Square ? What’s that ?
Square is a payments company founded and run by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
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Square is the mobile payments firm run by Jack Dorsey(started Twitter). Not sure if it’s available in the EU. They also own Cashapp which is popular here in the States(at least for my nephew)
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Thanks, looks a curious acquisition… I wonder how long it will last before it’s sold again…
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So Square is now majorly in the Tidal capital, right ?
Since when ?
Not sure about the plan, but Dorsey has enough money to spend on what he likes. Maybe he’s a Tidal & Roon user 
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Yeah it almost feels like it was agreed during a rather drunken weekend between the two of them… but of course I am being un fair and almost certainly is an astute business investment decision…
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Good explanation of what’s going on with Tidal here.
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…for me the NDX 2 with XPS DR is perfect for me with my 2000 CD’s ripped to NAS but find myself mostly listening to HiRes streaming from Qobuz.
I would demo an XPS DR/NDX 2 to see if you hear the improvements. I have only heard one member state they did not see the benefit while every other feedback was positive.
As they say, your ears, your system in your room will provide the answer.
Good luck…
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I agree. I remember when I got the XPS2 for my CDX2. A true easy improvement that lasted.
I experimented a lot with ethernet for a while incl. Cisco 3560 and in the end an Etherregen. I think they make a diff but I was never sure it was better or worse with either Naim or Linn Klimax streamers. In the end I just reinstalled the old plain stuff and I happy with it
It says no more than the previous reference, which isn’t a lot… no real justification other than a bland platitude on artist royalties… still curious… I don’t give it a long marriage…
Likewise with the XPS2 on the CDX2… with my 282 the XPS2 made a huge difference on the CDX2 in terms of sonic performance and preference, with my 252 and then 552 i actually rather preferred my CDX2 native… but on Fraim. I sold my XPS2 as it was redundant… but bought an extra Fraim shelf for my CDX2… that was the game changer with the CDX2 on a revealing system, not the the XPS2, other people’s mileage may vary.
As for switches, then yes there are certain functions on higher performing devices that make your network operate better for home audio… you don’t need them however…
On the first gen streamers I did find significant sensitivity to the home network … with the later streamers Naim specifically designed the streamer to be less sensitive through use of LVDS and data spooling algorithms and other methods, I notice some are still reporting a degree of serial clock coupling through to the audio in their new streamers when using the inbuilt DAC… I have since found decoupling the DAC from the current streamer via an SPDIF now decouples the audio SQ performance from the network entirely… that is how it should be and thank goodness it is.
I suspect when or if the Statement streamer appears… the DAC and streamer will be physically decoupled and separate.
As I said before, digital being digital and what a streamer does is download data files in (almost) real time I´m very skeptical of real improvement of “hifi” data switches.
What I can imagine is that should be clear benefits of separating analog conversion from transport, so the ideal solution would be a CD transport and a streamer transport with a common DAC, as a friend of mine has with Inuuos for streamer/local storage and a swiss brand for the other two (cd transport and dac/pre), don´t remember the name. Then he has 2 valve chinese mono blocks, and 2 expensive loudspeakers from somewhere. Of course the result is… bahh. My dear Naims. But he likes it.
So, if my CDX2 had a USB input somewhere, I would buy a comprehensive streamer transport with a Windows app and not with a lousy Android one and be happy.
Hi @seakayaker . I have this set up too, the NDX2 with XPS DR and use it to listen to streamed Qobuz mainly, a small amount of Tidal for things I cannot find on Qobuz and various Internet radio stations. I think the sound is great through my 282/250.
My question is, as I have been toying with the idea of getting a nas/roon core etc to download Hi res music. Is do you notice any sound quality difference from stored Hi res files to the same streamed Hi res files direct from Qobuz. Is it even worth having a server with Qobuz streaming so good do you think or is money better spent elsewhere such as Hicap to Supercap. This is a question to all really. Thanks.
I have the same system as you, but fed by a UnitiCore, and different speakers. To my ears local streaming from the Core sounds superior to Tidal (“Hi-Fi”) and Qobuzz high res. Just more dynamic and more alive, this is how I do most of my listening. I haven’t tried local streaming from a NAS, opinions seem to vary as to whether NAS sound better, the same or worse than a Core.
Paul
A nice journey, indeed.
Of course, one can progress via the Naim route, maximizing the sinergy between equipments that were designed to work well with oneanother or explore by itself, funds available.
I come to Naim longtime ago after my very well choosed but not at all satisfied afterwards, a Audiolab 8000A, Marantz CD80, Rega ELA, Eagle cable, and have no reason to change it. Only rumblings now and then, like the humming coming from the Hicap or the erratic Android App.
My own system is similar to your own (252 instead of 282). I can hear very little, if any, difference between a hi-res file streamed directly from my local server and the same hi-res file streamed from Qobuz. Mostly, I use Roon for both.
Also, in my experience, it doesnt necessarilly follow that a streamed hi-res file is better than the same recording ripped from CD.
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I do notice the difference in sound with the HiRes files that I have downloaded vs my ripped CD (44.1/16) on the NAS. Since I have moved into retirement my income has been reduced to about 40% of my working salary. So to be completely honest my purchase volume of CD’s have been reduced and I listen to most new releases via streaming and I love the music! I still by buy some CD’s but during this first year of retirement, especially in this strange year of pandemic, I am adapting to the new lifestyle of lots of freedom buy less buying power.
So I believe a NAS or Music Server is a very good investment. I could find no difference in the music from my CD player and my NAS. Granted the two I have used were a Cambridge Transport into a ND5 XS and a Naim CD5sI.
I am very happy with my four box system of XPS DR > NDX 2 > HiCap DR > SN 2. I use a Hi-Line interconnect, NACA5 speaker cables and AV Options TibiaPlus12 Deep-Cryo AC power cables. Other accessories a English Electric 8Switch and Quadraspire Q4EVO Bamboo 4 Shelf Rack. (I included all of the components because they all have added up to the complete sound package.)
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Kind of they are not files however, they are http or https rtp based data streams from the CDN.
But the key thing often is not about data at the Ethernet level or upwards, but coupled noise from serial line clocks, so nothing to do with the actual data. A serial line with a noisy clock will create more noise power which can couple into the receiver… think of an FM radio. So called ‘audiophile’ switches often focus on reducing the noise power of the serial clocks transmitted over the Ethernet leads… to reduce noise coupling to sensitive devices.