Spotify Connect

Yup, me too! It was the only thing really holding me back on the Qute2. These days, usabilility and freedom of choice are key lifestyle choices - also for those who enjoy hi-res music.  This is great news indeed - if true. Let's wait for the formal NAIM announcement - it seems someone jumped the gun.

I wonder if they wanted to embargo this before the Bristol show.  Very interesting to note that What Hi Fi took the story down.  I could see them doing this if they released the story before the press embargo date, but given Naim posted it publicly....its surprising to see a magazine pull back a story.

Perhaps it is just that they plan to release it, but that because there is always the potential for a last minute problem they have decided to wait until it is actually available? A bit like the android affair.

Good news indeed. Saves me running the Sonos through my NDX DAC for Spotify streaming.

Even better if it works with the Spotify App.

Perhaps some agreement with spotify hasn't been sorted.. opps..

Omnishambles

Tog

Let's hope the testing is better organised than the marketing.

Perhaps we should play along and feign surprise if they re-announce it at the Bristol Show  

It says on one of the dealers Facebook updates that it was the American distributors that asked for it to be delayed

It seems to me that Naim is sometimes hampered by the very individualistic purist brand identity that it uses to sell its products, Naim is locked into quite lengthy production cycles and cannot simply add new features to its streamers by bringing out a new model every few months. Since its existing customers respond positively to the stability and perceived value in the longevity of its product lines Naim would lose far more than it gained by altering its existing approach.

In addition, its hardware lacks flexibility and physical upgrades are neither customer friendly or cost effective. If you are going to try a keep up in the world of consumer electronics you either need a platform that can be easily upgraded either physically or with software. Linn have a software architecture that makes it relatively easy to add features to their products whilst retaining their premium brand of audio obstinacy whilst Naim seem to have taken the view that making any such updates is in any case unnecessary.

The uServe is a case in point. Like all hardware music servers it is essentially a PC and storage mechanism that should be easy to update and improve. In most cases it is not a question of adding computing power but providing software improvements, storage or memory upgrades and new I/O hardware as things develop.. Whilst I don't doubt the the uServe sounds good there are plenty of alternative solutions that are more resilient and more flexible.

As a result, I 'm sure integrating Spotify to their product line is not an easy process for Naim and I'm not sure if it is worth it. For now the best solution is to add the feature yourself by attaching a device that can play it through your streamer / dac. I use a MBP and MacMini but there are dozens of alternatives.

By the time Naim have got around it we will all be clamouring for the next big thing anyway.

Tog

Are there any announcments about new streaming players?

+1

Hi Tog

Problem is my new UQ2 for example is no longer an elegant little one box solution but now becomes 2+ boxes. The boxes are also unlikely to match thus destroying the pleasing aesthetic. 

It's very easy to say add another device which can ... for every feature but pretty soon Naim end up with equipment that won't do what even basic models from other manufacturers can do out of the box.

Also not everyone that owns Naim equipment can afford to keep throwing money at it for each new feature they desire. I for one will be thrilled when the Spotify feature is added, at the moment I play Spotify on my Laptop which runs Asset and stream the soundcard output to the Qute, it works but could be more elegant.

Anyway just my twelve and a half pence worth 

Any mention of the Spotify integration at Bristol?

Or the reason(s) behind making the announcement then pulling it?

Just wondering?

Simon.

An extra box just to add spotify?  That would be a no in every which way and more considering it can be added by a simple software upgrade.

If it is a Mac - then you gain a whole lot more than Spotify.

Tog

Maybe a mistake?

It does happen.

Perhaps there'll be a new announcement soon.

A MAC is hardly a cost effective upgrade compared to a software download just to add spotify.

Hardware upgrades for Naim equipment will obviously come at some cost as it's not mass produced electronics but it's not like you're owning throwaway electronics from the far east in the first place.  That's a small part of the appeal to me.

That's why PC's appeal too, simple to upgrade whichever individual piece of hardware I choose.  That way I have a free 10 year warranty on my graphics card, 7 year warranty on my power supply, 3 years on the hard drive/mobo/ram.

+1

I asked at Bristol and was told, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to repeat the conversation here. Perhaps Mr Dane can clarify?

I've just started a month's free trial on Qobuz and may leave Spotify behind so it may have come too late for me (although the jury's still out on Qobuz).

Keith

Curiouser and curiouser!

Very disappointing if it is indeed the case that you need to upgrade the hardware in a uniti in order to get spotify playback.  This should purely be a software update, no if's no buts.

The box is only a couple of years old and cost an order of magnitude more then many other players that came with this functionality built in years ago.

Clearly the hardware must have been under spec'd. You would have thought/hoped that it would be the oppersite would be true for a supposed premium product.  

Consider what a 5 year old smart phone can do.  Imagine if you where required to update that with a serial cable every time you want a new feature?  Never mind upgrade actual hardware.  What a joke!

Originally Posted by Mrs Wogan's lemon drizzle cake:

Very disappointing if it is indeed the case that you need to upgrade the hardware in a uniti in order to get spotify playback.  This should purely be a software update, no if's no buts.

The box is only a couple of years old and cost an order of magnitude more then many other players that came with this functionality built in years ago.

Clearly the hardware must have been under spec'd. You would have thought/hoped that it would be the oppersite would be true for a supposed premium product.

Consider what a 5 year old smart phone can do.  Imagine if you where required to update that with a serial cable every time you want a new feature?  Never mind upgrade actual hardware.  What a joke!

Although I share your dissapointment concerning Uniti I have to say that regarding updates a five year old smart phone is pretty much useless (I have an iPhone 3G). Ok, I can use it as phone (and SMS) but it is not possible to download new apps or even update the existing ones (this is why I still use fw 3.16 in my Uniti). I guess this is modern world for you — nothing is made to last for more than three years…

The difference with an iPhone is that you cannot upgrade the internal hardware, unlike the streaming module in the original NaimUniti, which had been upgraded twice (analog iPod, digital iPod/96 kHz, digital iPod/192 kHz) along the way.

The other key thing is power envelope–one can't simply drop the fastest processor known to man into an audio device, unless you plan on cooling it with a fan.  Embedded processor manufacturers tend to be fairly conservative in this respect.

Faster processor + more RAM should mitigate the dropouts that one might see with a streaming source over a less-than-optimal network connection, which I can clearly understand might be the motivation behind the 192 kHz streaming module requirement.  Remember, too, that it also must work via multi-room (MP3) transcoding as well....

It would indeed be good if someone were able and willing to clarify where things actually stand with regards to Spotify Connect. The cat is sort of out of the bag already anyway. Now there is just speculation and frustration instead of clarity.