I have just sold my NDX because I got the word that the processor board can’t process streamed High Definition Audio on the fly. It can certainly play high def from a server, I’ve been doing that for years.
I think naim really haven’t been moving with the times.
As an example, my smart TV (it’s an LG OLED) which cost me £1300 in a sale last year, regularly informs me on start up that there are software upgrades available and would I like to install them.
If my relatively cheap TV can do this then surely my naim streamer (okay going forward) should be able to do the same?
Both are connected to the internet…it’s not bloody rocket science to a bunch of code writers is it!?
Up-dating the firmware (the last time I did it) was a right old balls ache.
C’mon naim, get your act together.
ALSO, I would be pretty pissed off if I had spent the thick end of six grand on a streamer that can’t stream hi Res files over the internet. I would go as far to say you (we) might be better off with a relatively cheap streamer (that can stream hi-res Flac, etc) outputting into a naim DAC?
There’s my little rant for the day 
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scales of production; LG smart TVs have reason for the ‘support’ they receive.
(My Panasonic TV had a ‘fake update “TV BIOS” snuck in with a Disney TV update’… -Disney bastardised my TV to lose my professional colour recalibration and forced surround only digital audio output (rather than 2channel PCM).
TV updates are just as much about selling new TVs and FORCING new TV sales, and hence the care and attention they get.
In decades as a service tech, I have worked for IT businesses that refused to do firmware updates (risk/‘potential cost’); the fact that modern world corporations constantly break my three year old kit via updates/most non apple phones have a three year security/android update path, and Win10/11 forced updates has broken more than ten of my personal IT purchases including my three month old Lenovo Yoga (battery firmware forced via windows that stopped charging device-tool is now dead…)
Updates once existed for consumers.
Nearly twenty years ago we started the downfall/switch to 'updates allow big business to turn more profit &either by releasing early unfinished and unrefined products, or by deprecating existing parts (force new sale).
I used a camera and wireless printer this morning that wouldn’t talk to each other, even though ‘both the same brand’, and ‘designed to do so’…
Both required firmware updates which actually revealed the first update locked out the other part until it also got the latest… (standard affair used to ‘learn what consumers are doing/spending habits etc’)
having soundbars by LG that update against my will because someone bluetoothed music from their phone (with an internet connection), and said forced firmware breaks soundbar to be useless to the family…
I no longer buy from the bastard companies that use forced updates for anti consumer reasons… (like three samsung phones I bought that CAME WITH APT X HD, vut firmwared and updated to Samsung Scalable Bluetooth codec)…
companies like iFi and Fiio update older products with present firmware capabilities if it is doable.
Good.
then companies like Sony who make cameras, for which some scientists develop a cool trick to use the sensor shift image stabilisation to take multiple photos to stack for high res macro photography…
rather than share that, they bundle it as a new feature on ‘next years product’.
anti consumer companies lose my business and recommendations.
great companies that are ‘pro consumer’ and want to build trust and faith, get my future purchases.
most businesses have done the math and are willing to ‘burn everyone once’ and make their riches whilst ‘losing rapport and goodwill’ with the people who empowered them in the first place.
Fool me once, shame on you…
Give me reason to believe your business WANTS to do well by me; loyal fans you make!
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That’s because you own an obsolete streamer. All the recent streamers and even gen 1 musos update firmware automatically “over the air”. Naim can’t update out of date hardware with a firmware update!
Hi everyone, from what I understand… to date my nd5xs2 trans streamer
tidal ette at 16/44 resolution via naim application and the same resolution is obtained via tidal connect; I wrote to Naim support for information and the kind Mr. Kevin replied that it is planned to provide an update within the first six months of the year; seeing the firmware updates of the network player I must say that there have not been many but I am waiting with confidence; of course in my second system I have a wiim pro connected to ndac which is updated practically once a month and has already introduced tidal flac in hires for quite some time… including tidal connect. at the moment I use roon with tidal but I really hope they are a little faster in these things also because we are talking about very expensive electronics anyway.
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I don’t know this graphic, what application are you using?
naim must have been waiting for StreamUnlimited to release an SDK for their hardware boards allowing Tidal max before updating firmwares.
That SDK was made available a few weeks ago (with support for Tidal Connect), so you would assume naim will release updated firmware soon.
The merits of building a new product line (333) which relies on a third party vendor who are so slow to market with support for new offerings are debatable.
As many others have pointed out on this thread other vendors have supported Tidal Max for up to 6 months.
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Bubble UPnP player and bubblesoft server running on my NAS
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Lindemann made an update yesterday but I tried it with tidal connect and still no Max over connect there. Only Max when using their own app.
Well that particular ‘third party’ or OEM component partner, StreamUnlimited, are one of the leaders in the business - and I would prefer Naim to partner with someone like them as opposed to ty and build something from scratch like they did with the gen 1 streamers (it will likely cost more, be less functional, and potentially take longer to develop and adapt to changes) . Naim use OEMs throughout their digital products including from Texas Instruments and Analog Devices
I suspect one of the issues is with authentication of the end point - and Tidal have decided to do it their own way to suit their particular business model… I suspect it could prove costly for them if it is too non standard. There is a bit of growing question mark in my mind on Tidal’s technology choices - you would have thought they would have played the game more consistently after the MQA debacle?
This tech is pretty mature now and so doesn’t need to be difficult, as service providers may find at their cost. Qobuz are probably rubbing their hands with glee at the moment.
Apple Music only seem to get away with it because of their size - but even the wheels on their dominance are starting to wobble.
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Fully agree. No point in Naim rolling their own streaming board when there’s sufficiently high-quality dedicated providers in the market. The complaint that it’s taking Naim too long to uptake improvements is still valid tho.
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So from today the new lower pricing is active for Tidal Hires. Last time I evaluated Tidal and Qobuz hires I could not hear any difference. Since Lindemann can output Max through their app using Streaming unlimited streaming hardware I will assume Naim could launch the same through their app. It’s Max over Connect that has been the showstopper for Naim and Lindemann but Naim seem to have chosen not to provide Max through their app. For some reason. My guess is due to it being difficult to communicate why it works with the Naim app and not over Connect.
This is Lindemann Bridge II using Streaming unlimited hardware. They also do not support Max over Connect yet but do offer Max through their own app.
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Do Tidal publish a list of equipment that max will work on?
I intend to try it out via a Wiim streamer into my NDX, but where to go if I like it?
It’s the other way around so you need to check with the manufacturer of the product. Tidal offers integration for everyone that wants to support it. It’s not a Tidal approves thingy like Roon. So check with WiiM in this case on what they support.
Hmmmm.
In the testing stages still, but all is looking good, amazing that a contraption/gizmo that costs a few quid can totally transform a dedicated streamer costing far more.
Am I correct in thinking that there is no Naim product that is compatible with Tidal Max streams?
Hi again.
Question then to Mr. Happy.
Are you now streaming Tidal Flac hi Res using a Wiim streamer successfully into your naim NDX?
I’m wondering if I could do similar into my ND5XS?? Could be a cheap way to access Hi-res files for just a £150 outlay.
Cheers. Gaz
Take a look at mConnect
I guess what I don’t understand is that if mconnect is ‘just’ a controller that hands off the actual streaming of hires to my 222, and it’s been around a while, how hard can it be to add this functionality to the Naim app and why is it taking so long?
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The makers of JPLAY announce that they have implemented support for Tidal MAX into the latest version of their software. Which means that streaming up to and including Tidal quality of 24 bit / 192 kHz becomes possible. In fact, that’s a higher quality than Tidal MASTER previously had to offer, the announcement mentions. JPLAY is a comprehensive app that works with virtually every streamer and DAC currently available. UPnP AV is the protocol that unlocks all the possibilities.
Universal Interface
Conveniently, the software offers one universal interface. This merges local content and streaming content from Qobuz and Tidal into a user-friendly and convenient solution.