I thought I would add to this … I have been experimenting with room eq using REW and creating a filter kernel for Roon to compensate and loading in its ‘convolution’ setting on the Roon core to play out on my NDX2. I am really rather impressed. I have a calibrated microphone that I use with REW to create the filter kernel… and a little bit of trial and error with averaging levels and microphone placement during sampling - as well as bass roll off filter slope and speaker cutoff - but I have a result now that is rather good with my ATCs in my main room - fair to say with certain recordings an overall improvement - and any slight tendency of bass overhang I had has almost entirely gone as well as enhanced clarity without a tendency to spot light on compressed vocals in the upper mid on some more brittle recordings… some of those 80s Blondie recordings are really rocking now.
Interesting, it’s on my to do list to try something like this. The good thing about Roon DSP is that you can set up a number of different profiles, and switch them on and off at will, so it’s quite versatile.
Me to, I ordered a umik1 microphone from eBay but it never arrived I got a refund but never tried to buy another.
Hi Chris - I think with room eq using the convolution filter you can only have one filter kernel loaded at a time for an audio endpoint - so I have a range of different kernels that I created with REW to trial and error and assigned them to the NDX2 DSP setting on Roon.
Definitely give it a go - its rather good - early days and I am just enjoying more difficult recordings right now - such as poorly recorded Ska and Reggae - but they are sounding rather good.
Hi Simon,
Very interesting. I’ve been meaning to try this as well. In the meanwhile, are you able to use Roon DSP Volume control to your NDX2? I can’t seem to, and am not sure it’s something Naim has disabled as part of their “roon ready” implementation, or if I’m just being a bone head. I wanted to compare it to the NDX2’s internal volume control…
Thanks in advance!
—Pedro
Hi - I bought mine new from miniDSP, its a nice bit of kit - each mic has a serial number - and you can have the calibration file sent to you if you quote the serial number.
Hi - no Roon is unable to seemingly control the volume on my NDX2 so I leave it as fixed - and Naim recommend that anyway for max SQ.
I understand that roon can’t control volume on the NDX2, but why can’t it control volume internally? With my old Classé preamp, I had three options for Volume Control under Device Setup in roon:
- Device Volume
- DSP (roon 64 bit floating point volume)
- Fixed Volume
With my new NDX 2, the second option is gone…
That I don’t know - perhaps something to do with the end point registration details Naim assign to the Roon endpoint that prevent Core offering it for the Naim streamers
My guess as well. Bit heavy-handed on Naim’s part to disable a software feature we paid for in roon…
Just wanted to be sure I wasn’t missing something. Thanks for confirming. Now to go look for a umik1…
I imagine Naim would assume that you are using one of their preamps, and even if you use system automation to get the streamer to control the analogue volume pot, Roon isn’t going to be able to do that.
I’ll likely do that at some point.
I’ll certainly give it a try when I’ve got time. Must buy one of those mic’s and base it on some room measurements next time. My last attempt was an experiment in offsetting age related hearing deterioration, which was interesting!
Hi ChrisSu,
Would you be interested in telling us a little more about the age related hearing deterioration experiment?
Thanks for mention of REW, Simon. Now referenced for future development here. Please keep us updated on your experiments.
BTW, have you used your Hugo as a DAC with the NDX2 digital out yet?
Yes, that is how I am using my NDX2 now… it really sounds mouth wateringly enjoyable… when I get home at night, I can’t wait to listen to it at the moment. really a noticeable step up from the NDX feeding the Hugo… listening to Radiohead Pablo Honey right now… superb album.
Thanks, Simon. That’s good to hear, and I’m with you. I did not want to say beforehand, but after a few months with the ND 555 straight, I recently decided to try my little used Hugo 2 on the BNC digital out. Now I can hardly drag myself away from listening with the H2 in the chain. When ever I had tried the H2 before it had not really worked for me but now I hear a gorgeously transparent and fluid sound. There are certain things missing from when I use the ND’s DAC but I’m staying with the H2 for awhile. My curiosity is pushing me towards wondering what the M Scaler might bring to the Hugo mix. I’m in the process of getting hold of one but it will be a few weeks.
My repeat album these days is Debussy, Tres Sonatas, Late Debussy, Isabelle Faust, et al., utterly beguiling via the ND/Hugo combination. But also, early Leonard Cohen last night was the best I have ever heard those recordings. This set-up also loves the recent Bob Dylan box, too.
See if you can get your hands on an original Hugo mk1… I found that quite improved over the later Hugo mk2… especially in the area of naturalness and ebb and flow… if not necessarily absolute detail.
You can’t be serious. The ND 555 with the included 555 PS is £19,998. And you’re just using it as a replacement for a Raspberry Pi to stream into your Hugo?
Well thank you, suddenly I feel so frugal and responsible about my own HiFi setup 
Maybe I’ll get that 252 after all!
I prefer Hugo 2 to the original Hugo, the M Scaler takes it a step further. It makes everything sound so natural. It is difficult to describe this in HiFi terms because I simply listen to the music. The other nice thing I found is the transport becomes irrelevant: I have tried various ones (not ND555 though), but found no difference. I did find Canare Coaxial cables between M Scaler and DAC preferable to the stock cables. USB or SPDIF from transport to DAC again made no difference. I use Supra USB between a µRendu, powered by the PS that came with it, and my Chord DAC. I found the M Scaler a bigger upgrade than moving to a Chord DAC, but I decided when given a choice do both.
Of course, this is my subjective view so you may reach a different conclusion on audition, but for me, the M Scaler is the single biggest upgrade I have heard in digital replay.