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Naim NDS - still a good buy?

Nevertheless, 2k will get you a shit hot modern DAC, plug a raspberry pi into it and you will be in the big leagues and not reliant on a hifi company to update software.
 
Naim are not going to update any software for the NDS, they have totally forgotten all about the old streamers, thats why there are worth what they are these days.
As said already, if you can work around the outdated streaming board, the NDS has a good dac still and just needs a power supply to get you up and running
 
lencotweaker said:
It doesn’t really need updates as it is stable and as long as the Tidal functionality continues to work then it will be fine running native for many. For more functionality it can be ‘Roonified’ at low cost running a UPNP bridge on the network to divert and convert a stream from Roon to UPNP of the NDS. No difference to the user experience if your were running any Roon based streamer/DAC. Just an extra (Sonore) box sat in your network somewhere (cupboard under the stairs directly into the switch in my case).
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This is exactly what I did. I figure that standardizing on Roon, and enabling the UPNP bridge workaround (the Sonore app was included with my Roon core, an SGC sonicTransporter i5), has given my 10 year old NDS/555PS DR a new lease on life. It still sounds great to my ears, and with Roon, I don’t feel like I am missing any critical modern functionality.
 
garyi said:
Nevertheless, 2k will get you a shit hot modern DAC, plug a raspberry pi into it and you will be in the big leagues and not reliant on a hifi company to update software.
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I do this but the approach still relies on service providers publishing non-locked application programming interfaces (APIs); and open-source developers with the time to develop the applications (and maybe also reverse-engineer unpublished non-locked APIs).

We are in an age where in this context you have to rely on something. There's no public service obligation here with a guaranteed interface. You still have to make your choices about who and what to rely on.
 
John Phillips said:
I do this but the approach still relies on service providers publishing non-locked application programming interfaces (APIs); and open-source developers with the time to develop the applications (and maybe also reverse-engineer unpublished non-locked APIs).

We are in an age where in this context you have to rely on something. There's no public service obligation here with a guaranteed interface. You still have to make your choices about who and what to rely on.
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I think the point was spend the money on the DAC, not the streamer, software, etc. Then the main investment (DAC) is something you can live with for a long time even if the streaming tech changes, the streamer display fails, etc.
 
I would have thought that Naim would have a better standalone DAC range nowadays in XS / Classic / 500 etc series levels of performance. They seem intent in locking in people to their streaming platform with their DACs. The DACs they have produced only consist of the Naim DAC introduced 2009 Discontinued 2018 and the current Naim DAC-V1 from 2013. That design is over 8 years old now. Surely they are missing an opportunity here?
 
Stuart Frazer said:
I would have thought that Naim would have a better standalone DAC range nowadays in XS / Classic / 500 etc series levels of performance. They seem intent in locking in people to their streaming platform with their DACs. The DACs they have produced only consist of the Naim DAC introduced 2009 Discontinued 2018 and the current Naim DAC-V1 from 2013. That design is over 8 years old now. Surely they are missing an opportunity here?
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The nDAC, NDS and latest ND555 all use the same family dac chip Burr Brown PCM1704




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Amber Audio said:
The nDAC, NDS and latest ND555 all use the same family dac chip Burr Brown PCM1704




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So from that development over several years, it would be quite easy for Naim to produce standalone DACs at each series level. That way, people could have the choice of whether they wanted to use AB or C streaming solutions into those standalone Naim DACs, or whether they wanted Naims combined Streaming and DAC solution in the ND5 / NDX / NDS / ND555 etc. Personally, I am hesitant about getting locked into a closed source / proprietary streaming software solution. There becomes a point somewhere down the line where the manufacturer drops the development and bugs are inherent and new features are left behind. I would much prefer to use an open-source solution such as LMS which is still being used years after Logitech dropped it.
 
Stuart Frazer said:
So from that development over several years, it would be quite easy for Naim to produce standalone DACs at each series level. That way, people could have the choice of whether they wanted to use AB or C streaming solutions into those standalone Naim DACs, or whether they wanted Naims combined Streaming and DAC solution in the ND5 / NDX / NDS / ND555 etc. Personally, I am hesitant about getting locked into a closed source / proprietary streaming software solution. There becomes a point somewhere down the line where the manufacturer drops the development and bugs are inherent and new features are left behind. I would much prefer to use an open-source solution such as LMS which is still being used years after Logitech dropped it.
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At least it isn't coupled to the preamp/amp causing the whole ‘all in one’ to be destined for landfill like so many others. But yes, having such an expensive, tightly coupled system with external dependencies (firmware, drivers, streaming protocols) attached to a nice DAC is not ideal IMO.
 
I had expected the NDS to get a paid for streaming board hardware upgrade to make it compatible with the later streaming platforms, like other makes do and is reasonably common in the AV world.

That didn’t happen, but like you say at least it will continue to function as a DAC and can take external sources, I decided to jump the Naim ship and haven’t gone for the Gen 2 Naim Streamer/DACs
 
It's difficult to understand the direction that Naim are taking these days tbh. When you open their site, the first thing that hits you is their Award winning Mu-so wireless music system. Crafted from real wood too.
 
garyi said:
Nevertheless, 2k will get you a shit hot modern DAC, plug a raspberry pi into it and you will be in the big leagues and not reliant on a hifi company to update software.
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I run an RPi based Allo Signature digital streamer into my nDAC+XPS. I use MoOde software, which does get regular updates.

I am quite happy with the SQ.
 
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