I have two year old twins. I can't have my full slimline rack system in the living room because they will inevitably do "something" to it, so for now it's set up in the garage. It's annoying to have to leave the house just to listen. I want to get real hifi back in the house without taking the risk that it'll get broken. Fortunately, we have lots of built-in shelving in the living room that is high enough that they can't reach up there. I want to create a system that is light enough to sit on the shelves and simple enough that it doesn't take up a lot of space, i.e. minimize the number of boxes. Yes, I have a Muso, but it's not doing it for me.
I have a slimline Rega Planet and a Rega P3/stageline that I'd like to incorporate into the system. Streaming would be essential. I have an extra Apple AirPort I can stream through using the optical output. I also have an old pair of Dynaudio Audience 40s I can use. The UnitiQute2 seems like a natural solution. However, it appears I would need a separate power supply for the stageline. That's not a deal breaker - I have a Flatcap I can pull off the system in the garage - but it's not ideal.
Which Nait/Uniti products can power a stageline directly? Just going by the pictures on Naim's website, it appears the Nait XS, Supernait, and Uniti2 are the only ones. Is that accurate?
If that's the case, I'd just as soon get the Qute and deal with having an extra box. Both of the Naits would subject me to the DAC on the AirPort, and I haven't seen a lot of fans of the Uniti2 and its CD player on the web.
Any wise counsel would be appreciated.
Posted on: 16 August 2016 by Huge
Things that can power a stageline (or not) - N.B. NOT A COMPLETE LIST
SN / SN2 / Nait XS / Nait XS 2 Yes
NAC 202 / 282 /252 Yes
Nait 5i / 5i / 5si No
NAC-N 172 / 272 No
Look for a 5 pin DIN 270° AUX + Power socket
Posted on: 16 August 2016 by ChrisSU
Another one for the list:
Superuniti No
I would be tempted to use a Rega phono stage to get around this, a Fono for £200 is small and easy to site, and should be a good match for the TT.
Posted on: 16 August 2016 by ssmith
I have a Qute-nap100 with Neat Iota wall mounted not perfect in terms of sound quality but good enough, and keeps the speakers out of reach. My son was interested in the qute initially but leaves it alone luckily now even though it is in a low level shelf. I think the speakers are want he wants to get his grubby 16 month old mitts on most so would say that is the main thing to keep safe.
Obviously now I have said this by the time I get home from work he will have smashed something into the qute damaging it beyond repair.
Sam
Posted on: 17 August 2016 by Jorg
A big child-proofing concern of mine was the volume control. Our child listens to a lot of radio plays and of course she wants to adjust the volume herself which is no problem under normal circumstances. But with a NAP 500 into 94 db efficiency speakers, an accidental turn on the knob will make the speakers scream beyond 110 dB, and the kid will also scream and run away. In my nightmares, the system would self-destruct after a short while.
So I inserted a wooden plug into the extra hole on the back of the volume knob and glued a block of wood on the inside so that it blocks movement of the knob past 11 o clock. That still allows for concert levels. The naim people did not seem to mind when I mentioned this. I try to attach a picture.
Posted on: 18 August 2016 by MangoMonkey
I had a nds/552/300 on fraim lite. Never had issues. My 2 yr old didn't care much about the Naim stack.
however, he loved the buttons on Rega equipment / and wanted to keep switching the aria (or was it the Rega dac) or an off. So that had to go.
in short, this might be much ado about nothing... Worth experimenting.
maybe put masking tape over the nai logos and then the boxes are totally unappealing to toddlers..
Posted on: 20 August 2016 by MangoMonkey
Since I was talking of the time in the past. I still have it.
pit another way, what I have now, has little bearing on my description of the time 4 years ago...
Posted on: 28 August 2016 by ngarritson
Thank you for all the comments. I thought I should follow up and tell you about the solution I devised. First of all, I misspoke about which Rega CD player I have. It's actually the Rega Apollo R in the shoebox chassis.
I ended up buying a Nait 2 with phono boards on ebay. I put the Nait 2 and the Apollo side by side on top of my record cabinet, which is about 4 feet high (and 2.5 feet wide) and therefore too tall for the kids to reach the gear. The record cabinet happens to be about as high as the built-in shelves on which the speakers sit, so I ran the speaker cable directly from the cabinet over to the shelves without touching the ground. Ordinarily the cable would look too busy in black against white walls, so I got some white NAC A5 which blends in with the surroundings. Since the Nait 2 came with phono boards the need to use the Stageline was eliminated. The record player sits on a side table and is the only piece of gear within reach. So far it hasn't attracted any attention. I am wrestling with the idea of installing a turntable shelf over the record cabinet but I am reluctant to punch six holes in the wall. Overall, the system is very elegant and "pure". All the components make an essential contribution to the system and the lack of ability to upgrade by adding boxes takes the mind off the subject altogether. I can just listen without wondering "what if" I added a High Cap, and so on...
A word about the Nait 2 - I got lucky and found one in absolute mint condition. When I played it for the first time it was immediately clear why it has such a cult following. This thing is a masterpiece. It almost makes the idea of entry level separates seem pointless. When the Nait 2 plays, the music feels YOU!
