Question What's your next HiFi purchase?

[Jasonovich]

I like gadgets but there's way, way too much stuff going on there for me 😆

Nah............🤣

 

[record_spot]

Received my Primare NP5 today, drum roll, here's my review 😎


The Primare NP5 is really on another league to the WiiM Pro Plus, this is going to be my dirty secret! This tiny box is dynamite. Makes an excellent transport for my Eversolo DAC.
Worth the investment, £260 is absolute second hand bargain.

I thought the WiiM Pro Plus was small, the Np5 is about half the height, length wise it’s about the same as the WiiM. It makes minimalism respectable.

It’s so simple to operate, once it detects a signal it switches itself on, then switches off auto when not in use.

It has Spotify and Qobuz software built into the hardware (not sure about Tidal), once you open your Spotify app on your mobile, it’s there waiting for you, ez-zi pee-zi peeps!

View attachment 10887

About 15 - 20 years back there was a firm called Firestone Audio that manufactured some small form gear very much like your BRZHifi box. I used to have their Spitfire Audio DAC that was a brilliantly implemented little thing that could take two or three inputs (from memory) but would work out itself the signal it was being fed (coax, optical and something else I think) and just send that signal to your amp. It was really very smart and ahead of its time, plus it sounded great - I paired it with a Sony Blu-Ray player and it was easily as good as a Marantz KI player I had at the time.

These days? I need to physically switch my Cambridge DAC to the input I want whether that's TV, or streamer. 17 years on...!

 

[Jasonovich]

About 15 - 20 years back there was a firm called Firestone Audio that manufactured some small form gear very much like your BRZHifi box. I used to have their Spitfire Audio DAC that was a brilliantly implemented little thing that could take two or three inputs (from memory) but would work out itself the signal it was being fed (coax, optical and something else I think) and just send that signal to your amp. It was really very smart and ahead of its time, plus it sounded great - I paired it with a Sony Blu-Ray player and it was easily as good as a Marantz KI player I had at the time.

These days? I need to physically switch my Cambridge DAC to the input I want whether that's TV, or streamer. 17 years on...!

Just Googled it.
I believe Firestone Audio is still going strong, still making DACs and below, a class B headphone amp!
Class A-B yes, only B is most unusual.

Nice to see, they're still innovating.

https://www.jackvandijk.nl/hifi_equipment.php?Id=191

 

[Angle Poise-Lamp]

Not so much Hi-Fi related but, would certainly be useful here in Somerset at the moment:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI05aElRYcc

 

[Jasonovich]

Received my Primare NP5 today, drum roll, here's my review 😎


The Primare NP5 is really on another league to the WiiM Pro Plus, this is going to be my dirty secret! This tiny box is dynamite. Makes an excellent transport for my Eversolo DAC.
Worth the investment, £260 is absolute second hand bargain.

I thought the WiiM Pro Plus was small, the Np5 is about half the height, length wise it’s about the same as the WiiM. It makes minimalism respectable.

It’s so simple to operate, once it detects a signal it switches itself on, then switches off auto when not in use.

It has Spotify and Qobuz software built into the hardware (not sure about Tidal), once you open your Spotify app on your mobile, it’s there waiting for you, ez-zi pee-zi peeps!



Here are my findings (based on hours of listening to Spotify)

Pros
Good attack
Crispy
Solid bass
Excellent detail
Natural tones
String acoustics sound really natural.

Cons
Doesn’t come with a remote (but why do you need it?)

Here are some pics

Red lights - initialising
View attachment 10883
Two greens and white - is fully operational
View attachment 10882


View attachment 10884

View attachment 10885

View attachment 10886

View attachment 10887

Update:

I've been playing my music via my mobile, namely Bluetooth. Funny it just didn't dawn on me, because listening to it was good.

I thought, I should do the real test, you know, via the ethernet cabling and yes, much better. This little streamer only device, is so good.
I know this is Spotify but even so, the music coming through the NP5's are so good, I just can't put down my headphones and I have a million things to do today!

 

[Dom]

I bought some rubber buffers for my rack and speakers, looks sensible enough and good improvement in sound. 🙂

 

[Al ears]

Not so much Hi-Fi related but, would certainly be useful here in Somerset at the moment:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI05aElRYcc

And in most of Devon I understand.....

 

[gotnoname]

Going to try a Arcam A15+ and compare it to my Marantz PM6007.
Waiting for some new old cd's, one being BB King, Live at the Regal.

That sounds like an interesting comparison.

 

[Revolutions]

Received my Primare NP5 today, drum roll, here's my review 😎


The Primare NP5 is really on another league to the WiiM Pro Plus, this is going to be my dirty secret! This tiny box is dynamite. Makes an excellent transport for my Eversolo DAC.
Worth the investment, £260 is absolute second hand bargain.

I thought the WiiM Pro Plus was small, the Np5 is about half the height, length wise it’s about the same as the WiiM. It makes minimalism respectable.

It’s so simple to operate, once it detects a signal it switches itself on, then switches off auto when not in use.

It has Spotify and Qobuz software built into the hardware (not sure about Tidal), once you open your Spotify app on your mobile, it’s there waiting for you, ez-zi pee-zi peeps!



Here are my findings (based on hours of listening to Spotify)

Pros
Good attack
Crispy
Solid bass
Excellent detail
Natural tones
String acoustics sound really natural.

Cons
Doesn’t come with a remote (but why do you need it?)

Here are some pics

Red lights - initialising
View attachment 10883
Two greens and white - is fully operational
View attachment 10882


View attachment 10884

View attachment 10885

View attachment 10886

View attachment 10887

Glad it sounds good! Is it a mk2?

Was looking at the old version which could be a bit of steal for only Spotify streaming. No DSD so no benefit to me with network stuff. Still, one of these plus a 2nd hand Chord Mojo 2 could get me a pretty darn good headphone setup for not a lot more than a WiiM ultra.

 

[Jasonovich]

Glad it sounds good! Is it a mk2?

Was looking at the old version which could be a bit of steal for only Spotify streaming. No DSD so no benefit to me with network stuff. Still, one of these plus a 2nd hand Chord Mojo 2 could get me a pretty darn good headphone setup for not a lot more than a WiiM ultra.

Mine is version 1, the Mk 2's on eBay are selling £400ish brand new and RS has the MK 2 for £475. I expect the newer version will sound better, I suspect though, there's a small margin of difference in the sound quality.

I only listen to Spotify, shame doesn't seem to run Tidal maybe there's a firmware update that includes Tidal?
I haven't tried Qobuz, apart from Spotify Connect, it's AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, and Chromecast compatible.
This device sounds best, via hardwired ethernet connection, I'm not a fan of wireless and yet, the NP5 was able to deliver great sounds using Bluetooth.

The MK1's on eBay selling second hand around £260-£280. I was going to put my WiiM Pro Plus in the lounge but I think better I sell, too many boxes!

Grab one of those, marry it to 2nd hand Mojo 2 and you'll have a fantastic micro system in your bedroom. 🙂

 

[Al ears]

Mine is version 1, the Mk 2's on eBay are selling £400ish brand new and RS has the MK 2 for £475. I expect the newer version will sound better, I suspect though, there's a small margin of difference in the sound quality.

I only listen to Spotify, shame doesn't seem to run Tidal maybe there's a firmware update that includes Tidal?
I haven't tried Qobuz, apart from Spotify Connect, it's AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, and Chromecast compatible.
This device sounds best, via hardwired ethernet connection, I'm not a fan of wireless and yet, the NP5 was able to deliver great sounds using Bluetooth.

The MK1's on eBay selling second hand around £260-£280. I was going to put my WiiM Pro Plus in the lounge but I think better I sell, too many boxes!

Grab one of those, marry it to 2nd hand Mojo 2 and you'll have a fantastic micro system in your bedroom. 🙂

The Mk2 does Tidal Connect and it's MQA file format only if connected to an MQA compatible DAC, not sure about the original NP5

 

[Jasonovich]

The Mk2 does Tidal Connect and it's MQA file format only if connected to an MQA compatible DAC, not sure about the original NP5

Cheers for that. Not sure, maybe a firmware update will make it so.