NDS losing network connection often

Deleted, please remove.

My NDS is about the same age. Worked flawless from the day I bought it,also pre-loved.
Like others said,yours may just have a problem,can’t rule that out. But afaik it is certainly not common problem of the NDS. It has it’s flaws but in my experience it is a solid piece of kit. But things can always break ofcourse.

I live in France too and have an Nds . I have fiber Ethernet, SFR.
When I tried Mconnect, the app was disconnecting regularly, or I couldn’t play a track. I had to reboot every hour or two.
Streaming Tidal gave similar results through the Naim app.
The firmware is on 4.8.

Hopefully I use mainly local streaming, via the Melco. Not only it sounds better but I have no crashes, drop outs
no problem at all.
If I were you, I would buy a second hand Nd5xs2, connected in Spdif to the Nds. Tidal and Qobuz would work with no issues, normally.

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Nice to share the same experience with an associate! An excellent idea. I will need the adequate digital cable as we all noticed that against my past expectations, digital cables have quite an effect on SQ. I have a 3D Lab Network Transport V1 in a box that I can use to test. Although in liaison with Naim NDac which I tried with DC-1 cable and Mogami cable it killed the PRaT, if it is not okay it will at least confirm that it copes with network unstability. Thanks.

I suppose you stream Tidal with the Melco and NDS acts as a DAC?

Hello Jean -Michel,
I have tried streaming Tidal with the Naim app and also Qobuz using Mconnect. Even if my Ethernet is strong and fast, as I have fiber SFR since 3 years now, both streaming were giving issues, drop outs or freeze quite often. But I don’t really bother because I prefer to stream locally, from my Melco server ( cd rips and downloaded albums).
It sounds better and I have no need to click from one album to another like on Tidal, because I struggle to find something that pleases me.

But in your case, if you stream mainly from online sites like Tidal or QOBUZ, if you want a more robust and free from issues streaming, the best would be to have a more modern streaming platform, like the Naim Nd5xs2 or Auralic or Lumin transport, connected in SPDIF to the Nds dac.
In my case, for local only streaming, I don’t need a different transport. I use the Nds/555 dr connected to my PhoenixNet, and Melco N1zh2 connected to the same switch.

Hello FR, my usage is 70% Qobuz and 30% local streaming from the Uniti Core. Agree that Uniti Core defeats online streaming on SQ. I understand your point perfectly well. In my experience Naim systems match superiorly Naim systems and ND5XS2 ought to be prefered over other brands. Nonetheless the Fraim stacks have reached their maximum at my place, I will need ND5XS2 plus a serious BNC cable; I shall later discover that Naim Powerline brings a something that I do not want to miss. The whole has to be balanced against a used ND555.

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Also mine too (NDS used daily, no network issues experienced), bought mid-2016, manufactured late 2015

Local area ethernet networks don’t really ‘disconnect’ like you describe
 can you explain what you mean by ‘disconnection’ and what happens, and describe the evidence that supports this idea of disconnection. That might help pin point what is happening. Things like streamers disappearing from a UPnP app is about UPnP and the application interworking with your home network equipment, and not about network disconnection with your streamer for example.
If the link led on switch (by the RJ45 socket) and streamer extinguishes then that might suggest an actual network disconnection, otherwise at the network level you remain connected and issues will be elsewhere.

Ethernet networks are inherently extremely reliable and robust by design
 but if you have a physical problem like a lose cable in an Ethernet patch lead that could interfere with the network connection. Software that uses networks is generally less robust than the underlying network.

Not true, electrolytic capacitors are common and used everywhere in electronics including reservoir capacitors which I think is the sort of electrolytic capacitor you are referring to. They are designed to be powered up from a total discharged state . No issue with the capacitor being restarted every day or more often if required. But equally the capacitors chemically age whilst in use, and to some extent when not in use too. Remember when on and under load they are charging and discharging to some extent many 10s (100/120) of times a second. Powersupply electrolytic capacitors have a live expectancy determined typically by hours of usage against temperature.
Yes starting equipment from cold does put a small strain on it, but it’s designed for it
 either within the component or supporting circuitry
 but yes it is the point of a likely failure for any component, or most systems.
Gone are the days of yesteryear where rheostats were used to power up valve equipment with large electrolytics slowly which had been discharged for some time.
The enemy of electrolytic capacitor life is heat
 with a marked reduction in life expectancy as the heat rises.
I would suggest the back EMF from powering up a large transformer would put more strain on the primary coil wiring and connecting mains wiring and switch
 and so power cycling once a day I would suggest is fine
 several times an hour constantly not so good.

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Let me be more specific:
disconnection means:

  • Using the Naim App
    losing the NDS Room on the Naim App, NDS Room does not come back, there comes a message like “un autre appareil est connectĂ©â€ and a choice “Reessayez” or “Ok” . Both choices do not solve anything. Switching off and on NDS is the solution. The Uniti Core room was never lost until recently, maybe the Uniti Core upgrade; when it is lost, Uniti Core room comes back on its own or less frequently I have to reboot the Uniti Core.
  • Using mConnect HD
    As I stream Qobuz, it drops out. Or if I want to start, NDS is no longer is the list of Upnup enables devices on the network. If I try to play a file, I get a message “le convertisseur ne rĂ©pond pas”. The only solution is to switch off and on the NDS (PS555DR). Using a new iPhone instead of a old iPad does not change anything.

I will have to confirm next week but the only case the lights on the switch are off is when NDS is switched off.
I should too run Spotify for hours to check that it behaves exactly the same like Uniti Core and Qobuz.
Thank you for your attention.

I would have to confirm

ok - thank you - can you describe your home LAN products.

Do you have a broadband router with wifi access point that connects to a standard switch via ethernet (not ethernet over mains or wifi hops from the switch) on to your upnp streamer and upnp server?
If so is this a simple switch - or managed switch at its default settings?

On your broadband router, wifi access point and even switch if it has the option to disable IGMP snooping please do. Try again. if it now works ok enable device by device IGMP snooping until you run into issues.

NDS doesn’t natively play Qobuz (or didn’t last time I looked) so if I have that right - how are you playing Qobuz?

Orange Fibre box default setting
Cable Cat6
TP Link Wifi mesh Deco M9+ default setting
Cable Cat6
Cisco 2960 24 ports not POE default setting (I would say not managed)
Cable Cat7
EE 8switch
Cable Cat 7 to Uniti Core
Cable Cat 8 to NDS

More by the end of next week when I go back home

I play Qobuz via mConnect HD

When I had only Orange box I already had problems, adding Cisco switch did not worsen things, neither did EE 8switch.

is your Orange broadband router (Fibre Box) directly connected via ethernet to your 2960?
A bit unclear of the flow between router to the wifi AP (mesh) and the router to your switch

If your ISP router is rebooting, is it possible that your DHCP is giving out new IP addresses and “re-locating” your NDS? Then the cached Naim app address would be wrong (and possibly connected to some other local network device) so the NDS would not be discovered. The switches would all take time to update their mDNS discovery info too, so lots of chaos could follow. Setting your NDS address to “Reserved” (but not Static) in your router DHCP settings might help if this is happening. If it’s a weird case of your router assigning two-hour leases and (maliciously?!) assigning new addresses, that could be consistent with your new quasi-regular failure rate. A firmware upgrade in your router, done behind the scenes and possibly without your knowledge, could be a culprit for something unfortunate like that. Just guessing, and deliberately looking outside the box for things to consider and explore and try. Good luck.

hmm - not really - the ISP router will only gives new IP addresses if asked by the client. The DHCP server will see if anything responds to the IP address before it gives out to a requesting device - fundamental part of how DHCP works.
mDNS won’t be being used by a switch unless as a possible loop back address for its management interface. Switches are layer 2 devices and work with Mac addresses and not IP addresses

Orange Broadband router RJE45 cable connected to TPLink mesh box RJ45 cable connected to Cisco 2960.
Wifi mesh is for the home computers and telephones and ipad and TV set. It works fine.

why are you not connecting your 2960 directly to the Broadband router switch port? Please try this if you can. This could explain what you are seeing. If you can not do this connect your NDS using wifi as well your upnp router using wifi. Disable IGMP snooping in your wifi mesh product.

The challenge is you say ‘it works fine’ - but you are not defining what is working. These devices could well be using different protocols and software applications and using the network in different ways


Hello Alan, the ISP router in my perception has short service hang-ups without to reboot. It could be that far away into the Orange network there is no connection with the great internet whereas connections are ok all along the networks from my home to the Orange internet “plate”.
If I let the router reboot and then later switch on the NDS this is always ok, or not always, I often have to switch the NDS a second time and then it would work fine for a few hour(s).

Already tried Simon! What I tried recently is to connect the Cisco via the TP Link because straight to the router was not ok at all.
It works fine means: I let play either ripped CDs on the Uniti Core or I let play Qobuz or Spotify without any problem. Until it stops.

Disabling IGMP snooping I will do or at least try next week.