Next move?

I would go for the Core - you'll be amazed at how much music you'll rediscover when you have the entire library at your fingertips!

Then, when you have the funds, decide which way you want to go - by then you might decide that a 272 pre and a 250 is the way to go  

Synchro posted:

I am thinking of adding either Uniti Core (and transfer all my CDs into it) or a separate amp to drive the power hungry Dyns but can only do one for now. Which would you choose first?

If you choose the Core I think you'll also need a DAC, if that helps.

joerand posted:

Synchro posted:

I am thinking of adding either Uniti Core (and transfer all my CDs into it) or a separate amp to drive the power hungry Dyns but can only do one for now. Which would you choose first?

If you choose the Core I think you'll also need a DAC, if that helps.

The SU has a pretty good onboard DAC.

Thanks. For now would rely on the DAC inside the Superuniti. Maybe a late upgrade would be the Nova or 272. 

Wm. posted:

The SU has a pretty good onboard DAC.

Ahh. Thanks for the correction. I remember reading about the Core that it didn't have a DAC. 

I see the SU is 80W so the S3.4s must be fairly demanding.

The 80W in the SU is not quite the same as, say,  the 80W in the 250 DR.  It's an interesting dilemma....

Synchro posted:

Hi all -  First post here. I have a Naim Superuniti in my main listening space with a Rega RP6 record player. My speakers are Dynaudio S3.4s. The SU and the Rega are my only sources at the moment. I am thinking of adding either Uniti Core (and transfer all my CDs into it) or a separate amp to drive the power hungry Dyns but can only do one for now. Which would you choose first?

Thank you. 

What kind of music do you have on your CDs?

The Core has, at this point, very limited or no support for metadata editing and user customizable indexes. For ripping and managing a classical music collection, metadata editing and customizable indexes are mandatory.

In your position, I would start by ripping about 30 CDs of my collection using a laptop (or desktop) computer and, for instance dBpoweramp. This will give you some data to start with. You put your rips on a USB stick and take the stick with you when you go to your Naim dealer for a demo. You ask the dealer to show you how you would transfer your data to the Core or to whatever server/storage/playback system you envisage buying at that point. This gives you a practical experience of what you'll have to do in the future if you buy files instead of CDs.

Ripping some you your CDs will also bring you a better understanding of the problem of tagging your data and organizing your collection. You do not want to delegate these choices to the Core or to any other computer because they will tag your data in a way that does not fit your needs or expectations. Have a look at the "Intelligent Browsing" and "Take control of your tagging" sections of the MinimServer intro on http://minimserver.com/features.html#Discover.

The next question would be whether you want to use your SU as a client (streamer) of a UPnP server or as a DAC. In both cases you could use the Core as a source. But, if you use your SU as a streamer, a NAS would perhaps be a more flexible option than a Core. If you use your SU as a DAC, the Core would probably be fine but, again, a small computer (a Raspberry Pi 3 with a hifiberry Pro SPDIF interface, for instance) might be more flexible and offer you possibilities (internet radio, TIDAL streaming, etc.) that the Core does not actually support.

Is the Core the new answer to everything? 

Been in this situation. If you want a real upgrade add a 250dr to your SU. I went one step further and went 300dr. The difference is huge.

WM's comments are worth taking note of too.

Upgrading pre or amp (section) first. The usual dilemna but many will argue pre first.  

Chag -

blythe posted:

I would go for the Core - you'll be amazed at how much music you'll rediscover when you have the entire library at your fingertips!

Then, when you have the funds, decide which way you want to go - by then you might decide that a 272 pre and a 250 is the way to go  

Must entirely agree whether you go for the Core or not is up to you.Since selling my Naim CD player and relying on ripped music I'm finding that I play CDs that I haven't played in years plus I'm also purchasing more CDs than ever you can get some absolute bargains off of the internet.

I have a Core on order it might be the way for you to go but check it out at your dealer. NBPF is correct the metadata editing is lacking at the moment but it is in the process of being sorted with software changes.

Whatever you decide enjoy your journey.

If you add a 250DR you will get significantly improved sound. If you put the CDs on a Core it's simply another way of getting the same sound. Remember that a £400 nas is all you need - get a Qnap or Synology and rip the albums with dbpoweramp on your computer. 

So as you have the SU already, which has a streamer, get a nas and the power amp. Once the CDs are ripped the CD player can go. Then swap the SU for a 272 or NDX/282/Hicap. 

Synchro - How are you playing CDs at the moment given that the SuperUniti doesn't have a CD player?

nbpf posted:

The Core has, at this point, very limited or no support for metadata editing and user customizable indexes. For ripping and managing a classical music collection, metadata editing and customizable indexes are mandatory.

 

If I'm reading that correctly it's a shocking lack of progress over the HDX. 

dBpoweramp, a nice little NAS and a Naim streamer will do just as well. Better in fact.

Harry posted:

nbpf posted:

The Core has, at this point, very limited or no support for metadata editing and user customizable indexes. For ripping and managing a classical music collection, metadata editing and customizable indexes are mandatory.

 

If I'm reading that correctly it's a shocking lack of progress over the HDX. 

dBpoweramp, a nice little NAS and a Naim streamer will do just as well. Better in fact.

I think you'll find some of these missing functions in the Core will arrive soon with app and/or firmware updates, so maybe it's best to reserve judgment for a bit. 

That would be good. The legacy system for tagging is pre archaic. Ridiculous. There must have been some forward movement.  A post on this thread says otherwise. That, if true, would be awful. And that's not a judgement. It's a fact.

While I am certainly disappointed by the current specifications of the Core, I am not dismissing the device and my post was meant to provide the OP with something to think about.

I am convinced that investing in Naim equipment can indeed be very rewarding. For this, however, one has to spent some time understanding what one actually wants to achieve, which functionalities are implemented in which devices and what are the implications of streaming over LAN to a UPnP client vs. USB or SPDIF streaming to a DAC.

Naim's official documentation is not very helpful to get such understanding, in my view. More useful for the OP is perhaps the information provided in https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...al-range-of-products.

That said, the fact that the Core does not support metadata edition can be read from https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...ly=69145069625963749:

jon honeyball posted:

  sjbabbey posted:
  Thanks for the clarification, David. Presumably you can then delete any "unfavourite" tracks after ripping?

   Steve

no - there is no editing, or metadata editing as yet

I would expect metadata editing support to be added very soon because I cannot imagine that people want to rip their CDs on the Core, transfer the data to another computer for metadata editing and than transfer back to the Core again. 

Do you have a NAS with your files on it already?  How are your files getting to the SU?  

If you feel the SU amp is holding the Dyns back do an amp upgrade first.

".... as yet". That's encouraging.

We bought our first HDX on sound quality/musical enjoyment. The technical stuff didn't interest us. But inevitably, HiRes downloads followed, plus DVD-A rips and the odd rip that the HDX couldn't perform. It was only then that the tagging shortcomings of the Naim model became evident. It could also be frustrating to edit  HDX ripped artist, album and track data using the front panel or the DTC. Rather hit and miss. I don't know if this was because of how the tags were laid down (or to be pedantic, were not laid down).  

Going to a streamer/NAS based server model was also done for reasons of playback quality. Additionally, in terms of how easy it now is to control the indexing and presentation of our music, it has been liberating. We'd never put convenience in front of quality. There are more convenient ways of getting the same (or better) quality in this particular regard. I'm glad that Naim appear to be moving forward in a more flexible direction and not ploughing on.

Thanks for all the replies! This is certainly an informative and helpful forum.

To answer some of the questions:

• I listen to mostly rock - alt rock, prog, classic rock, acoustic. Standard CDs that are gathering dust for the most part in my basement. The convenience and sound quality of the Core is intriguing to me. I need to listen to the Core vs other digital sources and hear for myself if it worth trying.
• I have an old multi-changer CD player (Sony C222ES?) that I just hooked up to the SU to serve as some sort of digital source (coax out) so I now have a way to listen to my digital music besides plugging in my iPhone into the front of the unit.
• I do not have a NAS currently and do not have much knowledge about how to set one up (yet).
• On the SU, I listen to a lot of streaming services (Tidal, Spotify) and iRadio (Radio Paradise, others) and enjoy that feature. So I can see trading it in someday for a 272 or the new Nova at some point as another upgrade path.

It is an interesting question of which to get. The amp would definitely improve my sound quality and my speakers could use a dedicated power source. I assume from some of the suggestions that the 250DR is a good choice and is within the budget. The Core adds something I do not have and gives me a way to easily store, sort, and back-up my entire collection in what looks like an elegant solution combined with the n-Serve app.

A lot of options in the Naim product line - I appreciate the comments and the links to the guide as well.

Ok.  Didn't realize that you hadn't digitized your collection yet.  You really have  avenues for this.  

Core- get one, add large ssd and use it to both rip CDs and serve up the cds to you SU.  In this case you will use the naim app or remote control to select and play music.  

Core (b)- same as above except use the digital out to the SU digital in for music.  In this case you will have to control with Naim App.

Core is a combined CD Ripper, Upnp Server and digital play back device.  It should just work in the naim ecosystem.  Personally if I were you I'd get a Core and use it to rip, store and serve my CDs data to the SU.  Use the SU to select and pull the infotmation off of the Core.  In this case you need a power cord and ethernet cable plugged into the Core.

If you want to have the same functionalty as I suggest for Core you can build a Vortexbox and get the same functionality as cd ripper and data server.  Its actually quite good at these 2 functions.  This can be done much more inexpensively than a core and may leave you with amp money.

Hungryhalibut posted:

If you add a 250DR you will get significantly improved sound. If you put the CDs on a Core it's simply another way of getting the same sound. Remember that a £400 nas is all you need - get a Qnap or Synology and rip the albums with dbpoweramp on your computer. 

So as you have the SU already, which has a streamer, get a nas and the power amp. Once the CDs are ripped the CD player can go. Then swap the SU for a 272 or NDX/282/Hicap. 

Synchro,
This looks like exceptionally fine advice from someone who has quite a lot of relevant experience.

First step: a 250DR, looks like the way to go.

Hope this helps, FT 

It may heal to clarify: there  are two basic approaches to music storage for 'streaming, your own files: 1) a networked store that streams the file across a network to a remote renderer, often in a box combined with the DAC, commonly called a streamer, and 2) a store that inorporates the rendering software that feeds digital music stream directly to a n external DAC without using a network (sometimes called a player). The most common type of store 1 is a NAS - networke attached store, which is a specialised computer dedicated to thet function, and examples of 2  include the Core, Melco,  Innuos Zenith and various computer-based solutions, all of which I believe can also function type 1. A singular advantage of type 2 is that it avoids streaming files across a network, which sometimes seems to cause people problems, and differing views on whether cable type has an effect.

Some of the stores provide ripping capability, although many people prefer to rip on a computer using sofrware like dBpoweramp, when it is simple to check and add or correct metadata, then transfer to the store. More about metadata later...

Harry posted:

...

Going to a streamer/NAS based server model was also done for reasons of playback quality. Additionally, in terms of how easy it now is to control the indexing and presentation of our music, it has been liberating. We'd never put convenience in front of quality. There are more convenient ways of getting the same (or better) quality in this particular regard. I'm glad that Naim appear to be moving forward in a more flexible direction and not ploughing on.

It is possible (and, in many cases, very meaningful) to run a UPnP server and a UPnP streamer/renderer on the same device. Using MinimServer as a UPnP server, one has outstanding support for classical music, intelligent browsing, customizable indexes and much more. And with upmpdcli as a UPnP streamer/renderer one has internet radio, Tidal and the finest control over indexing and presentation through the same control app on mobile devices: there is no need to confront users with two different control apps for streamers and servers. I would have been glad to see Naim moving towards a more straightforward, user friendly direction and initially I thought that the Core would be a first step. I would not mind paying a high price tag (although, for the price of the Core one can buy a Raspberry Pi and a damn good USB to SPDIF bridge) but at this point the Core's design seem to put inconvenience in front of everything. I am sure that the software design of the Core will improve and I hope that it will do so soon. Naim's comments in the thread mentioned above seem to suggest that we are currently in a state of flow.