Qutest, Hugo TT2, Mscaler

What optical cable do you use?
Thanks
David

David, I use audioquest optical for Dave, and amazon basics for my 2qute and my I-fi nano ione

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It is certainly nice to the option of an optical connection, I must get round to trying the ‘optical in’ on my RME sometime

Presumably unless feeding from MScaler!

Thanks for your input. I have the Qutest already and it blows me away each and every time I listen to it, source is a CXN v1 into a Cambridge CXA60. A SN3 will replace the latter when it lands with my dealer. Would love a Dave but I’ve got to start somewhere in the Chord range.

I also keep looking at the Auralic Aries G1 which I know @anon23154165 has had, the only things that puts me off are the lack of an Android app and I’m not sure I could live with those grey buttons on the rack with other NAIM equipment.

Then again, the one concern I have with the ND5 XS 2 is the lack of an ‘optical out’ that I know the Qutest is supposed to fair better with vs. BNC.

I played around with the IOS app for Auralic, seemed really good but I mainly used Roon so the app was never really used at all. I think it may have a web page option… not sure.

I replaced my ND5 XS2 for the G1 for the flexibility of different digital outputs. I only sold it as I was running out of space and as I had a Roon NUC that sounded just as good via USB… the space taken up by the G1 was handed over to the Chord Etude. If the G1 was the same size as a TT2, I would have kept it… great transport!

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I believe the URL-based UI is for setup only which is a bit of a bummer. I do like the G1 and your detailed post from last year got me interested in them as you also used a Qutest.

It’s a real shame it doesn’t support Tidal-connect as that would allow me to throw music direct from the native Tidal app.

I keep looking at ROON but as I’m pretty much 95% Tidal streaming (using my phone) vs. 5% NAS local media streaming I’m not sure it’s worth the additional cost. Then again I don’t entirely understand how it works.

Really dumb question please - do I need any additional hardware with ROON (I keep reading about a core / nucleus) or do I literally download an app and start using it?

I use mainly Qobuz with Roon. Probably similar % as you use Tidal.

The Core
If you have a NAS, you can run Roon core on that. If not, you can run Roon Core from a laptop or desktop computer. The ideal is to have it on NAS or standalone server as then you don’t have to leave your computer on.

The Control
With a Core on the laptop/desktop/NAS/NUC you can control, play music from a phone, iPad or computer. I use my iPad and iPhone mostly but sometimes my laptop.

If you wanted to try it, you don’t have to spend anything. Take up one of their trials (3 months I think). Gives plenty of time to see how it works and setting it up on different hardware etc.

I agree about the Auralic, they wouldn’t really blend in on a rack with Naim gear. Personally I wouldn’t see the app issue as a deal breaker - I would just get buy a basic iPad Mini and use it as a dedicated remote if that’s what it takes. It’s not really that expensive in the contect of a system at that level.
FWIW some seem to have problems with the Naim app on Android, so the same approach might apply there too, although when I tried it on an Android device a couple of years ago it worked very well.

I wouldn’t let the lack of an optical out put you off, Naim streamers work really well via their coax output. If you read enough online chatter about it you’ll see people insisting that either USB, coax or optical is the only way to go - they can’t all be right! Trust your own ears.

then the relevant input would be the one on the Mscaler, presumably

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In certain scenarios he might… interesting that the mscalar has no dual optical version… and he would have full control of the transceivers…

So optical works, of course it does, it just it potentially introduces different signal interference compared to coax.

With the Aries G1 you can use the BubbleUpnp app for Android. It works very well. I have an iPod touch and use the Auralic LDS app on that. Whichever is closer to me or charged up at the time gets used.
The web interface for the G1 is just for configuring it.
I use optical into my Qutest from the G1. I prefer it over coax or usb and I do get a reliable 24/192 connection via optical when necessary.

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Auralic line of streamers …

no chromecast
no native android app
perfomance - well not as good musically as a Naim streamer into a Chord DAC according to my ears and opinion. The Naim pulls ahead musically and with more bass, clearly audible, not a small difference. The galvanic isolation on the SPDIF output isn’t as good as the one done by Naim (if indeed the auralic is galvanically isolated)

The auralic products that started with low and reasonable asking prices were more interesting.

The bottom line is that Auralic wants to ask the same kind of money as Naim- it should have perform as well a Naim streamer (this is my opinion) , and at the very least have the same features (which is a fact) mentioned above, which I found it did not.

The Auralic lacks a BNC output which the Naim has.

As for optical output and using Bubble UPNP, well I would just buy a raspberry pi with a card that has optical output for a lot less cash - or a google chromecast audio, which is available on the usual bay …

Ali… what do you mean by this… as we are discussing on another thread, this is meta linguistic, as it it means nothing or what ever you want it to be…
Naim make audio replay systems… they can’t and don’t create music…
You might prefer a tonal balance or emphasis giving a more coherent replay. (I believe frequency masking has a big part in how we perceive preference) You might might prefer the wide or limited bandwidth response… you might prefer the matching with your speakers giving a more dynamic response in lower frequencies… it might be lower perceived distortion/noise, high bandwidth allowing you to resolve details in the rendered audio, it might be a fast amp providing noticeably clear and dynamic definition across the audio bandwidth, it might be a slower sound, providing a smoother more filtered and preferable replay etc…
Or simply you like the way your favourite recordings sound through it… but give us something meaningful to work with
Cheers
Simon

Actually Simon I had the ND5XS2 at home for a number of days and I was hoping that “all streamers sound the same” into my Chord equipment

They don’t. Transports simply do not sound the same into my Chord Dave.

The Naim was simply more engaging, I enjoyed music more on the Naim, and it had that Naim like quality of being rhythmic even though, it is just providing a signal into my Chord DAC

I tested it against an Auralic streamer, a google CCA, a allo digione signature with the Shanti power supply, all with Naim DC1 cable and a standard one from Farnell

regardless of the cable, the Naim had more bass output than all the others and listening to music was more engaging, and more rhythmic.

As you know, some (including myself) find that even the DC1 cable has this quality, after all it’s only a digital cable. The Naim power line also has this quality.

Naim interconnects such as the lavender all the way to the superlumina are the most engaging to me also, with vertere having a very dynamic sound too. cables are not supposed to have a sound, but some cables are more engaging than others?

I have attempted to build my own Mogami interconnect cable with WBT plugs and it was defeated in about 3 seconds by a Naim lavender cable,

How Naim do it, I don’t know (but I admire how they do whatever they do), but I know that the Naim ND5XS2 is a top quality transport into my Chord Dave, and I don’t think you will disagree with that.

If all streamers sounded the same you would not have found a big uplift between even NDX and NDX2, but it is there…

finally Naim doesn’t have monopoly on engagement and dynamics though, which I why I went with Chord Dacs

Also open to switching my amplifier to Chord Etude when I get a chance to hear one.

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Interesting thread, I have just purchased a Chord Hugo TT2 as a headphone amplifier / DAC as my Naim NDX 2 does not have a headphone out. I thought I would try the TT2 into my NAIM NAC 252 preamp / NAP300 system driving Focal Sopra N0.3’s with various sources, namely a ZEN mk3 via USB running ROON and the NDX2 via BNC/co-ax. I am using Tidal and Qobuz as the music sources playing some Smooth Jazz and have to say that the TT2 is sounding pretty good but difficult to put my finger on what it is, maybe better separation between left and right speakers I don’t know. I’m waiting for am M-Scaler to arrive now so it will be interesting to see how that sounds in the system. I’m not saying the NAIM NDX2 is worse but just a little different in its sound presentation, both sound pretty darned good though. If NAIM had put a good headphone out on their NDX or 252 then I probably would not have gone down the route of the Chord as I have spent enough on the system already, one negative though was that I have had to buy a decent pair of headphones and ended up getting the Focal Utopias, further cost, which I am just running in at the moment. The wife and daughter kept on moaning at me for playing my music a little louder than they would like so I had to resort to using headphones when they are at home watching Eastenders or rubbish like that LOL.

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Sounds familiar :slightly_smiling_face: I had the same complaint… ended up with the Meze Empyrean to go with the TT2/Mscaler.

In fairness, I should thank them as they do sound fantastic and they’re not affected by me moving around… soundstage etc always sounds perfect!

LOL, just have to keep quiet on how much this HiFi stuff costs, I think I would be sent to Coventry, oh I already am in Coventry :grinning: :grinning:

Actually Coventry isn’t too bad I’m sure there are better and worse places.

That’s were I’d be if she ever found out how much :rofl:

I was very much a speaker person beforehand but now my brain has adjusted to the different presentation, I love them to bits.

Once those Utopias burn in they should sound amazing! Very nice :+1:t2:

Thanks… yes as you know I am firm believer in transports… they are definitely not in my experience, as with you, all the same. For me they allow the connected DAC and the rest of the system to perform better… which usually about rendering audio in a more enjoyable, nuanced and insightful way.