Limetree Bridge 2 - NDS Upgrade

NDS is great!

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Thanks - this could be a way to go, if…
@Stu299
What’s your status. Our systems are quite similar.

Most of the attention is focused on the fact that the NDS does not support some of the newer streaming platforms, such as Roon (it’s not “Roon Ready”) or Qobuz, directly.

If you’re using a home UPnP server, you’d never know this. The little boxes that you can install on your network, with a digital output to the NDS, add such capabilities. You can continue to use the NDS’s internal board for home streaming if you like, and just select a different input when you want to use the added box and Roon or Qobuz, etc.

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But Drago, as me and some, streams only from local files. Adding a different transport is useless, as the Nds is specially good and preserves the Naim organic sound.
Even an Nd5xs2 , to Nds as dac, is not better.
Perhaps an Innuos Pulsar or a top transport can improve. But not sure the sound will be Naim like.

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I would not advocate using anything other than the native onboard hardware unless one really wants to be Roon Ready, etc.

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Because? And hi-res? Qobuz? Connect? Time moves on. NDS doesn’t. Todays hardware lifts it to a completely different level. NDS was old when it was launched already in terms of streaming capability and quality. That’s why they gave you ND555 with the new streaming board.

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Suffering on this journey at the moment, I can definitely say that the NDS is fabulous if you just use local files. Nothing needs to be added.

The challenge comes when one wants upto date functionality such as Roon and hi res sync play in multiple rooms, then the NDS cannot deliver this. I have 3 musos which I want to play in sync with the main system

I have added a Nd5xs2 as a transport, and this solves all the problems with functionality but changes the sound in a detrimental way to me, in the main system, even though I continue to use the NDS as the DAC.

However apparently there is a Fw update on the way to rectify this. Hopefully this will sort the problem of the ‘glare’ from the NDX5 XS2, if not I will have to switch input to just the NDS when sitting and listening or the NDX5 XS2 as transport for general use. Or sell the NDX5 XS2 and find another manufacturer as you suggest. A pain as I really do want to continue to use Naim

I wonder if Naim could give us, a Roon Ready capable firmware for the NDS, given that it is effectively local streaming between Roon Server and NDS. The Roon Server does all the marshalling of the internet streaming services and therefore doesn’t run into the issues with the Buffer size.

Naim said at the time, that it couldn’t be provided as there wasn’t the available RAM on the BridgeCo. board, but if they ditched the Spotify & Tidal integrations (maybe also iRadio), to create the available space. :grinning:

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Wait for the fw update as many of us do!

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Yes I will . I am now waiting for two Fw upgrades from Naim. Seems disappointing.

2 fw Updates?

Yes two!

I have 3 musos. two work perfectly with Roon RAAT multiroom sync. One does not which is on the latest Fw 4.4.1. The two that work perfectly are on the previous Fw 4.3.1.

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Local Streaming sounds best om both NDS and ND555,I think.

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And still better on an USB stick :joy:
Just kidding, as the usb stick is your hallmark.

Absolutely :victory_hand:
Have you tried USB sticks ?

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Of course. They sounded better vs Tidal online with my Nds. Quite on par with the Unitserve I had at that time.
A good linear ps on the Unitserve improved on the stick. Then Melco.

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Great,good value those USB sticks and interesting how different they sound from each other.
I have a Unitiserve ,will give it another go against a good USB stick sometime..only listening to
Vinyl and FM Tuner for the moment.

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I will soon get mine in one week, found an ex-demo unit for 4500hkd. Just wondering anyone compare the difference between lan and wifi. Thinkg wifi can save me a proper ethernet cable investment

Hi everyone, I am here to report my expreience for the Bridge 2. I don’t use Tidal/Qobuz/Hires/Roon. I use Radio, Spotify connect, and local play(USB stick) through the coaxial output to my Ndac.

Soundwise, I remembered the first day i swapped my Sonos connect to Bridge2, there was not a night and day difference(playing Spotify), only small imrpovement i could tell.

Function wise, for usb stick I exprienced serious delay on my iphone, seldomly the sound could become compressed or “quality drop like 120kbs”. I don’t know if this relates to my choice of usb stick of 256gb from ADATA or the folders/files just too many?. Most of the time Usb stick is function fine.

For Spotify connect, everthing is fine and i am satisfied. Better than the experience of Sonos connect, in which S1 connection is getting lost quite often.

For Radio, I actually are satisfied now i can play Naim Jazz and BBC radio. There are some radio stations i cannot play or just few seconds connected than stop. I assume this relates to the location now i am living.

Overall, i am satified with Bridge2. I have more can share like comparision of upsampling/native mode. I will find time to update.

^Please forgive my non-proper English
^^Btw i mostly leave the Bridge2 powered on.

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