dkrause
08-12-2012, 20:32
Let me start by saying I am new to the forum so I apologize in advance if I don't handle this post correctly. I am at an impasse with my ND5 XS and I am hoping someone can give me some real world guidance based on personal experience.
I purchased the ND5 XS to handle two main tasks. First, I am using it as a DAC for my Oppo BDP-95 and for that it works great. Second, I wanted it to stream music from a NAS drive. In this regard I had a couple of goals. First, I wanted the Naim/NAS communication to take place independent of my computer. Second, I wanted the Naim to be able to access not only hi-res files purchased form HDTracks (for example) but also my iTunes library and any other music files contained therein. I have now experimented with two different NAS drives with less than acceptable results. Here is what I have done so far:
1. Drobo FS: I used the Drobo FS successfully last year with a Logitech Squeezebox Touch to stream all sorts of music to my system. The Logitech of course ran some sort of media server software and in doing so, it easily found all of my music on my Drobo FS and played it all back just fine. There were a couple of formats it could not handle but overall, it worked consistently. When trying to use the Naim and the Drobo, I am stuck needing some sort of software interface to facilitate the discussion between the two units. Drobo has "DroboApps" and I have installed both Fuppes and Firefly. I was unable to access Firefly to do any configuration and while I can access Fuppes, the best I could get was the Naim seeing one of the three music folders I added - although it was unable to play any tracks contained in that folder. The connection is stable to the Drobo FS but the software seems lacking. I have been trying to post on the Drobo forum to see if something like Twonky could run on the Drobo but I have not gotten anywhere.
2. WD MyBook Live Duo: On a recommendation from my local Naim dealer, I recently purchased a WD MyBook Live Duo. It runs some sort of DLNA software and it appeared that my problems may have been solved. Unfortunately, despite multiple calls to WD, I cannot figure out why the connection to the WD drive keeps disappearing. To fix that I have to re-boot everything. That in turns causes the WD to re-build the database...it's all very inelegant and VERY inconsistent. So, while this drive worked at times, I am not convinced it is the answer.
The US importer of Naim (Sound Organization) has been remarkably patient with me and has tried to be very helpful. I certainly realize that they cannot be asked to support every possibly Naim/NAS drive combo. They have indicated that they have had good results pairing the Naim units with NAS drives from NetGear, Q-NAP and Certon (with the first two running Twonky). They also of course pointed out that I could invest in a UnitiServe which would handle the communication between the ND5 XS and just about any NAS drive - that of course is a $3,500-4,000 solution...I am hoping that someone has dealt with this situation already and has maybe come up with some stable, cost-effective solutions that I could incorporate using most/all of my current hardware. I welcome any thoughts anyone has on this issue.
I purchased the ND5 XS to handle two main tasks. First, I am using it as a DAC for my Oppo BDP-95 and for that it works great. Second, I wanted it to stream music from a NAS drive. In this regard I had a couple of goals. First, I wanted the Naim/NAS communication to take place independent of my computer. Second, I wanted the Naim to be able to access not only hi-res files purchased form HDTracks (for example) but also my iTunes library and any other music files contained therein. I have now experimented with two different NAS drives with less than acceptable results. Here is what I have done so far:
1. Drobo FS: I used the Drobo FS successfully last year with a Logitech Squeezebox Touch to stream all sorts of music to my system. The Logitech of course ran some sort of media server software and in doing so, it easily found all of my music on my Drobo FS and played it all back just fine. There were a couple of formats it could not handle but overall, it worked consistently. When trying to use the Naim and the Drobo, I am stuck needing some sort of software interface to facilitate the discussion between the two units. Drobo has "DroboApps" and I have installed both Fuppes and Firefly. I was unable to access Firefly to do any configuration and while I can access Fuppes, the best I could get was the Naim seeing one of the three music folders I added - although it was unable to play any tracks contained in that folder. The connection is stable to the Drobo FS but the software seems lacking. I have been trying to post on the Drobo forum to see if something like Twonky could run on the Drobo but I have not gotten anywhere.
2. WD MyBook Live Duo: On a recommendation from my local Naim dealer, I recently purchased a WD MyBook Live Duo. It runs some sort of DLNA software and it appeared that my problems may have been solved. Unfortunately, despite multiple calls to WD, I cannot figure out why the connection to the WD drive keeps disappearing. To fix that I have to re-boot everything. That in turns causes the WD to re-build the database...it's all very inelegant and VERY inconsistent. So, while this drive worked at times, I am not convinced it is the answer.
The US importer of Naim (Sound Organization) has been remarkably patient with me and has tried to be very helpful. I certainly realize that they cannot be asked to support every possibly Naim/NAS drive combo. They have indicated that they have had good results pairing the Naim units with NAS drives from NetGear, Q-NAP and Certon (with the first two running Twonky). They also of course pointed out that I could invest in a UnitiServe which would handle the communication between the ND5 XS and just about any NAS drive - that of course is a $3,500-4,000 solution...I am hoping that someone has dealt with this situation already and has maybe come up with some stable, cost-effective solutions that I could incorporate using most/all of my current hardware. I welcome any thoughts anyone has on this issue.