The UPNP scenario causes a tiny amount of extra noise in the streamer when reading the ram buffer (cpu + memory access), the Roon scenario causes a tiny amount of extra electrical noise when reading the PCM stream (network access)
However, even when the large buffer is used in the UPnP scenario it is not as if there is no network access. While music plays from the “start” of the buffer, the buffer needs to be refilled “at the back” with data to be played later.
When streaming PCM directly to the streamer it requires both the Roon system and the streamer to function optimally and stay in perfect sync during playback.
While true, this is simply done by RAAT and there is not indication that this isn’t working
True, although i believe it was stated that the entire file was read into the buffer before playback. The buffer on the modern streamers is apparently large enough for this. So this would avoid most additional network access during playback.
Yes i’m sure it works fine in practice, it was mainly as a point in principle (less potential points of failure is preferrable). For local networks it is likely more than stable enough for daily use.
up at the application level - i would think there is a ram spooling for all modes - its just the size of the buffer that varies between application. Cloud streaming/upnp large, Roon low to meet latency requirements.
Sure, it is first filled or else a buffer would have no point, but I don’t think that playback waits until it is fully filled - else someone with a 25 Mbit/s data rate would have to wait 16 seconds for playback to begin. (50MB buffer)
In any case, with short tracks you want gapless playback, not wait for the buffer to fill from scratch on every track change. When playing tracks that are longer than the buffer covers, obviously they play continuously too
I am intrigued - were you not once of the opinion that the unit reporting 32 bit to Roon is overstating and it would be better to change the setting in Roon to 24 bits? I think I read several older posts of yours about this while I researched Roon.
Yes, although 25mbit/s might be a bit low for local networks ofcourse.
Also the PCM stream will be roughly 50-100% larger than for instance a FLAC, so it will require more bytes to be moved and buffered, which will cause some extra noise.
All theoretical ofcourse, i don’t really think this has any real world implications…
For local yes, but not for Qobuz internet access, where the large buffer is even more important. 25 Mbit or even 50 (still an 8 sec wait) is a common lower-tier internet service in Germany (and way more than even Netflix 4K needs)
That’s true, but if you’re reading a 16bit FLAC from Qobuz, it will probably still be 3-4 times less bytes than have to be read when for instance streaming 32bit PCM from Roon to the streamer. So i think it’s safe to say that the latter scenario will require a lot more network activity and buffering…
Sure, but my point was that there is network activity during playback regardless of the buffer size as even if the 50MB RAM buffer is used and the music plays from this buffer, the buffer still has to be topped up continually or else it will deplete
However, through this forum and a Facebook group I have procrastinated about updating to a Nova due to individuals experience of screen freezes, reliability etc.
It’s illogical I know, because all manufacturers of any product can have issues but it’s making me very cautious about purchasing the Nova.
Strangely an amp and separate streamer doesn’t worry me so much!!!
There don’t appear to be any Nova specific issues in that regard currently, most of the issues that are being addressed relate to generic issues that may impact any of the streaming products.
Yes, the fact that I can only see my choices of Albums and Tracks in the sequence that they were added, makes it very difficult to use my music thru the Naim App.
I don’t even seem to have any of the other issues that people are experiencing, but I am currently hesitating to add any more selections to my collections because of this, and as such, I wonder if I can even continue using the App as my music access control.
I just need a separation of Genres, and alphabetical sort by Artist within each Genre.
My Album list is like this: dvorak, pink floyd, linda ronstadt, vivaldi, king crimson, paul desmond, van morrison, shakira, beethoven …
It’s very difficult to select a piece of music. And every time I choose an Album or Track, it always zeros back to the top of the list, and I have to scroll down to where I was before.
Sorry, I missed your question. I found I needed to enter the genres manually, following the first with a semi colon and a single space. The album then appears under both genres. I initially tried without the space and the album appeared under neither. Thanks very much for the tip.
thank you