Hopefully an easy question re UnitiQute?

I'd email Naim direct, the devices are not on sale yet so nobody will have the experience. I'm sure their tech support will help you, or perhaps go through your dealer?

Please post the reply!

Bruce

Unless the functionality differs from the Uniti, the Unitiqute won't stream Apple Lossless. You can however use EyeConnect on a Mac - this will transcode the Apple Lossless to the Unitiqute on the fly for you.
John

Which means that a Mac has to on and present in the network - somewhat defeating some of the purpose of NAS storage.....

I haven't been following all of the EyeConnect threads - but are there any 'issues' with converting on the fly...?

Naim and Apple Lossless....The questions keep coming up, don't they...?

The OP has 150 gig of music - enough to need backing up but also a small amount in terms of storage cost. Why not make a back up of the files in a non proprietary lossless format such as WAV or FLAC and use that for streaming? There are ways to batch convert with very little trouble. The original files can be used with his Apple devices.

The option of backing up in a format that does work with a streaming unit seems a sensible idea as it also gives some security in case of losing the files through a damaged/'corrupt' drive.

How easy is it to convert the files though? Any ideas?

Thanks again.

quote:

Originally posted by Nigel 66:
...

How easy is it to convert the files though? Any ideas?

Thanks again.

Very, very easy if you have a PC.
Use the batch converter from dBPoweramp and you only have to point to the root of your source directory, say what you want to convert it to and point it to your target directory (and take some time off).

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aleg

Does that include tagging Aleg..?

quote:

Originally posted by SC:
Does that include tagging Aleg..?

Yes, certainly.

I will even add tags to WAV-files (can be turned off); something some people don't like but I do.

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aleg

A 2nd vote for DBPoweramp.

You can even set its ripping component to rip multiple copies at the same time. I rip WAV to my Pc (to be copied into itunes on a USB drive for 'storage' and sorting, the back-up master copy, ALAC to a NAS drive for Sonos to use, and finally a 128 AAC to a second PC drive to be copied into another itunes folder to place on my Ipod for car use.

A bit longwinded, but one disc, one secure rip and I get the 3 copies i need. NB people may forget to backup their music, this method is automatic.

Use the above method to store FLAC at the second encode and the Uniti /Quite will read the second NAS drive.

quote:

Originally posted by SC:
Which means that a Mac has to on and present in the network - somewhat defeating some of the purpose of NAS storage.....

I haven't been following all of the EyeConnect threads - but are there any 'issues' with converting on the fly...?

Naim and Apple Lossless....The questions keep coming up, don't they...?

You can thank Apple for that–as posted before many times here, they do not offer a licensing schema for Apple Lossless decoding outside of authenticated digital streaming from an iPod over USB. If you sign the license, you may have one (digital stream playback), but not the other (iPod file browsing and decoding).

The UnitiQute will be able to stream over USB (from a variety of audio apps on iPod touch / iPhone), which holds greater value than Apple Lossless decoding. Likewise, there are very few iPod models currently in production that feature disk-mode browsing, which would be necessary to render Apple Lossless files from the Qute itself, rather than rendered and streamed from the iPod.

Besides–as time goes, on, it becomes more clear that iTunes is the bottleneck for most people's music management. EyeConnect (on the Mac) is a sufficient bandage, but it doesn't alleviate some REAL issues with iTunes with regard to its suitability for CD archiving and playback.

So–choosing Apple Lossless as your archiving format is a bit of a dead end. Hierarchically-stored, untagged WAV (with AMG or CDDB metadata "blobs" within the file structure, as nearly every other software and music server on the planet does) is, at a minimum, the right thing to use, in tandem with a well-engineered UPnP/DLNA server capable of utilizing these "blobs".

I do appreciate some of this David.....However, folk really do like the iTunes interface and general Mac experience (myself included) which also is an ISSUE that isn't going to go away....

I'm typing this on a Mac–but it doesn't make iTunes any better.

I prefer the AppleTV interface myself, which puts a happy face on an otherwise under-engineered player application.

One can still rip to WAV within iTunes–the problem is that iTunes does not provide the same organized file structure and metadata that other ripping software does, nor can it read it from third-party applications. (Hell, it can't even handle FLAC.)

quote:

Originally posted by David Dever:
So–choosing Apple Lossless as your archiving format is a bit of a dead end. Hierarchically-stored, untagged WAV (with AMG or CDDB metadata "blobs" within the file structure, as nearly every other software and music server on the planet does) is, at a minimum, the right thing to use, in tandem with a UPnP/DLNA server capable of utilizing these "blobs".

Oh dear, there's going to be an awful lot of people out there 'wasting' their time then...

Was this paragraph straight from your Naim dealership handbook...?!

Steve.

There IS a lot of wasted time in this industry–but there are plenty of server manufacturers who have agreed upon fairly consistent structures for their data, meaning that whole libraries can be ripped to NAS and made ready for a wide variety of appliances.

Apple, unfortunately, is blind to this, and it makes iTunes a B-grade player in the professional archiving space.

Enjoy your iTunes, Steve.

I will, and do, with the various Macs around the house & office...I have no problem with it at the level of use....

As for my living/listening room, it remains to be seen....I fully appreciate there is 'better' to be had (HDX in my sights), I was just playing devils advocate and am curious to why all these things can't play happier with each other........

quote:

Originally posted by SC:
I do appreciate some of this David.....However, folk really do like the iTunes interface and general Mac experience (myself included) which also is an ISSUE that isn't going to go away....

Why MUST you use a Mac for your hifi ripping and playback?

If someone told me a Mac worked better for this activity I would use one.

I know it is a scary thing to outside one's comfort zone. But you can do it. I know it.

Read my very previous post Patrick...I fully appreciate I don't HAVE to - and all things considered I am nearly 100% sure I will end up with a HDX(or variant) sourced main system - I was just kicking the ball around on the issue why all these different elements cannot interact with a little more harmony....

I, like many others on this forum, have no problem with using the best possible kit for the job at hand, and with that any necessary changes to user habits...But lets face it, in comparison to the mainstream market, this represents just a tiny blip on the scope....It is this very mainstream market that Naim obviously want to have a slice of with the Uniti range - indeed, lets just re-read the OP here.....

I've just noticed these questions popping up more and more and there's going to be more of them coming, no doubt as the Uniti range gets more and more financially accessible.....Personally, I just feel there could be a more comprehensive and complete solution from Naim in how to handle some of these wider, real world interactions - say, supplying software in the box ?

I'm just guessing, but perhaps not everyone wants to have to change their existing files or preferred playback software just to accomodate the Naim....

quote:

I'm just guessing, but perhaps not everyone wants to have to change their existing files or preferred playback software just to accomodate the Naim....

...or, conversely, to be locked into a single vendor's closed file format (Apple Lossless). Already, there are plenty of Mac people bypassing the iTunes / Core Audio output mixer with software such as Amarra or Pure Music.

Look at it this way–if you rip on the HDX to NAS, you will be able to play back the WAV files on another manufacturer's server, if you so desire. If you're lucky, you may even get all relational metadata (as opposed to flat file tags). The same cannot be said for iTunes.

If it was as easy to standardize on a file format as you suggest, it would have been sorted ages ago. The HDX (and UnitiServe, by extension) makes it easy.

Any Itunes speak is definitely not in the imaginary handbook. Easy sales is about all good all the time but some distributors and dealers do this because they like it and don't just rotate boxes. We may disagree but I'd like to think being discriminating regardless of point of view a good thing. Makes for good exchange if not personal.

quote:

Originally posted by David Dever:
If you're lucky, you may even get all relational metadata (as opposed to flat file tags).

Dave, this is one area I have concerns about with the Naim/WAV approach.

If at some point I need to transfer all my Naim rips to another manufacturers device (admittedly unlikely but possible over the very long term) then the WAV files will not have any metadata embedded in them (like a FLAC file would) so the catalogue is effectively lost.

Is this correct? Perhaps an export to FLAC tool in the DTC is required?

Inside the Album folder resides a series of files containing metadata for the enclosed tracks. This includes an XML file from AMG, cddbinfo.txt, folder.jpg (cover image), as well as a file containing user edits and an AMG lookup log file.

As the AMG and CDDB (FreeDB) files are well-defined, a scan by the requisite player will pick up all information related to the enclosed audio files. I've tested this with Qsonix, Meridian Sooloos and a variety of PC applications that can read the CDDB file.

If the player in question is an AMG Lasso licensee (as Meridian Sooloos and Qsonix are, for example), these will pick up the relational information resident in the AMG file.

Again - you get the benefits of a good-sounding rip while still maintaining portability when using external music storage. In fact (as I discussed with a former co-worker yesterday), this permits a degree of independence from the internal drive to the degree that a central drive failure on the server is no longer a catastrophic event (if it happens)....

Thanks Dave.

I'm thinking long term with this. For me it's about creating an archive for long (i.e. 40 years) use.

Agreed. I see the day coming soon when I will have a read-only NAS made up of solid-state drives with thousands of CDs resident upon it.

quote:

Originally posted by David Dever:
Inside the Album folder resides a series of files containing metadata for the enclosed tracks. This includes an XML file from AMG, cddbinfo.txt, folder.jpg (cover image), as well as a file containing user edits and an AMG lookup log file.

If this relational track info resides on a NAS, say from a HDX created 'music store', CAN iTunes, as it currently stands, read and use this info to create its own separate library (which I believe it prefers to do)..?

OR, is there software that easily allows for the conversion of the WAVs + info into another file format that are tag embedded and happy to play with iTunes for a separate, duplicate, archive (useful for say computer and iPod use)....?

Steve.

iTunes cannot–it is CDDB-ambivalent. Nor does it offer up CDDB information within its folder structure.

There is a laborious workaround for importing individual albums into iTunes, but it requires creation of a disc image that is then "ripped" by iTunes–not much of a solution.

Other player software can read CDDB tags without a problem (such as Windows Media Player, MediaMonkey, WinAmp, etc.). I have yet to try the AMGinfo file with Windows Media Player (which apparently supports AMG metadata).