Holy moly this thread is about to have its 1st Birthday 
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And I still never found out if the original poster’s problems were ever solved.
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I don’t think so.
If you use the Ndx2 as a streaming dac and the Innuos as a Nas, there’s no redundancy. Both are connected by Ethernet cable.
The Innuos can be used as the Melco or Uniticore. It rips and store your files.
All depends if you prefer the Naim presentation or the Chord dac presentation.
Well lots of people had lots of opinions and were, in some cases, extremely vociferous and even belligerent about them. At this stage it can only be the CDP itself.
Already got an XPS2. That and the Burndy have been with my dealer for most of 2020 thanks to the pandemic. My dealer cannot say for certain there’s anything wrong there as no other XPS2s have come in. A comparison to the DR version isn’t really helpful.
That points to the CDP being the issue. At 18 years of age I think it needs to be driven for a repair rather than posted. I don’t drive and the nearest option is class A in Sheffield. Lockdown rules that out for some time.
Whichever streaming option I go for I’m happy to keep the CDX2/XPS2 alongside it until I can at least attempt to get the CDP repaired. It does occur to me that selling/trading the CDP and power supply doesn’t really add sufficient funds to improve the DAC beyond something like a Hugo 2. The CDP is worth little at this point. The XPS2 could of course further improve the NDX2.
In terms of redundancy it occurs to me that the Qutest is likely the better match here than a Hugo or Hugo 2 as I’ve no need for headphone options etc. So, that’s a saving of £1,900 with arguably/presumably no loss of sound quality.
@frenchrooster I think we’re clear that the decision will mostly be driven by presentation but there absolutely is redundancy in a bare NDX2 and Innuos as the streaming capability of the latter is not in use and the argument is that the 2 Innuos boxes used as a streamer as well as local storage (plus a good DAC) may well outperform the Naim option.
Also worth adding that the Innuos plus DAC route takes all the screen issues etc. out of the equation.
There are two other posters I noted who have added their usual pointless contributions. I have blocked both but am always sufficiently interested to at least glance. What a waste of time; “if you can’t say something nice don’t say nothing at all”.
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@mikehughescq my 13 year old CDS3 went back to Salisbury by courier. Provided you’ve got the bolts it’ll be fine. Is using the mains such bad practice I do it without a problem I think?!
As long as the MusoQb1 (WiFi in your case), and the Innuos (wired) are on the same network then the Qb1 will be able to access the ripped CD’s on the Innuos, provided the Zen/Zenith is running as a UPnP server (settings control this).
There are other permutations on the Zen/Zenith using roon (not for Qb1), or the Squeezelite experimental mode with a UPnP bridge.
The Qutest doesn’t have a remote control,but is said to have the same DAC internals as the Hugo2.
Sorry, maybe I’m being less than bright but I’m not 100% on what this is referring to?
Can’t say the lack of a remote control is a deal breaker for me.
You are right Mike, but if you need to store cd rips and files, the Innuos and Melco are a great upgrade vs common Nas.
A lot of us use Melco with Nds and Nd555 here, in Nas mode( not streamer) and it uplifts the sound quality greatly on the Naim streamers.
But some use also Innuos as streamer, with an outboard dac as Ndac or Hugo.
Sorry for the confusion, I was far from clear, but I was referring to this “The Innuos would also mean that the 15 year olds first gen Muso upstairs couldn’t access the CDs unless we used something over the mains. For me that’s an “over my cold dead body scenario” but I’d entertain it if convinced of minimum detriment”
The ethernet over mains adaptors introduce noise into the mains which can be to the detriment of your main system’s capability. Basically they are injecting ethernet into the mains supply.
I used one for a while and when I took it out the difference was quite noticeable. The system had been through several upgrades since putting it in hence I didn’t spot this initially.
Ah, yes. I see. Sorry for my confusion. Yes, I think it’s interesting that there’s a diversity of views between @trickydickie and yourself. My guess would be it would be an issue but I’d certainly give it a punt.
Mike, I will admit upfront I am unfamiliar with the Innuos and Chord DACs, so unable to offer any evaluation vs the NDX2. I am familiar with, and have owned, NDX, NDS and ND555 and can attest to their superb performance, so naturally I would lean towards the NDX2 solution. Also the Qb upstairs could receive CD rips with the NDX2 and you would have the control of the Naim app at your disposal - very convenient. You also have a XPS to improve the performance of a NDX2. The screen issues with the ND streamers is a red herring IMV.
I would add that the NDX2 is likely to be a better (in SQ terms) streamer than the Innuos, but I have no evidence to support that. If I am correct, there would be no redundancy.
Regarding your (suspected) poorly CDP (which I understand is still with your dealer), would it not be possible to explore with the dealer/repairer if it would be possible for the dealer to send the CDP direct to Class A or Salisbury and returned to you directly? There really is very little risk of damage via courier/post as long as the transit bolts are fitted and the CDP properly packaged in its Naim box.
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The XPS2 is with the dealer. The CDP is with me. I have no box.
The risk with the CDP is that if there’s any laser damage in transit there are no equivalent original mechs left. I am not a fan of the replacement mech for the CDX2.
The debate over whether the NDX2 is the better streamer is one I need to resolve with an audition. When that might be in the current climate is anyone’s guess.
Why not an NDX2 (with your existing PS), and either a decent robust NAS or a fanless NUC running a lifetime sub to Roon (and you should still have $ left over from the cost of an Innuos) all plugged into a decent switch (er or EE), which could also run a WiFi extender for the Qb. I think with an NDX2 a Chord DAC is going to be redundant and you might find better bang for your buck upgrading the switch coming before it. Or possibly extra power conditioning on your mains (AQ Niagra or Musicgel get good reviews on here for Naim gear). To me, a combo of NDX2, Innuos, and Hugo (or even Qutest) reeks of too much redundancy and $ spent for $ sakes.
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Already been well covered @charlesphoto. The family love the Innuos and as part of my work involves IT I’ve zero interest in incorporating it into my home system. As for Roon, I don’t wish to ignite here a discussion already had elsewhere but I am not a fan of the interface nor the functionality.
Regardless of other choices my starting point is Innuos either as a server or a server/streamer.
Ah, I thought it was choice between the two. So you already have the Innuous and are deciding on either adding a Chord DAC or an NDX2? I would still consider a better switch first.
Not sure I quite get this. My job is a photographer, and yes, I won’t print, scan, etc other people’s work, but if my family needs some pictures taken or printed I do it myself, because it would be silly for me to hire that out. And because I have the knowledge and the setup, it takes me less time and saves $ and I know I can do it better.
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