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Naim Uniti

mikegreenwood

pfm Member
I'm seriously considering buying a Naim Uniti, Q. How good is it , How does it compare to other Naim systems, Is it worth the asking price. Does anyone out there have one and wish to comment? I'd appreciate feedback before I jump into this.
 
I had a dem of one at a recent event and I think it is an excellent unit(i).
We dubbed it the modern-day music centre (with extras).
Sound-wise, it's in the CD5 ball-park, and gets a bit middley at louder volumes.
But it has loads of facilities and just basically works...
 
Very happy with mine. Keeps gaining features too as Naim update the software. 24/96 support last time, iPhone app any week now.
 
I agree that it is in the CD5 ball-park. Mind you a CD5 wit a Flatcap 2x attached is much better sound-wise.

I nearly bought a Uniti when they came out, however I already had a DAC and streamer.

After demoing a Uniti against a CD5 and a Supernait, it had nowhere near the quality.

It's great for a one-box solution, but compromised in terms of sound reproduction.

Jack
 
I heard one after a demo of a CD5xs and Nait xs/flatcap (into Linn 109's). it sounded really flat after that - just didn't do a thing for me. I don't think it would be as good as a cd5, certainly not a cd5 with a psu, and probably not as good as a cd5i(2). But it certainly does everything.
 
I'm seriously considering buying a Naim Uniti, Q. How good is it , How does it compare to other Naim systems, Is it worth the asking price. Does anyone out there have one and wish to comment? I'd appreciate feedback before I jump into this.

Hi mikegreenwood

The Uniti is excellent and its performance is not too far off the CD5i/Nait5i. The Uniti is also worth the money.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 
Naim Audio's iPhone/iPod touch app now available on iTunes store:

it's called n-Stream linkage

From the site: The Naim n-Stream App allows you to remotely control your Naim stream player. With your music library at your finger tips you can now sit back and control your player from the comfort of your armchair. Browse and play any of the music streamed by your player with this easy to use app.

n-Stream can control any Naim stream player running firmware 3.00.00 or above. At time of release all UnitiQute will be delivered running firmware 3.00.00. Existing NaimUniti customers should contact their dealer for further information regarding firmware upgrade.

n-Stream Features:

- Volume control and volume mute
- Input selection
- UPnP Input: UPnP library browsing with album art support, search and playback controls
- USB/iPod input: Track list browsing, search and playback control
- iRadio Input: Station browsing, search, preset saving and selection. Station name and info shown shown on the player screen.
- FM input: Station tuning with preset saving and selection. Station name and Radio Text shown shown on the player screen.
- DAB input: Station list with preset saving and selection. Station name and info shown shown on the player screen.
- Automatic discovery of Naim stream players

Additional Requirements:
- A Naim UnitiQute or NaimUniti stream player with software version 3.0.0 or higher connected to your WiFi network.
 
I heard it side by side with a Nait 5i and CD5i when my dealer first started listening to it/evaluating it (it had been playing a few days to warm up). We couldn't tell the difference. What really surprised us was how good it was with internet radio. Most stations are pretty low bit rate mp3. They sounded very good. Not at the level of CD and Lossless music streamed, but far better than they had any right to sound in both our opinion.

Had I had the money for it and a need for a one box solution, I'd have bought without hesitating. Naim's better gear sounds better. The Nait XS and SuperNait are better sounding, but they don't do what the Uniti does. Different products for different needs.

If you like the Nait and really want the extra features, its easily worth its price. If you're after better sound than the Nait, look up the line. My only reason for hesitation with the all in ones is that sources evolve. In 15 years, you may have what would equate today as an 8-track receiver. The receiver still works, but the 8-track section is worthless. If you won't have it 15-20 years later, that's another story.
 
Had I had the money for it and a need for a one box solution, I'd have bought without hesitating. Naim's better gear sounds better.
I think that pretty much sums it up.
All you need to do is add speakers to suit your environment & aesthetics.

My only reason for hesitation with the all in ones is that sources evolve. In 15 years, you may have what would equate today as an 8-track receiver. The receiver still works, but the 8-track section is worthless. If you won't have it 15-20 years later, that's another story.
You're right - kit does evolve, and the Uniti is probably a fairly concise canned statement of where audio technology is right now (CD/DAC/USB/streaming/radio).
 
I What really surprised us was how good it was with internet radio. Most stations are pretty low bit rate mp3. They sounded very good. Not at the level of CD and Lossless music streamed, but far better than they had any right to sound in both our opinion.

Isnt that a pretty good description of lossy compression? A lot of internet radio sounds pretty good given a chance if you have no preconceptions (Naim always helps here). I've listened to the better internet radio stations on both a squeezebox boom and a squeezebox touch through a Meridian Linn active system and thought they were enjoyable but not as good as FLAC. Spotify is good enough that I'm not sure I'd tell the difference blind most of the time To be honest its good enough that I don't much care to put it to the test anymore. I certainly gave up on cassette tape because it sounded poorer.
 
I guess it has a lot to do with the recording quality before the compression too. Some compressed music sounds acceptable, some sounds dowright awful. I guess the same can be said for CDs. Ever hear Metallica's St. Anger and/or Death Magnetic. Death Magnetic is a pretty good album. The brickwalling compression makes it hard to listen to for more than a few tracks. St. Anger is just bad from a music and sound quality standpoint.

I guess if the music was recorded and mixed well, compression won't take as much a toll. If it was horrible to begin with, compressing it will make it worse.

Maybe I'm way off here. I listen to a few internet stations, pretty much solely while I'm at work and its mainly background music through my computer. I have a few iTunes downloads that are 128 kbps I believe. Some sound pretty good, while a few sound like a mess. At the end of the day, garbage in = garbage out. Compress garbage, and you've got compressed garbage. Compress a good recording, and you've got something half way acceptable.
 
I bought my Uniti just before Christmas so it's warmed up now and I've had a chance to "play" with it. I use Dynaudio 2/6's and it's just brilliant. Everything works so well and the sound quality is top notch. I was particularly pleased when I got Spotify working through it via my PC. It also works well with itunes via my Macbook Pro. Both connections are wireless. On a wired note my ipod touch plays very well via the usb port, although I'm surprised Naim didn't position the port around the back (a minor quibble!).
 
Isn't there a seperate dedicated iPod input on the back that uses Naim's iPod cable? I'm pretty sure the cable is not included and must be purchased seperately.

The UNitiQute and DAC get a digital signal from the iPod. Last I heard, Naim was going to update the Uniti to have this feature. Should be worthwhile to look into. You're currently playing the iPod's analog signal, not it's digital signal.
 
anyone knowing if the mentioned 40 presets of the Uniti and UnitiQute are for webradio and terrestrial combined or 40 for each ?


Best
Michael
 
Naim Audio's iPhone/iPod touch app now available on iTunes store:

it's called n-Stream linkage

This really sounds interesting. As comfortable as with the SB Duett

Anyone knowing which hardware to suggest? - I'm not an Iphone user.
Possibly there are there any plans for cheap tablet PC like the Android ZIXOON z78 or the like, no?

Best
Michael
 


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