Pricing for i5 gen 3 is 14500 SEK (no storage), 16 895 SEK 1TB, 18 995 SEK 2 TB, 23 695 SEK 4TB. Meta is a good trustworthy dealer I’ve bought from. Might be vacation mode now though.
Indeed. The SGC products are not on their EU web-site. Only on the Swedish web-site. But I sent them an email.
1 Like
Going back to your original post, can we re-look at this option
This is a simple solution, with the only downside of additional energy cost. However how much extra is this going to cost you compared with the cost of a NAS, along with the management of a NAS drive (backups, updates etc). I would suggest that you could probably use the USB method for well over 10 years before the NAS becomes anywhere near cost effective.
Is this really a big issue, for the sake of opening a laptop screen, this is probably less effort than starting up then shutting down a Raspberry Pi
It also of course depends on how often you play these files. If you mostly stream, then the above two options are already nice simple and workable solutions for what you say is occasional usage.
I run a Synology DS124 w asset UPnP. Single bay, super easy setup, c EUR 200. 1,000s of CDs. Not fanless, but not loud - you can stick in in a drawer or another room connected to an access point.
Edited to add: I used to keep everything on a MacMini - a NAS is better.
1 Like
So , apart Nas, I see only the Innuos Mini. Now it’s the third version.
I’ve also only good things to say about Metawave.
The SGC SonicTransporter i5 is a good choice if care about audio quality and perhaps improve the product during ownership. It comes with a Linux base system optimized for audio playback. Everything is available as menu-choice and a simple click can install different server software (Roon, Audirvana, Minimserver, HQPlayer) and they install ready to run on the SonicTransporter.
You can also tweak audio quality. One example is to disable SAMBA and instead use a software sync software like Resilio.
You can also choose SSD models. To replace the SSD there is a button on the back that opens a door and you simply push in another SSD. No cables, screws and other stuff to bother with. You can start with a lower capacity (cheaper) one and just buy a larger if you run out of space. Different SSD-drives also affect the sound so you can improve audio quality by finding an electrically more quiet (and usually more expensive) one later.
2 Likes
I appreciate your down-to-earth look at this 
Sometimes you need another view to see the solution.
I would be perfectly happy with a USB-drive permanently attached to the ND5XS2 and the Server input. There are just two concerns:
- What does it do to the life-span of the ND5XS2 if it is always on and never goes into proper stand-by mode?
- Power consumption. But as you say, this is actually a non-argument. Adding a separate NAS is probably worse in terms of power consumption.
I will look again at the Server input. Last time I checked it took a long time until all FLAC files were visible in the app. But that was just after inserting the USB drive. I do n’t know what happens if I keep it inserted.
If you’re using a USB drive with lots of CDs, navigation is horrible. You need a UPnP front end to organise content and find stuff.
Yes, the USB input is indeed horrible. But the Server input is much better and that also shows the local files on the USB drive.
Every time you connect the USB drive, the Naim streamer will index it. If you leave it connected and everything powered up, it won’t re-index it until next time it’s freshly connected.
You may find this tiresome if your music library is quite large, and/or if you need to add or edit music regularly, for which you will need to remove it and connect it to a computer.
The first few times I used one I found it quite slow to scan, and whenever I shut down the streamer it did a full rescan on startup. I discovered later that the process seemed to be quite a bit faster, so possibly the streamer firmware has changed, but you might want to trial this before you make a choice. Presumably you have a backup copy of your library that you could use to test this.
I would suggest this is not an issue. There are lots of discussion on electronic components deterioration Use verses Age, and I don’t think it’s clear cut. There is a school of thought that says powering up a circuit, and shutting it down has more wear and tear effect than leaving it on. I suspect that there is a lot of “ifs and buts” on this, but Naim use quality components and have always preferred an always on stance for best SQ.
As an aside, enabling server mode also allows any other UPnP player in the house to access your music. E.g. My Roberts Radio will play from my NDX2, or you might use a UPnP player on your phone/tablet to access the same music (e.g. mConnectLite)
I noticed a rather big change in sound performance just moving from a Mac mini 2014 to Mac mini M1 2020. So I’m now a believer I’ve had contact with SGC in the past who claimed his product which is made for a single purpose therefore sound better than say a macmini multi purpose machine. (Roon user here). Not sure how SGC machines perform in comparison to say Roon Nucleus One or similar Roon products.
1 Like
I have read some articles on it and indeed the arguments go both ways. My Nait 5si is always on by design (and so is the CD5si that I have, but is broken) and so is a BlueSound Node Icon that I use in another system. I was actually expecting the ND5XS2 to be always on also, when I bought it. But it has a stand-by mode by design. Do n’t know why Naim made this distinction.
Yes, I am going to have a look at that. I have a 512Gb USB drive with FLAC files, so I will see how it behaves.
Naim added a low power network standby mode in order to comply with EU regulations covering power consumption. (Some people use server mode or a USB drive as a workaround to keep the unit powered on for optimum performance.)
Servers, whether run on a NAS, a computer, or the built one in a Naim streamer, are traditionally ‘always on’ so that they are always discoverable without delay by any client device that wants to connect to it.
Ah, did n’t know they added network stand-by to comply with EU regulations. Learned something new again
Just noticed that the Server input is limited for a USB device. No shuffle play for all tracks, for example.
I have decided to go for a simple NAS first: QNAP TS-133, WD Red SSD + Asset UPnP. I can always upgrade to something dedicated like a SGC sonicTransporter i5 later.
5 Likes
Excellent choice.
Keep your posts going & let us all know how you get on with setting up learning curve experience(s)
2 Likes
Yep, I will share my experience.