If you’ve got a hi-fi system you love, but it doesn’t speak Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay, or any other wireless streaming languages, NAD’s new CS1 Endpoint Network Streamer ($349) provides a super-simple and compact upgrade.
The London, England-founded, Canadian-based company, announced the compact audiophile-grade component today that allows you to add streaming capabilities to pretty much any music system. The CS1 can play high-res audio at up to 24-bit/192kHz (with its internal DAC also supporting MQA decoding) via various sources, with connectivity options that include Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Ethernet, and features support for Apple AirPlay 2, GoogleCast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and Roon. Through Bluetooth, however, you can stream music from any app from a smartphone, computer, or tablet, opening up the playback options.
Additionally, NAD says that at launch time the CS1 will offer network sharing through DNLA/UPnP protocols, which means that you’ll be able to control your music using those familiar music apps of the services you subscribe to, and not have to use a dedicated NAD app for the CS1.
To get all this hi-res sound to your hi-fi system, the NAD CS1 features a set of RCA analog outs for versatile connectivity to components like stereo receivers, integrated amps, and powered speakers. Or if you have components such as AV receivers, and external digital-to-analog converters (DAC) that support optical and coaxial inputs, you can keep it digital and send audio that way at the 24-bit/192kHz resolution.
“Streaming has profoundly altered the way people discover and experience music,” Cas Oostvogel, Product Manager of NAD Electronics, said in a press release. “The CS1 makes it easy to add streaming to a legacy stereo or home theatre setup. Or someone could configure a low-footprint system for a den or home office by combining the CS1 with a pair of powered speakers. Streaming doesn’t get simpler than this.”
The NAD CS1 Endpoint Network Streamer will be available through NAD’s website and retailers in March 2023.
