NDX2 disappointment

Is there a reason for using Chromecast and Airplay? An NDX2 will stream from Tidal and Qobuz natively; Airplay is limited to 16/44.

I think once you get your TP Link network up and running you’ll be very happy.

Because of slow internet speeds and an iphone with a large memory much of the music I listen too is held offline within the Qobuz app on my iPhone. With NDX I used bluetooth with all its issues. It was my understanding that the main benefit for me of the NDX2 would be Chromecast or Airplay between phone and streamer. I never imagined I would stream high resolution directly from the internet.

I hope so indeed, although 4G signal strength varies with weather and the mast. I have measured speeds as high as 9Mbps and as low as 0.05Mbps at the router in the last week alone. It is usually around 3Mbps which even with the best Mesh system may preclude me using the Qobuz / NDX2 app.

Do you use an external antenna with your 4G router?
I had one on my roof and I got a very stable 3-4 bar signal and downloads of around 70mbps.
The 4G router was in my loft and ethernet ran into my listening room.
It might be worth investing in an external antenna and compatible router if you don’t currently have it set up like this?

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Caution on this statement… although the NDX2 can operate at a point in time without internet connectivity, the NDX2 does require at least internet access to set its clock, and check it has current firmware… so will require at least occasional internet access to remain optimal.

BTW the innards of the NDX2 in terms of streaming transport (inc UPnP and USB) and noise decoupling and data management are hugely improved over the NDX (and NDS) and so offer a technically improved SQ performance with less digital noise intermodulation over the NDX.
Of course whether you prefer this improved performance will be down to personal preference.

I heard good things about this arrangement. Well worth getting set up.

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So you have no local store of music?

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Generally speaking, I do not think that streaming from a mobile device via Chromecast, Airplay or Bluetooth is a good idea for serious listening. Does the NDX2’s Chromecast implementation support gapless playback? Gapless playback is mandatory for a good listening experience, at least for me.

That said, streaming local data from your phone to the NDX2 via Chromecast or Airplay should work fine if your wireless LAN works properly.

As a sanity check, switch on the hotspot of your mobile phone and set the NDX2 to connect to that hotspot. That should work flawlessly as long as the phone is not too far away from the NDX2.

This is in fact what I did the last time I was in my wife’s holiday cottage to control an RPi 4 running MinimServer and connected to an old CD player (via AUX) through a Meridian Explorer USB DAC. Before I used to deploy an LTE router for the cottage but my phone’s hotspot works fine.

On the other hand: Chromecast, Airplay and Bluetooth are protocols for convenience and for occasional listening. There is no reason for you to rely on these protocols for regular streaming. In particular, there is no reason to use Chromecast and Airplay if your LAN is not working properly. In this case, just bypass the ethernet input of the NDX2 (NDX) and connect a decent source to the SPDIF input of the NDX2 (NDX).

A Raspberry Pi running MinimServer 2 with a Shiit Eitr USB to SPDIF bridge will cost you almost nothing (compared to the NDX2) and give you gapless replay and a better sound quality than streaming from your phone via Chromecast or Airplay.

Or, if you like the Naim UPnP server, just connect a USB drive with your music collection to the NDX2. The NDX2 can also act as a UPnP server for itself and for LAN connected devices.

In either case, you will need the NDX2 and the mobile device that runs the Naim app to be on the same network. But this network would only be used for exchanging control flow data (not music data) and does not need to be LAN made available by your router.

I don’;t have an NDX of any variety but reading through this, it seems you have two separate problem areas.
one is a good connection to the internet. That can be looked at by a local internet expert or following some advice on here.

The second is your internal connections, either wired or wi-fi. Again this can be helped by a local expert or from advice on here.

The thing is to understand what it is you are trying to connect to, and which problem area will fix that. Also if the NDX allows it, turn off the protocols you aren’t needing and concentrate on one at a time. You don’t need all of chromecast and airplay and upnp running together to make a connection.

I would concentrate on the internal connections to be able to test the new kit without internet. Then if you need that internet connection for tidal, qobuz, radio streams etc then fix that as best as you can.
Good luck

Be interested so hear how you get on with these DECO’s as I am looking at some of the M5 devices.

If it works as good as the reviews state then hopefully you should have stable WiFi around the property and your problem fixed.

The Deco M4/M5 family of products is superb, stable easy to setup via a mobile telephone takes longer to remove the packaging :slight_smile:

Out of the box the Deco creates a new subnet so if you have a NAS and need it on the same subnet you can use one of the spare LAN ports on the back on the Deco.

Also the Deco can be reconfigured into AP mode if you want this on the existing subnet.

The Deco is fully scalable so if you purchase a 3 pack setup and need a forth no problem.

Full parental control too.

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Question for the OP. Is your current 4G antenna outdoors if not this is worth exploring maybe look at the RUT950 and as I mentioned previously there’s the Quspot omni directional antenna or the new Qumax directional antenna.

If you know the location of the 4G mast the directional will give you the biggest improvement but homework is required here as directional is focused on that antenna. Bing maps ordnance survey map is your friend and will show the 4G mast location but you must then look into if this mast is serving your sim provider.

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I can’t advise on the NDX2. However until recently I had a TP link 4G modem / router. As others have mentioned you need to put the antenna so its pointing towards the nearest mast.

I found considerable differences in the internet speed by moving the 4G antenna around the house. Some rooms could achieve 40+ mb/s whilst others were as low as 3 or 4. The best place for me was in the loft with the TP Link modem antennas fitted (and pointing flat) and not using an external high gain antenna. It may be worth trying lots of different areas of your house to see which place has the best reception.

Don’t forget that, if your network is playing up and you just want to play music, you can switch your Melco to direct mode and it cuts off anything going on beyond it. It allows you to access the music on the Melco’s hard drive without any need to connect to a LAN or Wi-fi etc. You will need to navigate through your music files using the NDX2’s front screen or via the remote because you won’t be able to connect to an iPad or similar as the Melco will shut off the NDX2’s access to your Wi-fi and the outside world, but it will allow you faultless play of your stored music.

Check the manual for your Melco if you are not aware how to do this, but it’s a simple and relatively quick process switching between normal network use or direct mode. You may just need to restart your NDX2 after switching between the these options on the Melco though, so that it picks up on the change of IP address that usually occurs when you swap between the two options.

(This will only work if you have the NDX2 connected via Ethernet cable directly to the Melco’s player port)

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@Tobythemartian how long do you have the NDX2 playing in your setup?

I think it is just an burn-in period what you need.

I have an NDX2 and in the beginning is was also :smirk: but after 5-6 months it breaks open. Way far better then my NDX(1) that i had. So be patient.

For the network issues, is your source ‘on’ and in the same wifi-network? I do have different wifi-network in my home.

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Mince seem to work very well for me right from the box although with the aid of a 555PSDR. It related an NDS. I do prefer the sound and usability of the NDX2. No doubt I’d prefer NDSs replacement but as a recent retiree I needed to show the home bank manager that there were other things to invest in too - well, especially as she let me update the LP12 and new speakers!

Upgrading not necessary :slight_smile:

Hope the set will soon settle down.

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The turntable under the rack ? Not common :grin:

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No, it’s temporary. Not playing record when it stands there.

I imagine, would be difficult in that case :laughing:

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