Is it possible to get 'that vinyl sound' from streaming..?

I’d vote for my option, Moonriver 404 Reference plus Spendor 3/1
I use them in a small room, like yours
If it is too much, Moonriver 404 (without reference) will fit the budget

I’m not sure what the point of this type of question is these days as streaming can sound better than vinyl and vice versa, dependent on what you want to spend and how you design your system. I have both and find the amount of source material I can access cheaply well worth the investment in a quality streaming solution. I also like the physicality of putting a record on and being ‘forced’ to actively listen to it all the way through.
Sound quality? I run a P8 , hanna cart, GoldNote PH10 and separate psu10. Digital, the Aries G1 and VegaG1 sounded about the same level as the P8 kit. Now with the Aries /Sirius/Vega G.2.1 the sq is way ahead of vinyl. Aries/Vega I think gives the clarity, the Sirius gives back the analog smoothing for me. I have even taken to listening to whole albums via streaming :grin:

2 Likes

Hi bruss,

what is the Sirius?

1 Like

Part of the Auralic system of digital conversion. Basically a high quality resampler. Look up Auralic Sirius G2.1 on the ‘net.

1 Like

I only use a streamer for internet radio so can’t really advise. However, if you’re going to choose an amp to make your NDX2 sound more analog/warmer in presentation I suspect it will compromise the performance of the LP12.

Olive 72/Hicap/250 has definitely made my streaming side sound more analogue then my Nait XS did.

1 Like

Klipsch and Luxman or Tron amp perhaps?

I appreciated the NDS more than NDX2 as has warmer, reacher sound, due to the usage of burr brown 1794 dac chips and sharc 40 bits dsp chip. these components are used also in Naim Ndac, not in NDX2, are quite particular chips, mounted also in ND555.
so to answer you: if you want to keep the NDX2 you might add a ndac, otherwise you could give back the NDX2 and evaluate NDS (2nd hand is around 2k €/pound whatever) and maybe add an easy pure reader like bluesound node 2 or whatever.
if you look at reviews of NDS they really push on the analogic sound it produces, all from bb 1794 that is an old chip very well done, that does only dac conversion in single mode, so should be 1 or 2 per channel.

3 Likes

Really? Doesn’t it need a power supply as well to work?

1 Like

More analogue sound or more old-school Naim sound? What has it done for vinyl replay?

Thanks for all your comments.
On a side note I have just ordered the XPS DR power supply (separate to my 8k budget) which arrives tomorrow - I’m very interested to see the difference with this unit and i will report back on that…

The vinyl sound question certainly threw up a mix of comments and suggestion’s so thank you for that - I am still thinking over the amp options and trying out different speakers with this current set up later this week… I hope the coming days will produce some good results…

I will use my LP12 for my vinyl fix and obviously not expecting the same from streaming - the pace & rhythm certainly is there - lets see how this plays out…!

1 Like

Not hoping to sound the same - just trying to get a more organic sound from streaming if that makes sense…

1 Like

Indeed: With the right setup, notably DAC, at least from your own locally stored CD or higher resolution files, and assuming from the same mastering, streaming should sound better - at least it does to my ears, which all too often notice the limitations of vinyl. (However, mastering often is different is often not the case, so sometimes one can sound better, sometimes the other.)

Yes, power supply required for NDS.

The bad news: an XPS gets you within range of “that vinyl sound” but a 555PS does the job properly (IMO). I’ve recently upgraded to NDS / 555PS and for the first time I can say my streaming setup sounds as engaging as my old vinyl system (LP12, Aro, Armageddon etc.) from two decades ago.

The good news: Classic Naim power supplies are trending cheaper on the 2nd hand market.

1 Like

That is a good question, but let me avoid it a bit first. That ‘vinyl/analogue’ sound is not always all we take it to be. I have a much cherished and upgraded LP12 with Naim Armaggedon PS which has been upgraded steadily over the last 40 years to near top spec. About two years ago I had the Linn Keel subchasis and armboard installed and to be honest found the results so clinical and cold that I reverted to the lower level Kore with which I am very happy. My point is this. Be clear about what it is that you love about the sound you like as it is not necessarily the best path to always be top of the range and I think for those of us in this forum who love Naim we should acknowledge that there is a certain sound signature that we love.

More directly to your question (imho) the pure analgue sound of vinyl is far more engaging than a pure digital source for reasons that have been discussed at length elsewhere. The digital products which seem to meet the analogue enthuiasts needs best always have good DAC’s, and Naim do DAC’s very well. You have a great one already, so good old Naim advice stands. Get hold of the best power supply you can afford (an XPS DR for your NDX would be great) work from the source to the speaker and enjoy the music as most people would be hard pressed to tell vinyl from streamer on products at this level.

As an aside I have a ND555/PS555 x 2 which is I think quite a good digital source. What was interesting was adding a second PS555. I explored the logic behind this 2nd PS which is to have the best PS for the streaming part and a separated PS for the DAC’s (of which there are a number). The step up in performance was much greater than I had expected, and from a very good foundation. Is it better than the LP12? Yes, sadly I think it is, but I will keep my options open and hang onto the LP12 and enjoy the best of both worlds!

2 Likes

Yes off course It does, good luck with the XPSDR and do experiment with the interconnect. I remember when I had a NDS it wasn’t until I tried a Super Lumina interconnect that it really sang.

It’s a funny old game as I’m the opposite of @Forrestm as with a decent slab of vinyl the ND555 doesn’t get a look in. We all hear things differently which makes this hobby so interesting.

1 Like

Probably a bit of both :smile:. But what I have found since moving to the Olive system is I can listen to digital for longer periods without fatigue. Vinyl replay is my main source and sounds wonderful.

1 Like

Have you tried this at home?

Or is it a guess?

When I tried a BS Node into a 272 in my all-Naim system it made a significant negative impact on SQ.

As I indicated in my first post in this thread (currently post 7), the DAC is the key to the character of sound from a digital source, and some of us on this forum have reported finding that the Chord DACs starting rom the introduction of Hugo a few years ago sound more natural or more analogue-like than Naim DACs we had heard. Speakers, and amps to a lesser extent, of course affect the characters of all sources. The result of course will not sound the same as vinyl because the vinyl replay system modifies the sound adding its own character.

1 Like

yes it does. I already had it.
you can find quite cheap power supply, naim and non naim, second hand, if you want to extract the best sound from a naim streamer in my opinion external power supply is very much needed