Mac mini with naim ndx2

Support
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Hello, I have a problem that’s been bothering me. I am using a Mac Mini M4 as the Roon core, connected via Ethernet to a Dela S100 switch. The Naim NDX2 is also connected to the switch via Ethernet. When playing music from Tidal and Qobuz through Roon, I can play 44.1kHz 16-bit music normally. However, I cannot play 96kHz or 192kHz high-resolution music properly. Usually, the music plays for a few seconds and then there’s no sound, followed by skipping to the next track with a message saying the track cannot be played.

To rule out various factors, I tried replacing the switch, but the problem persisted. I also replaced the streamer and used Auralic Aries as a network bridge, connected to the switch via Ethernet, then outputting coaxially to the Naim NDX for decoding and playing music. All high-resolution music could be played normally in this setup. Additionally, I tried playing music directly from the Mac Mini, using a USB cable to output to the DAC, which also worked fine.
I also attempted to play local high-resolution music using Roon, but the Naim NDX2 still couldn’t play it properly. Therefore, I suspect that the Roon Ready function of the Naim NDX2 is not fully compatible. Oh, and to rule out issues with the Naim NDX2 itself, I also tried using the built-in streaming software Focal & Naim to play high-resolution music from Tidal, and it worked fine. What could be the cause, and is there a solution?

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You already seem to have ruled out many things, and I don’t know what causes your issue, but that’s not the case in general.

  1. Roon Ready devices go through a certification process, so normally the compatibility is ensured
  2. I have used Roon with an NDX-2 for years and there were literally zero problems. There are no fundamental problems being reported on the Naim forum, either.

It is possible to make the NDX-2 write log files to an attached USB stick. Maybe they give hints. I would contact the Naim support as well, while waiting for what Roon support may find out on their side.

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You could try connecting the Roon Server directly to the router vs the switch and see if that helps.

1 Like
4

Hi @XIAO_QI,

There are two tests you’ll need to perform to identify where packet loss or throughput is causing playback issues with this format.

To test RoonServer’s ability to buffer from streaming service servers:

Connect the Mac Mini directly to your upstream router (bypass the switch). Next, connect the Naim NDX2 directly to your RoonServer Mac Mini. Try to play 96Khz Tidal files to this USB Zone. If playback errors persist then it’s the download from Tidal’s servers that is struggling. You could repeat the test with local files to be sure.

To test the network’s ability to distribute audio without packet loss:

The most expedient test would be to hardwire the RoonServer machine and the Naim directly to the router, as @Mike_LC suggested. Bypass all the switches in your setup. If RoonServer can download and distribute 96Khz content from Tidal in this arrangement without playback stopping, then the managed switch is likely imposing packet scheduling (QoS) or blocking multicast forwarding.

If you specify the name of a track that is failing to play after or during these tests, we’ll pinpoint the event in RoonServer diagnostics. We’ve sent a request to your RoonServer to automatically upload diagnostics that should have been completed by the time we see a response, so we’ll be equipped to troubleshoot more precisely.

Thanks!

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The NDX-2 doesn’t have an audio USB input, the ports are only for storage devices. Its only digital inputs are optical TOSLink (up to 24bit/96kHz), coaxial RCA (up to 24bit/192kHz, DoP 64Fs), and coaxial BNC (up to 24bit 192kHz, DoP 64Fs)

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Yes, you are right, the NDX does not have USB input functionality to act as a DAC. Therefore, to rule out any issues with using the Mac Mini as the Roon core for playback, I tested with another DAC that supports USB input. In this setup, all music played correctly.

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Thank you for your reply. Could you please provide some information about your hardware setup? For example, what is the hardware version number of your NDX2? Is it connected to the router via Ethernet? Where is your Roon core running? Is it also connected to the router via Ethernet? Additionally, could you share if you have any special audio settings in Roon? I have tried various settings in the audio settings, but have not been able to resolve the issue and can currently only listen to 44.1kHz music.

8

Thank you for your suggestion. As Suedkiez mentioned, the NDX does not have USB input functionality to act as a DAC. Therefore, to rule out any issues with using the Mac Mini as the Roon core for playback, I tested with another DAC that supports USB input. In this setup, all music played correctly. I also tried bypassing the switch and connecting both the Mac Mini and the NDX directly to the router via Ethernet, but the problem still persists.

9

Thank you for your suggestion. To check if the issue was caused by the switch, I did exactly that, but the problem still persists.

1 Like
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Don’t know the hardware version number, what is that? To my knowledge, there is only one hardware variant.

The Roon Server and the NDX-2 are connected by Ethernet to the same unmanaged switch, which is connected to the router.

The server is ROCK.

I don’t have special settings, I use what the NDX-2 and Roon negotiated automatically via the Roon Ready protocol.

I can play every resolution I ever tried (the maximum I tried being 192/24, both from Qobuz and local files). I haven’t heard a single dropout ever.

I plugged it in 4 years ago and it has just worked ever since. The general feeling I’ve seen on the Roon and Naim forums, even by users who are critical of either, is that Naim‘s Roon Ready implementation is rock solid.

11

Thank you for your reply. I am looking into the cause. It might be a network issue since I am located in mainland China and need VPN nodes to use Roon’s services properly. However, I initially suspected this and tested the network speed. Additionally, using the Mac to play music independently or using other streamers works fine, so it shouldn’t be a network issue. Or could it be that the NDX 2 requires more network bandwidth when connected to Roon compared to other Roon Ready devices?

12

I can’t imagine how. The Roon Server always sends the raw PCM data, which has a fixed size for every resolution.

However, as you are probably aware, Roon Ready does use more data within the LAN than most other streaming solutions, because:

  • Everything goes through the server, so when using streaming services the data goes from Internet to server, then from server to streamer.
  • The server sends raw PCM to the streamer, which is approx. 40% larger than FLAC.
13

Hi @XIAO_QI,
Since you are in mainland China please take a look at this knowledge base article on the topic. It has some troubleshooting tips if they don’t work you may find an answer in the Tinkering section of community.

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Thank you all for your help. The problem has finally been resolved. If any of you encounter a similar issue, you can refer to my solution.
Check if the IP address of the NDX2 is within the range set by the router’s DHCP. If you need to change the IP address, you will have to reset the device to its factory settings, after which it will automatically obtain the correct IP address. Additionally, having both my router and optical modem enabled with DHCP might have caused a conflict. In the end, I resolved the issue by disabling the DHCP on the optical modem and connecting it to the router via an Ethernet cable. All other devices are then connected through the router.

2 Likes
15

Hi @XIAO_QI,
We’re glad you were able to get everything working. I’ll mark this thread as solved for you. It will remain open a few more days in case the problem returns.

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