Hi I know I don’t own any Naim equipment unfortunately but this forum really helped with an issue I was having and wanted to share. I use Tidal as my streaming service and found that their Hi Res 24bit/192khz tracks wouldn’t play. Found the solution I was using toslink connector between streamer and DAC and this can’t handle this level. I contacted Chord and they recommended the BNC digital coax or the USB. I used BNC and all sorted. Hope this helps
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Can ask a bit more about this? I have a qutest connected to a Bluesound node with a BNC cable. This was what I was recommended to do.
Is there a better way of making the connection - -better as in improved SQ?
Many thanks
No.
Some optical connections are able to handle 24/192, but there is no guarantee that they will work above 24/96 so just try it and see. If coax connections are available at both ends you should have no trouble with 24/192. As for which sounds best, I find very little audible difference between 96 and 192. Naim always recommend coax for best performance, but Chord have in the past suggested that optical is best for their DACs.
Using a Naim streamer into a Chord DAC works very well, but then the only option is Coax.
No - as in the BNC route is the correct/ best way of connecting these together?
Why would you use a USB to SPDIF converter when you have a device that has an SPDIF output?
Apparently it’s to use dual data mode via both bnc simultaneously, but whether the source supports that I can’t say.
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Coax out from Node to BNC in on the Qutest is arguably preferable, although Rob Watts recommends optical.
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He does, but sometimes I think he also recommends USB as it doesn’t rely on the source “clock”. I hope I’ve understood that correctly.
A decent cable will support 24/192.
Dual data mode also feeds directly into the FPGA.
I started with simple optical and usb. Jumped to Audiowise USB → Dual BNC converter. Then to the BNC filters. it all matters.
Big step up with the USB → Dual BNC converter.
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Lifatec Toslink cable happily carried 24/192 to my Qutest. You’re correct that not every toslink cable will.
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The reason I changed from optical was because it won’t play 24bit/192 khz as mentioned in these messages there I can’t tell a difference in sound quality it just that the BNC route will play them.
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This is a great option but a little pricey when you have to get cables as well I have managed to get a cable for £30 and does the job and sounds better than the optical not as clinical.
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Didn’t realise this my Chord optical struggled and Chord electronics recommended the BNC.
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Just remember that Chord Electronics and Chord cables are too different companies
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If I’m connecting a Roon NUC to Qutest via USB, does Roon work over this converter?
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It should work with any Linux distro. Go to the AudioWise web portal, there’s a lot of information and also additional drivers for download. What I can tell you from experience is that it works best with the ASIO driver on Windows.
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Thanks!
It worked with my Nucleus Plus.
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