Nativ adds Apple AirPlay & Google Cast to $1,599 Vita music hub

AppleInsider

Nativ this week announced support for Apple AirPlay and Google Cast on the Vita, its touchscreen-based music server and player aimed at audiophiles with money to spare.

Made via a 14.0 software update, the addition is a part of the Vita's newfound support for multi-room streaming to many different platforms, including not just AirPlay and Cast devices but Sonos, Qualcomm AllPlay, and UPnP/DLNA.

In a given example, the Vita can push the a song to an Apple TV, a Roku device, and a Sonos speaker, with per-room adjustable volume. Nativ told AppleInsider that the company currently only supports first-generation AirPlay, but expects AirPlay 2 "in a few weeks."

Other software upgrades include support for 2.5-inch hard drives up to 5 terabytes, allowing the Vita to max out at 10 terabytes of storage. That's enough to hold about 200,000 songs at full fidelity, Nativ claims.

The company has also improved UPnP and SMB caching performance by as much as 200 percent, and added more track and artwork databases for users ripping CDs.

The Vita starts at $1,599, and includes built-in access to services like Apple Music, Pandora, and Spotify, as well as local files, controlled from an 11.6-inch IPS touchscreen. Connection options include wired technologies like HDMI, AES/EBU, USB, and SPDIF, along with 802.11ac Wi-Fi, gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth for wireless.

gutengel

So for the price of this thing, I can buy 2 -256GB iPad Pros or 1 max out iPad Pro and still have leftover money for speakers and a bunch of dongles. I wonder if these devices would keep working if the company ever goes out of business.

auxio

gutengel said:

So for the price of this thing, I can buy 2 -256GB iPad Pros or 1 max out iPad Pro and still have leftover money for speakers and a bunch of dongles. I wonder if these devices would keep working if the company ever goes out of business.

My first reaction was wtf too.  But then I took a close look at this device and realized that it's essentially an audiophile's music library manager, and I now see why it exists and costs that much.  10TB of storage, plays to anything, audiophile quality file format support, audiophile quality audio connectors, fanless, properly shielded interconnects and materials to prevent signal interference.  It's not for someone who puts sticker price first and audio quality second.

philboogie

gutengel said:

So for the price of this thing, I can buy 2 -256GB iPad Pros or 1 max out iPad Pro and still have leftover money for speakers and a bunch of dongles.

Odd comparison, since an iPad is nothing like this product. It's a DAC; you'd be better of comparing it with that. That, or compare it with 'the a song' :-)

auxio

philboogie said:

gutengel said:

So for the price of this thing, I can buy 2 -256GB iPad Pros or 1 max out iPad Pro and still have leftover money for speakers and a bunch of dongles.

Odd comparison, since an iPad is nothing like this product. It's a DAC; you'd be better of comparing it with that. That, or compare it with 'the a song' :-)

It's a dedicated music library manager/streamer which includes a DAC.  But you can also buy a separate USB DAC from them which offers a lot more features/control over your sound.

lordjohnwhorfin

Looks really nice. Yes, you could rig something like it for cheap. But it would not look as nice and you'd be tweaking it constantly, fixing bugs, adding new features and support for various services. You're just paying for someone to build it right and do the updates for you. The price is actually quite reasonable for a quality product built in small quantities.

matrix077

As an Apple lover because of quality of their products, I would also buy this in a heartbeat IF I have the money.  

Unfortuantely...