SuperUniti vs ND5 XS+ NAIT 5Si

I am not the Naim aficionado that others are,

but I would personally have a real problem spending $6k or $7k on electronics for $1k speakers.  I think you would be much better off rebalancing the system at that point.  

You could do a UnitiLite and a new pair of speakers for the same money.  Or a UQ2 with NAP100 and new speakers. 

Heck if you really like your speakers I think that either UnitiLite or UQ w/ NAP100 may be good options.    

it just seems with a ND5 XS you get out of balance real quick.  Several people (me included) use a UnitiQute as just a source.  

Possibly a UQ2 with that Nait 5si would be a good if not somewhat redundant solution.

good luck, I hope others chime in. 

The Superuniti has plenty of clout - I'd certainly consider it, but weather or not it works for you is largely down to personal preference, and how well it matches the rest of your system. See if you can get another home demo from your dealer.

Thanks for the replies so far. More opinions would be most welcome.

Brubacca, interesting points re the speakers: they were £550 when I bought them so are not the most expensive. I notice that the high end 6 series are now over £1000. My plan was to upgrade as and when I have the means but did not want to buy amplification twice. Since the SU seems to use a better amp that the 5si it got me thinking about that rather than getting the ND5.

I am assuming it will not sound worse than the cheaper amp even with my cheap speakers?

If I went down the UnitiLite route would the amp in that be comparable to the 5Si or is it of lesser quality?

Thnaks

I think that you need to hear the units in question.  From what I have read here over the last couple of years each Naim unit has something a bit different to bring to the table sonically.

the UnitiLite has an amplifier derived from the Nait 5i-2, the predecessor to the current Nait 5si.  

My take on what others have reported here is that the higher up the Naim range you go the more refined/ analog like the sound becomes. If you like an edgier sound the introductory level equipment may be more to your liking (the exception being the CDX2).  I don't think that it is as simple as there just being more power the higher up the range you go.  

The only naim equipment I own is the original Qute, which I love. 

Not sure if user MangoMonkey is still around, but he has experience with many Naim and a Rega systems. He may have some valuable input, although I haven't noticed him here in awhile. 

I have finally just put my trust in my dealer (because he is excellent at putting together systems) and I go with his recommendations.  

I have not had the pleasure of hearing the 5si, but used to own a 5i, now own a SuperUniti and can say confidently that the SU has a much better amp than the 5si. If you want a once and done system with minimal scope for fiddling about, the SU could be just the answer. But if you want to hop on the upgrade treadmill, it's not.

Thanks for the advice HH

I am not planning on upgrading once I have this. Speakers and TT will be upgraded in time but the Amp/Streamer are for keeps.

Bit worried by what Brubacca said about it being overkill for the speakers but my understanding is it will still sound better (certainly not worse) than the 5Si through the same speakers?

Don't be worried about what I said.  I am one random guy on the internet.

If you feel that the SU is your best move and not your last one then go for it.  If you can audition at home first everyone here would probably recommend that.

Good Luck.

You can't really have too much amp for a speaker - it's simply that the speakers may not show the full potential of the system. You can fix that by improving the speakers later. The mistake people make is to get an amp which is not enough for their speakers, which is rarely a success.

I believe the Nait XS-2 to be a better match for the ND5 XS, and this combination is only slightly more expensive than the SU.  It does though have a different sonic presentation, less muscular, but more detailed; it just depends on which you prefer.

For a streamer to compliment the Nait5si, the more appropriate options are the NAC-n 172 XS or perhaps the UnitiQute2.

If you intend to upgrade your speakers in the not too distant future, I feel the SU or ND5 XS + Nait XS-2 are the best options as they'll give you a wider choice of speakers when the time comes, but they are the more expensive options.

Just a note: you appear to be missing a phono amp as none of the components (Nait5Si, Nait XS-2 or SuperUniti) have a built in phono stage.

Thanks for the reply Huge. I have a rega fono phono stage that I am using with the demo 5si. Also considering going non Naim (sorry all) and looking at Cambridge Auido, Cyrus ans Linn streamers at around £1000 as that will allow me to upgrade TT and or speakers at the same time if I go for the 5si amp.

So many decisions!

Well, borrowed the SuperUniti to compare to the NAIT 5si and wow! What a difference. Just playing CD and Vinyl the difference is marked, especially vinyl: warmer clearer and more refined all at the same time! Tried an HD audio FLAC (Led Zep 4) and the level of detail is really impressive.

Dealer (Audio T) has an ex demo SuperUinit for £2795 (The unit I currently have at home to test) so thinking of going for that as it is a great saving and I don't need the Bluetooth features.

All in all very impressed.

Thanks all for the advice. Will be back in touch if I need help with the NAS!

Hi Ryder35,

I would like to share some of my experience about SU as I am current user.  I dare to say that SU is better than the combination of ND5XS/Nait 5si by a far margin.  The most obvious area is that it sounds wider than the later combo, better separation of instruments and the sound is much refined.  The most important and critical element is the level of musicality.  I auditioned the later combo in the showroom and found that it sounds without any energy and it does not sound as agile as the SU.

I hope you will find it useful.

Cheers,

Patrick

A steal! The best bits of a number of Naim boxes, all in one box. 

If I could go back in time 18 months the only thing I might check out is the little Devialet more thoroughly.

Thanks Patrick: musical is a great way to describe it. Your observations pretty much mirror mine so far.

One thing I am noticing is that I need the volume higher to get the same level of noise compared to the NAIT 5si. Does that seem odd to anyone else?

Yes, but odd because the amp has no digital readout for volume and the SU has no 'dot' on the volume control, so the two are not directly comparable. How do you know you need to turn the SU further?

The noise floors and gains of different amplifiers are different - not really a surprise, they're different designs!

Good point! I am kind of assuming that 9 o'clock on the analog dial = about 25/100 on the digital.

...and don't forget the missing 'dot', AND I've just noticed the volume knob has dropped off the UnitiQute, it couldn't have gone far ...!

I think you will find the Naim amps usually give most sensible volume between 8 and 11 o'clock. It's quite a narrow range for modern 'maxed out' signal inputs.

Oooh, I don't know if it was round it could have rolled quite a long way!

...if it was round it could have rolled quite a long way!

 Er.. Hexagolon(ish)?

I wouldn't worry. I usually play my SU between 30 and 40 for serious listening, though it's been up to 65 on occasions. The other Naim amps have a more restricted volume range, whereas the SU is much more flexible. If you think CD through the analogue input is good, wait till you hear CD rips streamed over ethernet - it's miles better.

The CD player is through the optical input but I get what you mean. Was listening to some mellow REM tracks tonight and the detail and warmth was amazing. I really can't believe how much better it sounds compared to the NAIT 5si. No law of diminishing returns here.

Ryder35 you are killing me.  I just poured out my change jar hoping to come up with the money to upgrade to SU....

Gllad you like it and it sounds like you found a winner.