Considering a unity serve....have questions.

Posted by: Alan Ferguson on 28 May 2014

I'm new here, first post.  I've been vaguely aware of Naim Audio for quite awhile, but until recently have never heard the product.  I've been thinking seriously about a music server for over a year.  The local dealer introduced me to the Unity Server and all of it's possibilities.  I was very excited to know that it comes close to accomplishing what I had hoped a server would do.  One thing bothered me about the software manager.....shuffle play.  It seems to be missing in action.  I have fallen in love with shuffle play on my Ipod.  I love that you can shuffle your entire library and discover so many great tunes that you had forgotten about....like having your own radio station that plays only your music and the constant surprise of not knowing what comes next.

 

I was told that the solution was simple...create files and play them in Random.  That's not a solution for me.  I want to shuffle my whole Library.  I don't want to have to make a play list and then shuffle it.  I'm just so surprised that Naim seemed to have missed the shuffle thing completely.  My dealer did come up with a partial solution after some trial and error.  If you name your file,,,,Library...and everything you download goes to library, then you can pull up library as a playlist and then access your library that way.  I do have other questions I'll pose later in thread.  Thanks for your thoughts.

Posted on: 28 May 2014 by Jan-Erik Nordoen
Your dealer is unclear on the concept. From the nServe app, you can shuffle to your heart's content, from an album, an artist (by track or album), by genre (track or album), by playlist, from newest albums, or from your entire library. And I've probably missed a few in there.
Posted on: 28 May 2014 by Alan Ferguson

Jan, thank you!  Bingo!  You said the magic word  "or shuffle from your entire library."  Exactly what I needed to hear.

 

One more thought and wondered if anyone has a take on this.  I have been following the Server Game with great interest over the past year or so.  It seems the game comes down to Naim's Unitiserve, Musica Pristina, Lumin, and Diamond Music Vault...maybe some others, but those are the one's I have given consideration to.  I know there a pluses and minuses with each.  The only one I have seen function first hand is the Unitiserve and was more impressed than I expected to be.  Also local dealer support to help but the system in place is sure nice to have.  Anyone have any thoughts on the subject?

Posted on: 29 May 2014 by antony d

Alan - there are lots of options if you are looking for a Music server - Naim being one of them -

 

I was looking at the going down the Naim route - but got some serious advice before shelling out best side of £2,000 +

 

I went down the QNAP route HD 210 with 4 TB of memory - cost around £400 - you can still play which ever tracks you wish in which ever order you wish = a la ITunes - NAS linked into NDX -

 

delighted with the results so far -

Posted on: 29 May 2014 by Alan Ferguson

Anthony, thanks for your suggestion.  I'll have to start doing some homework here.  My great fear, like so many of us, is that I am not tech savy and tend to get intimidated.  I worry about the expenditure that sits wanting because I end up not knowing what I am doing.

 

The best, Alan

Posted on: 29 May 2014 by Dozey

The great thing about the unitiserve from my perspective is that you don't need to know about computers - it is designed to be switched on and used by music lovers. Should you have an issue then you can get support from a dealer or Naim HQ.

Posted on: 29 May 2014 by Jan-Erik Nordoen

^ A big +1 to that.

 

Also, I have yet to find a source that sounds as musically engaging as the UnitiServe (which is derived from Naim's HDX). The Naimnet NS 01 server is reported as being slightly superior in sound quality, but I'm not sure that it is still being built.

 

J-E

Posted on: 29 May 2014 by antony d
Originally Posted by Alan Ferguson:

Anthony, thanks for your suggestion.  I'll have to start doing some homework here.  My great fear, like so many of us, is that I am not tech savy and tend to get intimidated.  I worry about the expenditure that sits wanting because I end up not knowing what I am doing.

 

The best, Alan

Alan

 

I'm with you on that one but don't be to put off - my dealer who was fantastic came to my house and set the whole thing up - NAS (server, in my case QNAP HS 210) which he had already installed the 2 x red memories - Z drive on my own PC and - collected to NDX and away, my main job was ripping the CD's on to the NAS

 

Phil suggested the hardware - purchased all from Amazon - I can't say enough about Phil at Cymbiosis - who took me through each step of the process, saving £1,000 + in process just means you can invest in more equipment

 

great thing about this forum is lots of advice and views - you just need to choice what is best for you within the budget you have - plenty of far more tech people than me to ask the questions of

Posted on: 29 May 2014 by stebro

I am not familiar with the other brands you mention.  Perhaps they are not distributed in the USA.  I purchased a Unitiserve 2TB last week and, as you can see from my other postings on this board, I am thrilled with it--the set up and operation as well as the sound.  More details in my other postings.

Posted on: 29 May 2014 by David O'Higgins

+1 for Unitiserve. Convenience, Sound Quality, simplicity and Nserve interface on Ipad make it Value for Money, in my view. And yes, you can can ask it to create a random playlist from your entire library.

Posted on: 29 May 2014 by Manu

Jan-Eric

yes NS01 is still in production and is selling quite well: the best solution for computerless system.

 

Have you noticed that NS01 is the choice of many ''Trade Members'' including me, probably a good sign...

 

Ask your dealer about this unit, as a NaimNet product, it is generally not listed in regular Naim pricelists.

Posted on: 30 May 2014 by antony d

Alan

 

details of QNAP HS 210

QNAP

Taipei, Taiwan, March 6, 2014 – QNAP® Systems, Inc. announced that the QNAP Silent NAS series has won the honorable iF Product Design Award 2014 for excellence in the computer category.

“The recognition from the iF award means outstanding achievements in design, and we are proud that our innovation in the Silent NAS series makes this list alongside other celebrated tech products,” said Meiji Chang, general manager of QNAP.

QNAP Silent NAS series is fanless, silent NAS for the living room, designed with a stylish and silent set-top design to sit alongside HDTVs, consoles and other elements of a digital lifestyle. With a revolutionary thermal design that intelligently dissipates heat, the Silent NAS series runs smoothly even under heavy load. It is also eco-friendly with power saving features such as hard disk standby and power management scheduling options. The user-friendly QTS operating system also makes system setup, maintenance and day-to-day usability extremely easy.


Taipei, Taiwan, March 6, 2014 – QNAP® Systems, Inc. announced that the QNAP Silent NAS series has won the honorable iF Product Design Award 2014 for excellence in the computer category.
“The recognition from the iF award means outstanding achievements in design, and we are proud that our innovation in the Silent NAS series makes this list alongside other celebrated tech products,” said Meiji Chang, general manager of QNAP.
QNAP Silent NAS series is fanless, silent NAS for the living room, designed with a stylish and silent set-top design to sit alongside HDTVs, consoles and other elements of a digital lifestyle. With a revolutionary thermal design that intelligently dissipates heat, the Silent NAS series runs smoothly even under heavy load. It is also eco-friendly with power saving features such as hard disk standby and power management scheduling options. The user-friendly QTS operating system also makes system setup, maintenance and day-to-day usability extremely easy.

Posted on: 30 May 2014 by Alan Ferguson

Anthony, thanks for the QNAP info.  It's so kind of you to take the time to share.

 

Also a big thanks to Dozey, Jan, David, Stebro for your input reguarding the Unitiserve as well.  I appreciate your positive, firsthand experiences and your encouragement about making the investment in the Uniti.  It does take some of the fear factor away.  Anytime you are going to spend some serious money (for me at least), you sure want to be reassured in advance that you made a wise decision.

 

Again, I mentioned previously that this is my first post and I've been touched by the kindness and the willingness to help a stranger with your knowledge and experiences.  Thanks again to each one of you, it is much appreciated from my side

 

Alan