Fault 36

Switching off overnight appears as a solution elsewhere on the forum so might be worth giving it a try. I have various Naim streamers and haven't suffered this one myself but there are some reports on the forum along with said overnight power down as a solution. 

One other forum entry mentions powering down, moving the ethernet connection, switching to what I assume is an analogue input then powering up - no mention of when to insert the ethernet cable though so best to try the overnight option first.

Hopefully just a glitch and you'll be rewarded by years of happy listening, so don't throw in the towel too soon.

If not picked up on the forum an e-mail to Naim customer services normally gets a swift response - although perhaps not on Christmas eve!

Thanks.  I shall leave it switched off overnight.  Not much alternative until the heavy brigade come for Boxing Day Lunch and we can all heave the cabinet out into the room and hope to plug the cables into the correct sockets.  I see that I shall need an easy way to switch it off at the mains in future.  I could have switched the whole lot off but I did not want to switch off the power amplifier as I had been advised to avoid doing so.  Missed the Carols from Kings' on the radio but just in time to catch it on the TV.  The boss thinks I shouldn't need Hi-Fi over Christmas.  She is probably right.  She usually is.

I had a fault 36 with my SuperUniti (also my first piece of Naim gear) a few years ago. It ultimately needed to go in for servicing.

Once I got it back the problem never occurred again, and I am over 1 year into an NDX and it's performed flawlessly.

I'm also fairly certain that now the Fault 36 error can be fixed with a software patch provided by Naim... if you email them I think they will be able to get in touch with a fix.

Thanks.

It did restart correctly after I had left it off overnight and it has not occurred since that day although I have only used the 'mute' button on the remote and I have operated the system using my Ipad.

I shall contact Naim customer services following your post and let you know how they respond.

This wonderful sounding system replaced my Sony ES system which I bought nearly 30 years ago and which gave very good service for all those years with hardly a fault developing.  I remember at the time when I bought it audiophiles were very suspicious of any equipment with a remote control and I thought I was letting the side down when I bought it instead of a Quad set-up.  I had imagined that I could now have the pleasure of superb sound with sophisticated control without the complexities and glitches inherent in computers.  How wrong I was.  I can't even persuade the Naim Music Server Support Disc to fully install on my desktop.  My more computer-literate wife managed to Google the NAC-N 272 Reference Manual so at least I can now read the instructions.

I can't become a regular thorn in the side of the dealer so I shall probably need to employ a computer whizz kid to teach me how to make all the computer based functions operate to best advantage.

How times change.  Must keep up!  I keep reading about Nirvana.  Haven't got there yet.

coiledmagnet posted:

Thanks.

It did restart correctly after I had left it off overnight and it has not occurred since that day although I have only used the 'mute' button on the remote and I have operated the system using my Ipad.

I shall contact Naim customer services following your post and let you know how they respond.

This wonderful sounding system replaced my Sony ES system which I bought nearly 30 years ago and which gave very good service for all those years with hardly a fault developing.  I remember at the time when I bought it audiophiles were very suspicious of any equipment with a remote control and I thought I was letting the side down when I bought it instead of a Quad set-up.  I had imagined that I could now have the pleasure of superb sound with sophisticated control without the complexities and glitches inherent in computers.  How wrong I was.  I can't even persuade the Naim Music Server Support Disc to fully install on my desktop.  My more computer-literate wife managed to Google the NAC-N 272 Reference Manual so at least I can now read the instructions.

I can't become a regular thorn in the side of the dealer so I shall probably need to employ a computer whizz kid to teach me how to make all the computer based functions operate to best advantage.

How times change.  Must keep up!  I keep reading about Nirvana.  Haven't got there yet.

Why not ? that's what he is there for ! To get things sorted or die !

But let's hope you don't need to become a thorn in his side

Welcome Coiledmagnet.   I too was plagued with an intermittant fault 36 a couple of years ago, but not with a NAC272;  my problems were with an NDS network player.  There was a software work around which was easily installed, but the final, permanent fix involved a trip back home for the player.   I'm sure you'll find the guys and girls at Naim are quick to respond to your problems when they return from their Christmas festivities.

With regard to your installation from the Unitiserve setup disk... what are you trying to install, and on to what kind of computer?  I assume it's the desktop client onto a Windows computer, but if it's anything else (e.g. the U/serve firmware update), I'd advise caution if you are not happy with burning ISO dvds on your computer... take advantage of your dealer, and don't worry about becoming a thorn in his side... he loves customers who do this... it's what he gets up each morning for   (as Don says above)

This takes me back to when I first bought a SuperUniti and UnitiServe in 2013. The system is wonderful sounding and easy to use, once set up right. 

The nice thing about the UnitiServe is that it's really easy to rip CDs, and have them playing in minutes. I wouldn't worry about the DTC for now, but if you want it you can download it from the Naim website - you'll find it at the bottom of the UnitiServe page. 

You should install the nServe app on your iPad. This is the easiest way to control the metadata from your albums. Make sure you get the artist, album title and genre correct for each album. Most are ok, but there are things to trip you up - for example loads of albums are Pop- Rock, but if they rip as Pop - Rock or Pop/Rock the system will think they are different genres. 

Once you have mastered all this and loaded your albums, you will need to think about setting up a backup. For this you will need a nas, and setting the Serve to backup is what I found most tricky of anything I encountered. But there are guides on the Naim website, and if you get in a real muddle Naim can dial into your system and sort it out. 

I'd suggest getting your dealer round to check your installation early in the new year to make sure you have everything correct. 

I now have a 272 and 250DR and it's a delight to use and listen to. So yes, you'll find challenges along the way, but all are solvable, with help from your dealer (who has the prime responsibility) the Forum and Naim themselves. And remember, Google is your friend. 

Thanks to you all.

The dealer, who is first class, gave me a ring before I got through to Naim customer support.  He had installed the n-serve app and the Desktop client application onto my Windows desktop when he set up the equipment.  He also had the foresight to encourage me to get a wired connection from my router to the NAC-N which are at opposite ends of the house.  I think the only part of the Support Disk not to install was the User Manual which I have found elsewhere.  The apps seem to be working OK although I am just scratching at the surface of their uses.  He will install the Fault 36 software patch when he comes over with some more stuff to audition. 

Initially, I had asked him to connect the old Sony ES CD player to the NAC-N in case I had problems with ripping or was too impatient to wait when I wanted to listen to a CD but the difference between the sound from the CD player and the Unitiserve when played through the rest of the Naim equipment was so huge that we ditched it straight away.  I kept my beloved Sony ES DAT which runs through the system and sounds better than ever.  I shall need to find a way of uploading the DAT tapes onto the Windows desktop and then storing them on the Unitiserve if that is possible but I have much to learn before attempting that exercise.

As far as back-up is concerned, I am so green that I imagined that the files would duplicate onto the Windows desktop automatically, which is silly.  I shall ask the dealer what to get and how to install back-up equipment.  I also want to see what difference an XPS makes - if I have ears to hear it.

That's good - I got the impression that you were doing this unsupported. I'd strongly suggest that you wait a while before trying the XPS so that you are clear what it adds. Installing a wired connection is definitely the way to go. Get the dealer to sort you out with a switch - connect the serve, the 272 and the backup nas to the switch and then connect the switch to the router. It works best this way. 

I'd really strongly suggest not giving up on streaming. I know how frustrating the fault 36 error is having lived through it, but it's been the only glitch in my (so far) 5 year ownership path with Naim gear. Once patched, you won't have to deal with it again. My biggest issue with streaming now is occasionally having to restart my modem (although this has nothing to do with my Naim gear). 

The streaming learning curve isn't as daunting as it appears. Look at it as time well invested.

I may be missing something here but if ‘Fault 36’ has been around for a few years and there is a software work around & a permanent fix, why is new stuff being sold without the fix?

Exactly what I thought but I won't judge.  It seems to me, as a complete novice, that Naim have travelled a very long way very quickly and with very few resources.  A typical British way of doing things better than anyone else on a shoestring.  It makes me feel rather proud, goodness knows why.  Creating computer software, keeping it safe and updating it correctly and making it operate hardware which is repeatedly being altered and refined must be a nightmare but, yes, it seems that Fault 36 should not really be in new kit.

Hungryhalibut posted:

That's good - I got the impression that you were doing this unsupported. I'd strongly suggest that you wait a while before trying the XPS so that you are clear what it adds. Installing a wired connection is definitely the way to go. Get the dealer to sort you out with a switch - connect the serve, the 272 and the backup nas to the switch and then connect the switch to the router. It works best this way. 

I fully agree with what HH says above