Several years ago I used the optical output from a MacMini into an nDAC as my front end. I’m something of a cable sceptic, but I did hear a difference between the optical cables I tried. More expensive ones often used glass fibre rather than plastic and had better quality Toslink connectors and did sound better to my ears. (I ended up with a Wireworld supernova, now in my stock of unused cables.) I’d be inclined to upgrade but not to stratospheric price levels.
Roger
Thanks Roger, that’s helpful - I’ll look around if only to get something a bit more robust. The included cable is very thin and might not survive investigation by our two cats! Credit to Presto for including all you need to get started though.
I have a vdh toslink. Absolutely does sound completely different to every other Toslink cable I’ve tried (which otherwise sound remarkably similar!)
Is that the Van Den Hul Optocoupler?
Yep, from CD transport to Qutest.
Thanks, I’ll check it out.
Just in the process of buying myself a Naim streamer - but no Presto , does anybody know if there are plans to add Presto ?
Recently I seem to have bought most of my CDs from there - but I am running out of space
Maybe first the urgency is Tidal Max. Then Amazon HD, as some revendicate it.
I use VDH optocoupler into Ndac. It’s very good.
Google - optocoupler supernova 6moons
You’ll find a Toslink v Coax comparison. (second page)
I think they found that a good quality glass toslink is just as good as more expensive Coax.
The optocoupler is good value at £75. The quality compared to free toslink cable is obvious.
Naim has said nothing about Presto integration.
But using the Presto app to control their streamer and connecting that by optical cable to a digital input on a Naim streamer works fine, albeit it’s a bit clunky using two apps. And the phone isn’t involved in the actual signal path - it’s just a control point.
As far as I can see Presto only offer support for their service to BluOS, which is an easy way of getting exposure to a number of brands other than just Bluesound who use BluOS to add streaming to their hardware instead of developing it in house, as Naim have.
So I would be surprised if Naim were able to support it natively if they wanted to, and even then they would want to be sure that long term demand was sufficient to justify them putting resources into it.
Presto’s own streamer isn’t BluOS. But I think BluOS is the only third party provider that has integrated Presto streaming so far.
From what I have read as a Presto subscriber, they are open to other providers integrating their service. But whether it would be worth Naim’s while to do it is another matter.
Thank you , my suspicion is that Presto know their catalogue better than others who probably can’t tell their Taylor Swift from their Leonard Cohen
Thank you , I hope their system is a success
I’ve never had a lot of luck with the Naim app, so am perfectly happy to use the Presto app and streamer unless things change. The Presto app is still limited in some ways but has a lot of potential.
Read this at the time and David’s excellent thread. By chance found myself in Warwickshire today and popped into Presto in L-Spa as they opened.
Surprisingly the shop doesn’t stock the streamer - it seems on a weekday it can be obtained from the warehouse, so alas I will have to order that and a couple of vinyl records I had on my list.
I will wait until the end of the proms, so I can make full use of the Presto trial period.
Thanks for the steer.
I believe the trial period is for the Presto streaming service but not the streamer itself. However the streamer is very cheap, as mentioned before, so I thought it was worth a punt. I ran the Presto service and Qobuz in parallel and then cancelled the Qobuz sub after a month or two.
The streamer was delivered very quickly after I ordered it. Next day dispatch, with a 24, or maybe 48, hour delivery.
I’ve been listening to Presto Music via their streamer for around three weeks now and the only negative to report is that occasionally 192 kHz albums start buffering and stop-starting before continuing playback. Anything 96 kHz downwards is fine. This is using Optical-Out with the supplied TosLink cable. I’ve just ordered an Optocoupler cable - I don’t know if this will make any difference.
However, if I use the Aux-Out to one of the analog inputs on the S90, playback is flawless. Does this suggest that the buffering issue is with the S90?
Overall though Presto is an excellent all round streaming service for Classical and Jazz.
I had offering issues on high res until I set up a specific WAP which is used only by the Presto streamer and sited 6 inches from the Presto streamer. Since then even 192/24 hr is no problem. I use the supplied optical connector into a digital input on my Nova. I have meant to connect the analogue output to my 272 which is in the same rack but for a different room. But I haven’t got round to it.
I think the WiFi module in the Presto streamer is seriously rubbish, rather like legacy Naim streamers in fact. But if you work around that, it’s fine.
I love Presto but I fight with the Streamer. I don’t think it will work until it has Ethernet.
Before I purchased my Naim Unit Atom I wrote to asking if Presto may become native. They replied that Presto was very small beer and the cost of native integration was substantial. No and never was the answer. Hence I bought the Presto. I will do another post when I have fully digested the fine work posted by others. on the Presto Streamer.
!'m sure I can use the countless hours I’ve wasted trying to achieve seamless listening to help others. In the meantime do you know of this way to listen to the CDs purchased from Presto
