Everything you ever wanted to know about streaming but were afraid to ask

I’m sorry to jump in blind but I am interested in getting nd5xs2. I want to play Apple lossless from my Mac via WiFi. Any advice.

There are various ways to do this. You can use Airplay to stream to the ND5XS2 using iTunes on your Mac. This is the easiest to set up. Control it either from iTunes on the Mac, or via the Apple Remote app on an iPhone.
Alternatively, you can run a UPnP server on the Mac. This will allow the Naim streamer to discover the music on the Mac, and control it from the Naim app. It’s a bit more hassle to set up, though.
Another easy solution is to copy the music to a USB drive, and connect it directly to the ND5XS2, then you don’t need the Mac to be running at all.

As above :+1:

Thanks ChrisSU.
I think I need to read a lot of past threads before I jump in. Just starting out.

Hmmmm, don’t read too much here, or your head will explode. It really doesn’t have to be that complicated. Also remember that Naim expect their dealers to instal their systems for you, and make sure you understand how they work. They are not just there to take your money and give you a box.

Really, that’s what mine did with the Atom.

Thanks Simon
This is my first visit to any forum. I’m still finding my feet.
I need to find out a lot more before buying cd5x2. Not to mention the confusing world of nas drives.

The new generation streamers are much easier to set up than the older ones. You do not need to run a NAS/server. They have their own built in server, so all you need to do is connect a cheap USB hard drive with music on it, and you’re ready to go.
By all means set up a NAS later if you feel the need, but you don’t need to learn all this stuff in advance.

Thanks Chris
My intention is to get streamer in new year when things are quieter. Trying to convince myself that cd5x2 would offer quality of sound and more importantly ease of use. Before I bought cd5si I had Arcam player with a built in streamer I never used. At the moment I am just listening to my collection on iTunes through an Arcam blink. Not highest quality sound but easy to use. £2300 is a big step up so my expectations are high.
USB option sounds good though.
Cheers.

I presume you mean ND5XS2? If so, I would suggest that you find a decent Naim dealer who can let you use one in their demo room, where you can sit down with an iPad and get used to how it works.
If you have a CD collection, you might also want to consider how you will rip it so that you have your collection on a hard drive. Some people are happy to move to a subscription service such as Tidal or Qobuz instead, which saves all the hassle of ripping, and probably has all the music you want in their catalogue. If you do rip your CDs, you can just use a computer, or you can buy a ripper/store - a Naim dealer will probably try to persuade you that you need to spend another £2k on a Core to do this, but it really isn’t necessary, as there are much cheaper solutions that will do a good job.

Yes Chris I meant ND5XS2.
As I said the plan is to buy this in the relative quiet of the new year if I decide it is what I need. That gives me the luxury of a few weeks to research without the pressure of a sales room. I will post a more detailed reply later which may show my expectations. Thanks for your advice which I am finding inspirational.

You were right Chris. I am only up to April reading past posts and my head hurts. I think you have already answered my question about the best route to take but allow me a ramble. I have over 1000 of my cds in iTunes on my MacBook AAC. I stream them to my hi fi via Blink Bluetooth. They are organised the way I like them but sound quality not great.
I think I would like to convert them to Apple lossless and using AirPlay 2 over wi fi listen to them on a ND5XS2.
The big question is would the sound justify spending £2300. If I had to convert to a higher quality like FLAC I would need extra external storage, plus an app to do this, plus controlling it with an iPad and I was hoping to not use Ethernet cables. I have Bt hub. I agree I need to keep it simple but I also need it to offer high quality sound in a user friendly way. I have an Apple Music subscription and would consider Tidal but a lot of my music is not catered for hence the need to rip it.

I might be misunderstanding something but if your CDs are ripped into AAC then as that’s a lossy format, you can’t convert them into lossless. What is already lost is lost. You would need to rip them again if you want lossless and probably it would be best to use FLAC this time, although there are other lossless formats you could consider.

Best

David

Thanks for that David. I am prepared to rip all the cds again. Call it a labour of love.If I replaced all the acc with apple lossless I imagine I have enough storage on my MacBook and everything would be organised the way I like. I would then prefer to stream over wi fi to a streamer. The question would be whether the sound quality would be enough to justify the cost of a Naim streamer. I agree that FLAC would be the preferred route but I’m guessing I would have to consider more external storage and as I said to Chris it starts to become more difficult. To me anyway.

FLAC and ALAC (Apple Lossless) take about the same amount of room actually and they are both lossless so you could use either. FLAC is possibly more widely supported than ALAC, but if you are all Apple then I can see why you might want to stay with their ecosystem.

Best

David

If you have music stored in a lossy format such as AAC, there is no point in converting it to a lossless format. The additional bits have been lost, and you can’t get them back unless you have the CDs, and can rip them again. Using much better hardware should still make the AACs sound better, but if you can access lossless files, it will certainly be worthwhile. If you can get a dealer to let you listen to an ND5XS2, I would suggest that you take some AAC files with you on a USB stick and see how they sound.
I wouldn’t worry too much about storage - 1000 CDs in lossless FLAC will easily fit onto a USB drive that will cost you less than £50.

thanks Chris. will the cds be easy to navigate on a usb? If I have the room I might do them all again on the MacBook but the usb seems a good idea to get things going quicker.

Thanks David. That’s good to know.

The contents of the USB drive will show up in the Server input, where you can see artwork, browse by genre, etc. So yes, navigating them should be easy.
If you have a large classical collection, you may prefer running a server such as Minimserver or Asset if you can be bothered to set it up.

Thanks Chris. Good to know.