like Exact Audio Copy (I think XLD that you mentioned is similar) as these show you what errors occurred.
If there's any advantage to this NAIM system it is in ease of use in the ripping process, compatibility and integration with the rest of your system, etc.
Ted
Tue, Feb 26 2013, 5:12PM
#3
RE: Totally confused re going digital again
+1, Agree. After rippping to computer files, all you need is to feed to DAC (Naim ?) from computer digital output (USB, Optical or Coaxial ) and then to your preamp / Amp .
Recently, I use a cheap DVD player as transport to read my CD and feed to my external DAC. I get good SQ (image & sound stage). Very close to my beloved dedicated CD player.
I do this because in CAS, I need a monitor (and mouse) to select the music in my sitting room while a BD/ DVD transport already come with display window and remote.
Thu, Feb 28 2013, 12:32AM
#4
RE: Totally confused re going digital again
Hi Folks and thanks for your replies. Sorry not to acknowledge these
sooner but I've been away for a little while and just got back on
tonight. I'm wondering if the NDX or ND5XS would give me significantly better sound quality than a mac mini with Naim DAC ( or similar )
I can't see why it would but .....
Any help on this particular area would be much appreciated :)
Thu, Feb 28 2013, 9:26AM
#5
RE: Totally confused re going digital again
I'm wondering if the NDX or ND5XS would give me significantly better sound quality than a mac mini with Naim DAC ( or similar )
I can't see why it would but .....
Any help on this particular area would be much appreciated :)
If I were in your position, I might consider holding off until I could get a listen to the new Naim DAC-V1, as it's considerably less expensive than the first Naim DAC, not to mention being compact enough for 'desktop audio' use.
Have to admit I haven't heard it yet, but I am promised one for review as soon as available from the factory - should hopefully be in the June issue, given current lead-times (and the fact I am currently finishing copy for May!).
But it's a very different product from the ND5 XS/NDX/NDS: the DAC simply takes whatever the computer to which it's attached is playing, and offers no control over the content being played, while the ND players allow remote access to music on network storage, selection of tracks or works, the setting up of playlists, internet radio and the like.
You'll find some guidance in our Listening Wirelessly section: when I have some more time later today – currently balancing laptop on knees at car service centre waiting for my vehicle to be ready! – I'll try to answer your questions in more specific terms
Audio Editor, Gramophone