Thanks folks
A friend mentioned a dac called bluesound does anyone use this?
Video Chromecast is not as good as Audio Chromecast in terms of handling HR audio files. I forget the specs now, but it’s significantly different.
Best
David
Yeah thats what I thought will do some research on bluesound + roon
Thanks
The way I currently do this is using an iFi iDSD Micro USB DAC which I’ve used both with Audirvana as a front end as well as with Roon. the output from the DAC is RCA which then connects directly to the amp, which in my case is an Arcam AV amp.
There’s a few key points to reiterate here, namely that Naim don’t support any type of MQA decode natively in their products, past or present. If you add Roon to a Naim based system that can do the first unfold of the MQA data in software, the final unfolding part to achieve output and playback of Tidal Masters beyond 24/96 requires a DAC that can do that in hardware.
Given the equipment I own and can use to actually test these things and give a real world opinion on, I’d expect this to be the only realistic way to give you a true full unfold of MQA source material.
My understanding is that of the option available that partially support MQA in software like Roon or Audirvana, they are limited to only being able to output a 24/96 analogue signal, to go beyond that requires a DAC that supports full MQA unfold in hardware.
The 272 cannot support being a Roon endpoint either so to utilise Roon to give a 24/96 output still requires a mediator between the Roon Server and your 272. The suggestion to evaluate Audirvana as an alternative is viable as that is based on UPnP which you 272 does support.
Hope that all helps anyway!
I use MConnectHD app on an iPad.
It sounds a bit better than the Naim app.
The app works, but it’s quite clunky to operate.
I tried to get Audirvana working, but it would not find the 272 via upnp and the Audrivana control app kept switching itself to a deadend page, so I gave up faffing with it. I may try again some time soon.
I bought a Bluesound Node 2i recently, but it sounded rubbish compared to my 272/555DR native Naim app so I returned it.
Thanks jimdog
The spec doesn’t seems much better than the dac in the 272 i am not too technical when it comes to dac specs and dont want to import something for questionable benefit if any
Audirvana updates often seem to fix one bug only to introduce another. Latest version of Audirvana refuses to find my 272 with the Mac Mini on an ethernet connection, but finds it instantly if I switch the Mini over to wi-fi (and then stays connected with wi-fi turned off)…
Has anyone on here used Audirvana successfully with a 272?
I’ve only ever used Audirvana with a USB DAC connected directly to the machine running Audirvana.
I’ve also never owned a 272 so can’t comment on these specific combinations alas.
Yes, I’m using it successfully right now : )
If you mean 100% bug free, then no (but that’s also been true of my experiences with Bubble, Minimserver etc).
Audirvana’s stability has improved over the year or so I’ve been using it, and their customer support are pretty responsive. Maybe give it another try?
1 Like
I never got it to work consistently with my Atom either over UPnP.
Also, in fairness, I’ve found Audirvana works almost flawlessly for local streaming. The occasional hiccups typically occur when streaming Tidal – which itself has caused various problems for 272 owners, even when streamed directly via the Naim app.
1 Like
If your using it from a laptop on wireless then yes you could get issues from Tidal like that much like Roon can as Tidal stream is going to the laptop wireless then back out wireless to the router and then the Naim it’s not a single direct link.
What’s SQ like via Audirvana vs MConnectHD vs Naim app vs Roon vs Other?
No idea I don’t use any of them now and never really compared them. But I never heard any difference that made me go oooh that’s different or better than the other. If you want to go looking for a difference I am sure you will find one. Audivarna may sound different via USB to Roon as many comment on that and likely down to it not being as a heavy CPU programme as Roon and Roon strongly recommend to seperate the brain from the audio chain by ethernet for best sq. But is DAC dependant as is many things, but via UPnP that stuff is moot as its isolated from that potential noise problem of USB.
Audirvana is my clear preference for the 272. (Haven’t tried Roon or MConnectHD).
Better SQ might be a combination of:
- Default FLAC to WAV transcoding.
- Audirvana running on a dedicated Mac Mini w/ ethernet connection. If a lower noise floor is key to streaming SQ, then intuitively this should be better than UPnP software installed on a mobile device using Wi-Fi.
- Audirvana’s built-in optimisation also reduces interference from background OS processes.
1 Like
Audirvana is your clear preference to feed the 272 over what other app/processing system?
Native Tidal?
Others you have compared Audirvana to?
Your points 1. and 3. seem plausible.
I’m not sure about 2.
I know that belief that wired must be better than WiFi.
But does that always hold?
Any machine that’s plugged into the wall and doing a lot of processing and is sending audio signals into the 272 via Ethernet cable is a source of EM noise.
E.g. your Mac Mini.
Whereas the WiFi link from my router to iPad and back is buffered from the 272 by the EM ‘moat’ in my EtherRegen switch.
So it’s not clear which is logically the noisier option.
The old prejudice against WiFi was mainly about not using the WiFi module in the 272/streamer, because the WiFi module was directly adding noise into the 272 circuits.
But that doesn’t apply in the case of MConnectHD via an iPad.