Originally Posted by Aleg:
To me this proves that also dealers are not knowledgeable enough about computer networks to setup a streaming audio network. As you can see from many other posts the box does work and the apps do work. Setting up an audio network does sometimes require more than just connecting a few boxes with some cables
Hi Aleg
Having just read through this thread perhaps I might be allowed to comment, it could be construed from yours and other posts that UHES was in some way incompetent in this matter.
The Facts
UHES did not install Richards LAN
UHES were not consulted on the choice of equipment for Richards’s system (UnityQute/250)
Richard first contacted UHES in early February, he had fallen out with his existing dealer, with a request to purchase from us a Naim UnityQute/NAP-250 combination and wished to take advantage of the “Free” Powerline offer. Sadly both Ian & were overseas but I was contacted by a junior member of staff seeking permission to process the order. Richard is not only a highly respected member of the audio community (Owner/Founder of REL Acoustics famous for their sub-woofers), but I had met him on a previous function here and we had become friends and still are.
Richard wanted to collect the items and take them home prior to our return from overseas and I agreed on condition that upon our return we could go over and check things out and re-install them.
Upon our return we checked over Richard’s installation and had some reservation about the network over the mains supply that he was using and recommended a hard wired solution over Cat5e, but Richard decided upon a compromise of upgrading his aging network over the mains supply to a later version of the same system which did improve things considerably, providing better bandwidth.
The UnityQute was actually being used as a DAC from the Apple TV device as the UnityQute could not directly stream some of the Apple file formats that his music was stored in, other files formats could be streamed via the UnityQute itself.
I enquired of Richard what it was precisely he was trying to achieve and he said that it had to be Naim and what he felt would have suited him would be a Naim DAC with a volume control and that he had been advised that the closet he could get to this from the Naim range of components was a UnityQute, beefed up with the addition of a NAP-250 to drive his new PMC floor standing loudspeakers (Not purchased from us).
The equipment itself was stacked on a table and included other devices such as digital TV receiver and we recommended a Naim Fraim to house the equipment I also suggested that he use a Naim UnityServe (SSD) to rip his music to his existing NAS drive this would ensure that in future the UnityQute would be able to playback the stored music files.
On visit two we installed the Naim Fraim and took along our demo UnityServe (1Tb) but configured it to store files on his NAS drive and not its onboard HDD, as an experiment we compared streaming the files through the UnityQute to using the UnityServe as the digital streamer and the UnityQute as the DAC.
This had the following sonic results:
Least good sounding: Apple Files -> Apple TV -> UnityQute as DAC
Better Sounding: Non Apple files streamed by the UnityQute
Excellent sounding: UnityServe Streaming -> UnityQute as the DAC
It is also worth pointing out that this is all well before the release of the new Naim “Apps” for Apple devices, as we dealers did not get access to these “Apps” until our customers did on April 1st and this also coincides with the annual Naim price rise when dealers are much busier than usual.
Richard was still awaiting the arrival of his iPad2 so we left a happy Richard after pressing an old Laptop from his loft into service to temporarily run the nServe using a web browser until Apple coughed up his iPad2 and Naim their Apps.
Richard decided that he would order the UnityServe SSD so we got a new one for him with DC-1 digital interconnect and our third visit was to install this. Ian had prepared something of a little surprise for Richard having taken a favourite LP of his which he had then run though our Linn Sondek LP-12SE (Urika/Radikal) through our professional (Studio) ADC to make him a digital copy in 24/96 that he could now playback through his system.
In attempt to cut a long story short, about time I hear you cry, Naim released their new Apps which I downloaded onto our Apple iPad(1), I had hoped this might be something like the Chorus DS where one could both select music, have transport controls and adjust volume but Naim had gone for two separate Apps one to control the UnityServe (nServe) and another to control NaimUnity, UnityQute & NDX (nStream). In Richards’s situation this would mean switching between the two Apps to first select the music (nServe) and then to control the volume (nStream).
Richard’s iPad apparently had not arrived so he had downloaded the Naim Apps onto his iPhone and got into all manner of difficulties, he was a little silly he should have called us, but he is such a considerate Gentleman he knew that if he did so we would have gone out to him on the Saturday or the Sunday and he did not want to bother us.
Instead he became extremely frustrated and by the time he called us it was to say can I bring the UnityServe back for a refund? He had found a much cheaper and for him better solution and I was happy to oblige him. As a matter of integrity we cleared the unit as used rather than put it back into stock and a new customer picked up a bargain and is delighted with his nearly new Naim UnityServe SSD.
Happily Richard remains a good friend to both Ian & I, he is exceptionally good company and we love to wonder off down memory lane and talk about the “good old days” we have both been around rather longer than either of care to remember and I am still smarting from a customer who pointed out me recently that I have now been involved in this industry for six decades, egging it slightly 1968 – 2011!
As to your comment quoted above our largest installation to date incorporates 15 audio digital streaming devices 5 video streaming devices and the latter able to stream Blu-Ray high definition video and sound and 47 Tb of storage all via the local area network which requires a little more expertise than “Setting up an audio network does sometimes require more than just connecting a few boxes with some cables”
I hope you will agree
Warmest regards
Norman
Partner - UHES
. Until the dreaded upgrade virus strikes again.