Design decisions in Marantz NA-7004 streamer/tuner and recommends for replacement

[dougi]

The NA-7004 was a handy DLNA streamer with AM, FM and DAB+ (where available) tuners plus digital inputs as well. I still use it for streaming to this day. I have always been a bit puzzled/annoyed that it didn't bother to digitize the AM and FM tuner audio to be able to use a single digital input to my Lyngdorf DPA-1 preamp for all the sources the NA-7004 offers.

After discovering the service manual (a search will find it available at vintagehifi.com) I scratch my head even more!

As the attached picture shows the AM and FM audio is digitised via an AKM AK4683 which also does all of the source switching. However, Marantz don't bother to control the switch that would allow it to route the AM/FM digitised signal to the digital out. So I have to put up with an unnecessary AD/DA conversion in conjunction with my DPA-1.

It is a bit clunky and slow with few supported streaming services (it did have Pandora which I loved but they removed that from Australia a while ago) and amp looking at a replacement. Can anyone recommend something that has at least DLNA, Spotify, FM and DAB tuners and is half decent? I don't care about analog out performance, although it is pretty good with the NA-7004. The HDAM stuff is all discrete by the looks of it in the service manual.

 

[AudioStudies]

I am not sure if it would have all your desired features, but have you checked out Cambridge Audio? Their top of the line streamer is the 851N.

 

[Cebolla]

It is a bit clunky and slow with few supported streaming services (it did have Pandora which I loved but they removed that from Australia a while ago) and amp looking at a replacement. Can anyone recommend something that has at least DLNA, Spotify, FM and DAB tuners and is half decent? I don't care about analog out performance, although it is pretty good with the NA-7004. The HDAM stuff is all discrete by the looks of it in the service manual.

It may be worth seeing if you can give the old boy a new lease of life by trying it out with the Logitech Media Server (free), as that should provide it with premium account Spotify Connect support (via the Spotty 3rd party LMS plugin) as well as several of the other popular online music services, internet radio and of course your own audio files. LMS has a built-in web browser accessible user interface with a range of selectable visual styles, the best one being provided by the combination of the Material Skin and the Music & Artist Information 3rd party LMS plugins.

It does mean getting the NA-7004 to access LMS as if it was the Squeezebox type player that LMS was originally conceived for - which you should be able to do by installing & configuring the UPnP/DLNA Bridge 3rd party LMS plugin. One bonus feature of the UPnP/DLNA Bridge plugin is its special Flow option which can get previously non-gapless playback supporting (especially older) UPnP/DLNA streamers, such as the NA-7004, to play gaplessly.

LMS can be installed on networked Windows, Mac or Linux computers (including the Raspberry Pi) and on some NASs. The latest LMS version (8.0) can be downloaded from:
LMS Nightly Downloads - Version 8.0

 

[dougi]

Thanks for the ideas. Ahh Squeezbox, yes I used to have a server on my old QNAP NAS when I had the hardware player which I really liked.

 

[dougi]

I've gone for a perhaps temporary solution to improve my streaming convenience while keeping the cost low. I've kept the NA7004 but just got an iFi Zen Blue (tooth) receiver. That goes into the coax spdif input of the NA7004 and is even powered by the NA7004 through the USB drive port! My phone (Oppo A91) supports AptX AptX HD and LDAC so things sounds good! I'm away with easily adding streaming services to the setup. I would have liked an Audioengine BFi to do using Wifi but out of stock here in Oz and really, with AptX HD or LDAC the convenience of straight Bluetooth wins out. Chain: Phone-> iFi Zen blue dig out ->NA7004 dig out->Lyngdorf DPA-1 (Room Perfect and xover)->RME ADI-2 (DAC)->proac response D2 + Velodyne DD-10+ sub.