Makes sense - the streaming board in the 1st Gen streamers was selected and optimized for local streaming, and Naim tested extensively with a Unitiserve-based UPnP server.
They still demo the ND555 in this way, with a Uniticore providing a UPnP stream from locally stored files.
The need to support internet streaming services such as Tidal and Qobuz (we can ignore Spotify given the format used at 256kbit/s) exposed some limitations in the architecture in the 1st Gen streamer for internet streaming regarding the size of a buffer, everything was perfectly capable. The buffer size was not able to handle the latency of the source stream, and when exhausted would cause dropouts.
Personally, I never suffered this issue with the native (Redbook CD) Tidal support in the NDS.
However, I prefer the Tidal support offered in Roon, as part of an overall music management and playback environment. Plus support for Tidal Masters, available in the HiFi tier.
Local streaming from a UPnP served stream was unaffected, as the preferred and optimized input. The ability to support the Roon protocol and make the 1st Gen Streamers ‘Roon Ready’ was also not possible due to onboard memory limitations, i.e. getting the required firmware built to the size it could be loaded.
I have suggested 2 potential firmware options for the 1st Gen streamers;
- Remove Spotify & Tidal support and add Roon Ready in place, given a Roon Core provides better Tidal and Qobuz integration, and provides a buffer layer to the internet streaming services, so the 1st Gen streamer is just served with a ‘local’ stream (i.e. what it was built and optimized to do).
- Remove Spotify & Tidal support from the firmware and return the 1st Gen Streamers to just a UPnP streamer working with locally stored files only, and reduce the processing undertaken (we were told increased processing draws more current and therefore noise from the Power Supply, hence WAV was the preferred format).
At present, I will stick with my ‘Roonified’ NDS with a UPnP Bridge providing a UPnP stream, in WAV for all PCM and DSD64 for all dff/dsf formats directly to the NDS.
An EtherREGENswitch, powered by a Farad3 supply, feeds the NDS from the isolated Port ‘B’ through a Sarum Tuned Array streaming cable, is the final critical leg of the streaming path.
Off-topic - My NDS has just taken a step up, with a split in the power supplies, leaving the 555DR on the Digital feed (Socket1) and a separate dedicated power supply for the Analogue (Socket2) - didn’t expect the improvement to be this good.