Our experience when we were experimenting with various sources into nDAC is that those elements we love (prat, punch) come from the DAC layer.
Changing source for a better one increases detail, separation of threads etc.
We were genuinely surprised how good Tidal from iPad into nDAC over USB sounded! But it doesn’t match a naim streamer over coax.
Some found noticeable differences using Bluesound, Auralic, and Nd5xs2 into Ndac.
@JimDog tested the first two into his Ndac and found the sound less involving than using the Nd5xs2.
Would be curious about the Innuos Pulse too, as Jean Michel.
This works for me using Audirvana streaming Flac 1411kb/s. I made some changes in Audirvana to optimize playback. Have you done so? It’s inside “Computer” settings under settings menu.
Looked into streamers in the $1k range and settled on the Holo Audio Red to use with my nDAC. It runs on a pi CM4 with the advantage here of being able to try different software including RopieeXL, Squeezelite, moOde. Construction feels very robust with a LPS built in and it offers every possible connection including a configurable I2S output. You can also use it as a USB DDC. I haven’t compared it to other options but its definitely a nice step up sonically from the Squeezebox hw solutions I’ve been using up till now.
I was interested in Sonore UPnP Bridge but they cannot manufacture this for now and in a foreseeable future. So they pointed me to sonicTransporter instead which comes at a much higher price but you can run Roon Core and UPnP bridge on it. I wondered why this would be better than running core on a computer and got this reply. I wonder if that is reality.
“Roon runs much faster on a dedicated box than it does on a general purpose computer with a desktop operating system. This improves the sound.”
Seems dubious, especially as we’ve both experienced Audirvana, using < 1% of CPU on an older computer (my Mac is a 2014 design), sounding better than other streaming software.
Maybe a case of less is more?
Hi, You can also run the Sonore UPnP Bridge on a Sonore MicroRendu or UltraRendu.
You may be able to pick one of these up 2nd hand, as they are often listed on the ‘For Sale’ list on the Roon Community Forum etc.
However, given you do need a server to run Roon Core, and it is better when this is a dedicated server and not a General purpose computer performing other tasks, such as a MacMini, iMac, Windows Laptop etc., you can run the Roon Core and the UPnP Bridge on a Small Green Computer’s SonicTransporter or an AudioStore Vortex server, and consolidate functions.
Personally I run Roon Core on a NUC using ROCK and Sonore UPnP Bridge on an UltraRendu - but this has been my system for the last 4-years into my NDS/555DR/CHC-555-A system.
Yes, understand that. But if you were designing streaming software solely for optimal SQ, wouldn’t you want to keep the non-SQ related CPU demands to a bare minimum?
Put another way, is Roon’s heavy processor load a possible reason why some find other solutions sound better?
Thank you Iain, And Does ND5XS2 over coax into NDS match NDS “stand alone”…? PRaT, punch, soundstage, etc.
The Lumin D2 deserves a mention. You can use it as a streaming DAC or as a transport since it has a coaxial digital output. There seems to be no shortage of them used (US) and they respond well to a power supply upgrade with an Sbooster kit.
I bought one to front my Nait 2 but after comparing the digital output to my Sonore ultraRendu there was no going back. All in all it’s great sounding and a bit of a swiss army knife of streaming.
nDAC vs NDS is not a comparison we’ve done (yet 
). With falling second hand prices we may experiment at some point, given we have the 555 and NDS would use both outputs.
There are recent thoughts on this across the forum. For example read post
NDX2/nDAC/PSU more than matches NDX2/PSU to our ears. Slightly different character.
Someone has here the Nd5xs2 into Nds. He said it uplifted the online streaming ( Tidal and added Qobuz). But gave no difference for local streaming from a Nas.
I use my everyday MacBook Pro running Quobuz via Roon into a Chord Hugo Tabletop 2 DAC (Chord Sarum T interconnects) into a Supernait 3 - nSat rig. I have been impressed with the Hugo TT used in this way. The whole system rocks very well together for “computer audio”. It rivals the ND555 which we use downstairs.
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;
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. 
A couple of weeks back I purchased the Primare NP5 Mk2, Ifi X power supply and Chord Clearway Digital coax as a new streaming front end set up for my old NDX. I am currently able to stream CD quality, using Airplay 2 from my IPhone 14.
I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised to find that I preferred the sound quality streaming Tidal via this method compared to the the native Tidal on the NDX.
This will only be a temporary measure though, as Primare are due to launch a new software update for their app which will natively embed support for both Tidal and Qobuz in the Primare Prisma app.
It will certainly be interesting to see how High Res FLAC files played natively, will sound. ( both Tidal when launched, and Qobuz, I have been offered a 3 month free trial by Primare)
I will let you all know my findings, after extensive listening.
You are quite correct in your assertion.
Now that I’ve gone back and read the OP, agreed.
Post is withdrawn.
(Guess I was responding to the later posts - and the flow of conversation - rather than OP).
FWIW, think this is a really good topic and an interesting read.
Best wishes
R
Of course, you are the master here, as OP of this thread. Just to point that i only responded to a question of a member.
Wow…now I am REALLY confused (and supposedly I’m a techie, albeit a network one, not a true audio one…)…
I have a Bluesound Node2i with Optical Out connected to my Superuniti Optical In. While all my other inputs seem to work, the Node only seems to want to direct sound to its pal…the Bluesound Pulse speaker, and not to the Naim. I’m clearly missing something here…
I tried a DCS network bridge, an Auralic dedicated streamer, and a Bluesound node.
None of them sounded right with my 272 or my Naim DAC, which is why I bought an ND5XS2 and sold the 272.
They ruined the sound of my all-Naim system.
Your Node is not pushing sound to anything.
Your BluOs app is detecting the Node and your Pulse as two seperate streamers, which can be linked for simultaneous playback.
Im stumped as to why your Node is not playing ball with your SU. IIRC the Node has no output selection option…the analogue and SPDiF outputs work simultaneously.
