I have just installed Kii SEVEN speakers and want to feed them directly on their digital (AES) input. Does anybody know a Roon Ready streaming transport (with digital output) which allows volume control directly on the Roon interface?
My current streamer (Naim NDX2) doesn’t allow volume control on the digital output.
All ideas gratefully received!
A Lumin U2 of U2 mini, both have excellent digital volume control (Leedh) fully integrated in Roon.
The NDX-2 does have optional digital volume but only if you enable it, and it’s not really recommended by Naim as it’s just a 32 bit control that they added to get AirPlay certification. Naim recommends using fixed volume and an amp. That said, users on the Naim forum have tried it and were satisfied, so maybe it’s an option
Appreciate both (very quick!) and helpful replies. The Lumin looks worth a try.
I’m still fiddling with settings on the NDX2. So far I can get variable volume to show up on the Roon app when using the AirPlay protocol, but not when using the ‘Roon Ready’ route. (The NDX shows up as both in the Roon Audio settings.)
The Naim firmware is up to date, so I wonder if they just got a bit more paternalistic….
Eversolo T8 could be and option too I’m told
Did you set it away from fixed volume to (I think) device volume in the Roon settings of the device, in Roon?
Yes - either still shows volume as fixed, frustratingly!
You need to do two or three things. First, stop the music on the NDX-2 to prevent any volume mishaps. Then:
In the Focal & Naim app, go to Settings > System Settings.
Disable System Automation in case you have it enabled (unlikely unless you have Naim amps). When System Automation is disabled, the Audio Settings are visible below it. Change the Volume Mode from Fixed to Variable.
In Roon, go to Settings > Audio > Roon Ready > NDX-2, click the gearwheel to open settings, click Device Setup, set Volume Control to Device Volume
There is now a variable volume control in Roon:
Note: Make sure to turn volume to zero before turning on any music, then slowly increase. The NDX-2 remote and the slider in Roon should be synced, if you use the remote buttons the slider should move, and you will also see the same numeric value in the Roon volume slider and the NDX-2 display.
Hi Suedkiez - Thanks for your continued support on this. Referring to your ‘step by step’, the ‘Audio Settings’ choice only appears if you select the one of the analogue outputs in the ‘Output Settings’ box. When I switch back to the digital output, the Audio Settings box disappears and the volume shows as fixed in Roon.
I think that the digital out is disabled if you choose analogue, but I have one more experiment to do to validate that. Job for the weekend!
So far, if I want to feed the Kii Speakers digitally and control the volume through Roon on the streaming transporter, options seem to be WiiM, Lumin, Eversolo - and at a more exalted price point, Weiss or Grimm…
Right, I forgot that you want to use the digital output. In that case, I’m afraid you’re out of luck because if you split steamer (the NDX-2 in this case) and DAC by the streamer’s digital output, the volume control must be in the DAC and not in the streamer.
Upon re-reading your plan, you are looking for a streamer that somehow controls or is controlled by the Roon volume prior to the DAC. Don’t know if something like this exists.
Why not just use DSP Volume in Roon? It is known to be very well implemented with 64 bits precision (seeThe final truth about DSP Volume Control in Roon)
A streamer with internal volume control in the digital domain, delivering an attenuated digital output signal does the same thing (DSP Volume), but most likely with less precision.
A hardware / streamer option would be to use an DDC like the Matrix Audio X-SPDIF 3 in combination with a Pi-based Endpoint running RoPieee for instance. The X-SPDIF 3 offers digital volume control that can be operated from Roon and has AES digital output.
But regarding the quality of the volume control see above link. The X-SPDIF most likely uses the XMOS DSP Volume provided by the USB receiver chip inside the device.
Thanks for this response. Still trying to figure my way through!
I feed my Dutch & Durch 8c from the digital out of my Vivaldi Upsampler/ Roon Titan/Melco N1.
Yes im 90% sure a dCS Vivaldi will absolutely do the job i had one tge 4 box special for many years and its the one Wison Audio use to do all thrir development work on
Thanks for these further suggestions. At the moment, I’m thinking that I will feed the Naim NDX2 into the Kii Sevens on their AES digital input (with an appropriate adaptor) and use the Kii Home app to adjust volume.
That means that I won’t be able to adjust volume on the Roon interface, and I won’t have a remote (or a rotary knob) to sort volume so we’ll see how that goes. There are other options like using a Kii Control and driving it from an IR blaster via the Naim’s System Automation.
Thanks again for inputs so far
The FIIO SR11 is Roon ready with digital volume control for ROON.and AirPlay.
Probably (after downloading the latest software update) a Grimm Audio MU1. (pricey though)
The other option I found is the Weiss DSP 501 - price pitched somewhere be the Fiio and the Grimm….
Immediate plan is as above - NDX2 with volume control on the Kii Home app. Decide later whether to make a further step. And of course, Kii originally aimed to make the Sevens Roon Ready although I notice that has now quietly disappeared from view on the website…
