Yes, I think it’s just a shame that the first gen didn’t so much, and the android app development process has been appalling. The reviews of the app on the google app store are not good pr for Naim, and until a few months ago imo were wholly justified.
You’re absolutely right and as Simon agrees as well, WiFi and Ethernet cable are both equally networking. What differs is our experiences using Naim products with WiFi connections, they seem almost polar opposite.
Where you are able to use a cable this is advised, I would never recommend WiFi as a primary connection to any of our business clients but I use it myself at home with no issue. The main difference is that by and large cables plug in and just work whereas WiFi setups can be problematic and require some finesse to get the best from them. They are also affected by external influences and the very building they are in. There is rarely one answer and what works for one environment may need changes for another. This is very like HiFi in many ways. Consumer WiFi is designed to work adequately well for the majority with little technical knowledge required, but it can be improved upon.
I have never found someone using very expensive streaming sources wirelessly.
Be it Nd555, top DCS, Aurender W20, Msb…
On all forums relating on streaming audio, like audiophile style, Head Hifi, Whatsbestforum…all use switches and Ethernet cables, never WiFi.
I don’t say WiFi is not good but apparently the vast majority find that using an ethernet cable is better for sound quality.
Interesting I/we do now… in fact we recommend agnostic connectivity, even extending to 4G and higher for end user devices. It’s the way network technology can be now, the days of having to be tethered to an Ethernet connection have largely gone, and there are many management applications to make this more manageable, seamless and configurable in a commercial and flexible environments.
End user networking connectivity is evolving, not least through SDN and persona management, I suspect our humble home and SOHO networks will catch up in a few years.
In this day and age for end user devices and IoT there are not many use cases I can think of that prefer Ethernet over wifi. It is different for infrastructure however.
Ten years ago some home networks used to suffer from terrible Lan blocking problems… through the use of cheap broadband routers and other equipment… this prompted the use of using separate switching.
These days that is not an issue, cheap and ISP broadband routers tend be very capable here due to change in usage patters, however until very recently wifi had become the weak link, and so alternate wifi solutions such as mesh or using Ethernet only was and is often recommended.
That is now changing as wifi solutions are becoming more capable, so now no real need for Ethernet from a performance perspective if you use a modern capable wlan solution, and your end user device is relatively modern.
The next area will be persona and security identity management… as our devices and usage become more mobile and flexible… this is a huge limitation in consumer equipment now… but give it 10 years this will change too.
As I say consumer/home networks are probably a decade behind higher grade commercial approaches.
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Despite the current wave of conspiracy theories, I suspect 5G will increase overall acceptance of wireless as the defacto method of connection. Most people don’t want to concern themselves with the technology of networking, they just want a connection.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if 5G could provide a faster connection in my area to the current and very slowly developing wired infrastructure.
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Don’t get me started on that, 5G uses parts of the spectrum used by old terrestrial TV, mobile as well some higher bandwidths… I didn’t see people worrying when colour TV started to be transmitted, or people worrying about using their 3G/4G devices even in bedrooms!
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Exactly, the days of worrying about whether it’s mobile, Ethernet, wifi are starting to go… that belongs to a receding era of information technology connectivity.
I suspect much or our discussion of Ethernet and wifi on this forum will look very archaic and curious in 10 years time… then it will be connectivity, however you achieve it… even physical ‘home networks’ might become irrelevant and belong to a bygone era.
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Or people ‘strapping’ them to their heads for hours a day.
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Actually all my devices are WiFi, including my ND555.
To be fair I have started running Cat6a as part of a house re-wire but it will be at least a year before the main listening room gets refurbished and I can use them. Meanwhile I am happy using WiFi. I guess I am moving to cables because I can, one day I will report whether SQ changed or not.
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Of course, but I wanted to say that people who have top sources prefer using optimal connecting. Apparently it’s not WiFi.
Love the new writing style @frenchrooster, much more British in tone. You are still getting your points across, but in a more empathetic way, which I think you will find is more impactful and less likely to antagonise, which stating opinions as facts can do.
I hope you don’t find my comments condescending, but I realise that cultural differences when communicating ideas can often elude us all.
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I feel it’s both cultural, because we don’t point always « IMO » and also related to my own character, which is sometimes a bit direct and too affirmed.
Maybe I should say, before my opinions, « I strongly believe « . Is it appropriate ?
Nothing wrong with stating something as a strong belief, but you will gain more traction if you provide some kind of evidence to support your assertions, which of course holds true in any culture.
It’s stating opinions as if they are indisputable facts that tends to grate.
I prefer just saying “i really liked a product, so i bought it because it sounded how I like music”…Its not controversial its an opinion based on ones own preference, and you now own it.
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If I say « I strongly believe « , it means that is my opinion, not ?
The use of the word ‘believe’ does imply it is your opinion, yes.
But, in general, most Brits would not be persuaded by you simply using the word ‘strongly’ beforehand. You would need to convince by citing evidence, even unscientific rhetoric, along the lines Gazza suggests.
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Well, cable is not possible for me, so I have to seek another solution.
In my case I have set up a mesh wifi system to get Qobuz to a mesh wifi node adjacent to my streamer. From there it goes via cable to a switch and my streamer. My NAS is also connected by cable to the switch. So I guess a hybrid system - but then I guess I only have an intermediate streamer😉.
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I have started to look at this again, based on some of my professional work.
Wifi has the ability of matching or exceeding the performance of standard Ethernet for a streamer, but it may need a little bit of help, and be dependent on your wifi AP.
The key thing is the support of WMM by your wifi access point (s) supplying your streamer.
If your AP supports WMM, and Ubiquiti devices do by default, then one needs to set the DSCP value in the frames (QoS) headers to your streamer with either 0x30 or 0x38. You can do this in a quality switch like a 2960 where you set a policy assuming the switch connects the access points or media server.
My NDX2 is being repaired currently so I can’t test and evaluate, but as soon as I have back I will be trying this.
For those that are not familiar with networking, what this does is set air time priority and air time spacing of the frames heading to the streamer at a consistent and small interval over the wifi compared to other traffic. This means the wifi frames will look more like Ethernet frames in terms of timing, but will have the advantage of total electrical separation unlike twisted pair Ethernet.
The DSCP of 0x30 and 0x38 maps to the WMM AC_VO group which is specifically a wireless priority group for audio media and voice and this type of consideration. To be honest I didn’t realise Ubiquiti devices supported WMM by default or I would have done sooner.
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Wow, much of that is well above my pay grade!
However I am using BT wholehome (not mini or premium) mesh nodes and a 2960 switch. Since the wholehome nodes are designed to hook up to a wired item I had hoped that they might be designed to do all that fancy stuff you describe 
. As to my ability to program the switch…errr…possibly not!
But be interested to hear your results.
Thanks Simon, really good info. My Zyxel kit use LLDP but it primarily intended to Auto tag packets as VoIP and to set a VoIP VLAN, not prioritise packets from a wireless client. I’ll give it some thought how i might apply it.
How would you tag a switch port feeding an AP with varied number of wireless clients in such a way as to ensure the QoS markings are continuous to specific devices, is this in the WMM protocol? If so i assume the Naim kit must either advertise the packets with a QoS marker or we’d need to mark then some other way.