First time Naim Customer

Posted by: CaptainBlack on 02 April 2012

I thought all you die-hard Naim enthusiasts might be interested, or amused, to read about the exploits of a first time Naim customer. By way of background I needed to replace a 10 year old Cyrus 2/PSX/FM tuner setup with something new that provided those functions but also handled streaming.

A short internet trawl identified the UnitiQute as a one-box replacement that, on the face of it, did everything i wanted. So after the briefest of demos I took the plunge and purchased one, and this is my story.

I realise that am probably the most trivial Naim owner on this forum. I have read with interest the various posts from people who have yards (or should that be tonnes?) of Naim kit and I am not sure if I can even justify my place in the forum, with just one device, and a cute at that. I hope Admin don't delete my post in disgust!

I will gloss over the 2 days it took me to get every aspect of the thing working because I think you can guess the key points. The impossible speaker lugs that force you to solder unwilling cable onto devilish little pins of the wrong shape. Who thought of that? It's like something off the Kypton factor! Then there was getting the Synology NAS to act as a music server, re- configuring the Netgear firewall to permit uPNP traffic, de-duplicating the iTunes files from the masters library, downloading the iPad app, connecting the Uniti to WIFI by picking out the characters on the very solid feeling remote, etc, etc.

In the otherwise straightforward setup I wasn't sure what to make of the speaker selector. The manual says to select 'large' if you intend to use a sub-woofer but I have Spendor SP1/R3s which are physically large but I have no sub-woofer. On balance i thought large was more sensible than small in my circumstances so i went for that. I was vey surprised to see a 'loudness' function, I thought these had died out in the 1970s! Anyway, I turned it off on principle!

Finally, after all the setup, we are ready to rock and I stuck Hell Freezes Over ( the Eagles ) in the trusty Arcam DV88 hit play and sat back to listen. At first I thought it sounded odd and then it hit me, i was hearing all sorts of details I had never noticed before. WOW, what a fantastic clear and bright sound filled the room. I had been worried that the little box might struggle with the Spendors but no, it seems to take them in its stride and they seem a great, if somewhat unlikely, pairing.

In the intervening hours I have been revisiting my entire music collection and now face the arduous task re-ripping all my Cds in a consistent and higher bit-rate and format. Can't wait.

So i have gone from slightly sceptical to pleased as punch - a convert.

Thanks for Listening!

CaptainBlack

Posted on: 02 April 2012 by osprey

Nice story. Your place in the forum is well justified.

Posted on: 02 April 2012 by Steven Shaw

When I bought my unitiqute last year I think I listened to it almost continuously for a week. It is an amazing piece of kit.

Posted on: 02 April 2012 by jobseeker

I came to Naim recently from Cyrus too (Superuniti). I'm highly delighted.

Posted on: 02 April 2012 by Ikoun

Oh yes, definitely, it is a pleasure to read t first audition of a "new born naimee". Nice story.
Enjoy listening

Posted on: 02 April 2012 by California Jim

By and large, you will find the people on this

Forum very helpful and supportive. Many of

us have been around for less than two years,

and you will find there are owners of all sorts

of Naim gear....not everyone has 300s and

500s. So feel free to share in your experiences

as you just have.

California Jim

Posted on: 02 April 2012 by joerand

Captain Black,

Welcome, I enjoyed your story. I'm new to Naim and the forum, as well. I'm also feeling that me and my music are having a "revelation" on Naim gear. The forum is a great place to learn and get involved.

Posted on: 02 April 2012 by Hook

Ahoy Captain, and welcome to the Naim forum!

I suppose the good news is that you only had to make these adjustments once, and you can now look forward to many years of calm seas and good tunes.

Congratulations on sticking with it, and on your very enjoyable first post!

ATB.

Hook

Posted on: 02 April 2012 by naimUnT

Captain

Welcome to the Naim forum and to your first Naim investment! Glad to hear another contented UQ owner! I own the UQ and SU (I like to keep it in the family) and cannot be happier! Yes, there was a learning curve when I stepped from my Squeezebox to the UQ but I think my setup was pretty much "Go" since I already had ripped files on NAS and connecting to wireless was relatively straightforward! I think I am so blessed to have Naim in my bedroom and the bigger brother in the living room. That way, I find a seamless transition from one setup to another.

As I always say, the UQ is about the cheapest ticket to the Naim sound. You went out shopping and bought a pre, power, tuner, DAC, etc in one little box no bigger than a shoebox! Enjoy the journey! It promises to sound better, just sit back and enjoy the ride!

Posted on: 03 April 2012 by Bart

Originally Posted by California Jim:

By and large, you will find the people on this

Forum very helpful and supportive. Many of

us have been around for less than two years,

and you will find there are owners of all sorts

of Naim gear....not everyone has 300s and

500s. So feel free to share in your experiences

as you just have.

California Jim

+1 from me. I've been a 'quality hi fi' owner for less than a year, and was drawn to Naim by the sound, the aesthetics, and the passion of these owners here. This is a "club" that is most welcoming, and most helpful.

It's fun to read about the experiences of those who have climbed the ladder to 500-series and active systems, and the passion of those like me who are at the other end of the Naim spectrum and loving their music!

Welcome' cap'n!

PS Hook is a friendly pirate -- no worries with him on the horizon.

Posted on: 05 April 2012 by Simon-in-Suffolk

Captain Black, welcome, and looking forward to seeing your avatar, perhaps courtesy of Gerry Anderson?

Simon

Posted on: 05 April 2012 by Iver van de Zand

Hi Captain,

Welcome to this forum which for me is "a hobby in itself" with all the helpfull and enthusiastic help of the members. A very nice story and great news your new gear is sounding so well.

Iver

Posted on: 05 April 2012 by CaptainBlack

Simon

Avatar duly updated, and yes, my thanks to Mr Anderson Esq.

All: thank you for the warm welcome to the Forum.

CaptainBlack

Posted on: 06 April 2012 by Simon-in-Suffolk

Like it

Posted on: 08 April 2012 by Julian H

Welcome to Naimland Cptn Black. Congratulations on your UQ acquisition. It is a really super bit of kit, not humble at all, despite it's entry level status. I have heard several, including here at home, and each and every time I have been spellbound by its charms.

Julian