Love the 272 please update - 1 click like post

I’ve used input trim happily since getting the 272 and it seems fine. But if you think it makes things worse, don’t use it. I’d suggest that as you’ve just got the 272 you just enjoy using it. I tried a Chromecast once and it was absolutely crap. I think it’s best to get the product that actually meets your needs rather than bodging something else. Roon can be added with software on a nas if it’s really important.

presumably £4.5k or so? I’m waiting to get my 272, but the comments on here suggest an improved 272 as described could at least match the equivalently priced separates.
A NDX2/282 & Hicap is around £12K, and people are saying the 272 is almost the same as the 252, so I’m not convinced.

As good as the 272 is even with 555, it is not a 252

Going back a number of years now I tried the 272 vs NDX and separates, my choice was to go down the separate route, I have owned a 202,282, and now 252

252 in the right system is sublime and leaves the 272 standing, but that’s just my view

I still use my NDX daily with 252/SC/300DR and I am in no hurry to change

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Hey HH, although I’ve not got my 272 yet I’m thinking about giving Roon a go, in part to see if it as good as most people say and also to future proof the 272 just in in case something happens to Tidal functionality, which I guess is possible on the old platform. So my question is how do you get the 272 to show up as an endpoint or squeezebox (is my terminology correct?) without also investing in a UPnP bridge.

@trickydickie is your man. He uses it for Roon on his NDS. It’s far too complicated for me. I simply can’t be bothered and am perfectly happy with the Naim app. I have my 3,500 albums on the Qnap, don’t use or want online streaming and can find all I want to play without the help of an algorithm.

Actually I do use a bit of online streaming. It is carefully curated and brings me all sorts of new music. It’s called Radio 3, and it works very well via this funny metal thing that’s attached to our roof.

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Connect a chromecast audio to it for example. There are many roon streamers on the market that can sort it out. Me personally cannot hear any difference between the CCA and the 272 streaming board.

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There are a number of ways to do this.

The easy ways are to either purchase a Sonore Bridge or a pre-built solution like @Camphuw uses or use a Chromecast Audio which sounds crap.

The harder way is to use a software solution called lms-to-upnp as you have to install and configure it.

This is what I use. All the bridge solutions give the same sound quality as local streaming via a decent UPNP server trans-coding to WAV. Roon sends the music as PCM which is basically the same and this works for Tidal and QoBuz as well. This gives a significant sound quality improvement for Tidal compared to the Tidal implementation within the Naim Application/Streamer.

The advantage with the software solution is that it is free and also probably more future proof as there’s no device to conk out.

I host mine on a QNAP NAS in a container which runs the plugin withing Logitech Media Server (LMS). It’s not necessary to use LMS but I found it easier.

For more information take a look at this thread

https://community.naimaudio.com/t/howto-roonify-non-roon-streamers-lms-to-upnp/751

For me I have found Roon to be a real revelation, I started with just a local library and then added Tidal. This weekend I have switched to QoBuz which has better studio masters.

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CCA using optical out does not sound crap. Using the analogue output is a different story though.

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Well it did using optical out into my (at the time) NDX

You are right. CCA does not sound crap. Many people here judge it too quickly.

I challenge anyone to take a blind test. It measures great on digital out too. But it’s of course challenging believing in that when it cost 20USD… :wink:

It did here too. Whether it costs £20 or £20,000 it still sounded crap. Virtually unlistenable. Bubble on the nas was miles better.

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There was something wrong with what you were doing then HH because the Chromecast Audio sounds absolutely fine in my experience and the experience of two of my non-Forum friends who also use it.

Best

David

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Short of plugging it in and turning it on I’m not sure what I could get wrong but no matter, that ship has sailed. Or sunk.

I tried one into my NDX for a while, and it really didn’t sound that bad to me, either. Perhaps there’s some sample variation going on, or even differences between different sources.

Everyone’s ears are different. Some people believe the SN3 is significantly less good than the SN2. Whether or not the CCA sounds ‘crap’ should be considered in this context…

I have a couple of CC audio devices. They are surprisingly good when used as a transport via optical cable to a device. I do wonder about those who say it’s really bad, not my experience at all. Is it the best? No, but amazing value for the money. Too good in fact for its price.

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I’ve got three of them, one on my 272 and one on each of my SuperUnitis. They all sound the same to me, ie better than iRadio for BBC Radio 3 HD, but not as good as my NAT05 XS. I think variability of source is certainly an issue. I use the BBC Sounds app and on Radio 3 material they work fine.

They used to be very cheap but now that supplies of new sealed ones have pretty well dried up, the price for pre-used ones is about double what a new one cost 3 months ago.

Best

David

Yes, I picked one up for £20 just after they were discontinued, but last time I looked, they were going for more like £50. I wonder why they stopped making them.

@Blackbird
Thanks for the pointer - seems a low cost option and so not much to lose.

@trickydickie
I’m aware of the Sonore Bridge, although that’s a bit more costly, about £200 I think. The software solution would be good but I think I’d have more chance understanding Klingon than trying to implement it myself. However it’s good to know that there are SQ advantages to be had.

@anon4489532
That’s a lot of albums! I find Tidal and other online services a bit like watching Jools Holland; every now and again you find something you never knew existed and like it!

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I was bought an audio Chromecast Audio about 12 months ago (unasked for) as a stocking pressie for Christmas. It has sat, unused, in its box as I havent got the faintest idea what to use it for! Like quite a few others I have plenty (> 4000) of albums ripped to my US and NAS. I don’t have a CD player or vinyl deck, and the only streaming service I use is Spotify, very occasionally, to check out an unknown band or artist.

Would anyone care to enlighten me as to how one uses this little device, or should I whack it on eBay and make a cheeky little profit to spennd ona few more albums?