Core Reviewed

i am waiting for this hifi critic bought today....and impatient to read the core review.

What takes you so long? Can't you read and type and hear at the same time? We just can't wait..  

Chag -

£17 for a HiFi mag 

Yeah, I know Jonn, it does seem a bit steep. But I like the principles and ethos of the publication - no adverts so of course the costs have to be covered by the price of the publication itself. It also means they can be impartial (as impartial as any reviewer can be I guess, dare i say that?) as they are not beholden to any advertisers.

Jonn posted:

£17 for a HiFi mag 

yes, too expensive. But they say they are totally independent and are not paying advertisings.

Chag... posted:

What takes you so long? Can't you read and type and hear at the same time? We just can't wait..  

Chag -

il en a trop dit ou pas assez...

i don't know how to translate this french saying: he had too much spoken or not enough. Something like that.

ChrisH posted:

Yeah, I know Jonn, it does seem a bit steep. But I like the principles and ethos of the publication - no adverts so of course the costs have to be covered by the price of the publication itself. It also means they can be impartial (as impartial as any reviewer can be I guess, dare i say that?) as they are not beholden to any advertisers.

maybe you are also, like jon, linked to the hifi critic magazine and have not the right to reveal the review?  in order to force us to buy the magazine....   For me, it is not a problem, i will receive it in a few days.

3. months ago, jon posted on this forum that we was talking with Martin Colloms who was reviewing the core. But refused to reveal what Martin Colloms was thinking.  

I find this a bit annoying.  The best is to say nothing in that case.

Hi Keler,

No, I have absolutely nothing to do with Hi Fi Critic. My intention was not to spoil it for people who haven't yet received their copy. 

The review is for sure positive, with some reservations re. Metadata editing as others have posted on the Forum over recent times.

Hope this helps calm your curiosity.

......And having read the Uniti progress update thread from Trevor just now, it would seem that the main metadata reservations are to be addressed in due course:

'Other features like metadata for composer, conductor for example are in the release planning'

So once the Core is bedded in with the updates implemented and Hi Fi Critic do a follow up, it should be a more complete picture.

ChrisH posted:

Hi Keler,

No, I have absolutely nothing to do with Hi Fi Critic. My intention was not to spoil it for people who haven't yet received their copy. 

The review is for sure positive, with some reservations re. Metadata editing as others have posted on the Forum over recent times.

Hope this helps calm your curiosity.

ok thanks, i understand, yes it calm my curiosity.  have a good day.

i just read the review on hificritic. I understood that the core is better than the unitserve with its stock smps.  But the serve with a custom linear ps ( Martin Colloms uses his custom linear ps on the serve) is on par with the core.

Martin Colloms writes" excepting a unitserve used with a custom linear supply, the new uniticore can hold its own in overall sound quality "

" the uniticore surpasses the standard model when used with its smps"(stock ps/ not added linear one)"

As for spdif vs ethernet, Martin Colloms said" the streamed data sounded better here".

I hope i have well understood the review, but it is better to read the review on hificritic, one of the best audio magazine existing, with stereophile and audiophile -magazine. com( french). The reviews are argumented, with comparaisons to similar products reviewed and no bla bla like" it is the best i have listened to...".

Why isn't this review posted on the Connexion page yet then? 

Chag -

Chag... posted:

Why isn't this review posted on the Connexion page yet then? 

Chag -

i received the magazine by post service. There are not a lot of reviews on their site. Reviews online are not recent.... Unfortunately you must pay around 20 GBP to have this magazine only on paper form.

Interesting that he says "streamed data sounded better here",does he give the context of what the connections were?SPDIF Versus ethernet is pretty vague,was the SPDIF into an external DAC?I thought people were reporting better sound using SPDIF,I will find out when my Core arrives I guess.

No quarter posted:

Interesting that he says "streamed data sounded better here",does he give the context of what the connections were?SPDIF Versus ethernet is pretty vague,was the SPDIF into an external DAC?I thought people were reporting better sound using SPDIF,I will find out when my Core arrives I guess.

it was spdif to his nds/555 dr. he uses dc1.  People saying spdif was better were only using nac 272, if i remember well.   

Hey No quarter again, i see on your profile that you have the 272. Maybe in your case spdif  will sound better.   For myself, at the beginning, with my last serve/tp ps, with nds/555dr, i preferred spdif, more analogue like sounding. I have used at that time chord anthem signature bnc cable. But when i began to upgrade my network, the ethernet mode began to sound better for me.  But perhaps the dac inside the 272 is better than the streaming part....just hypothesis. So 272 may sound better in spdif....(?)

Keler Pierre posted:

i received the magazine by post service. There are not a lot of reviews on their site. Reviews online are not recent.... Unfortunately you must pay around 20 GBP to have this magazine only on paper form.

Give me your mail, i will take photos of the pages of the core review and send it to you, if you want.

Thank you Pierre. I will wait until Naim posts the review on their Connection page. It shouldn't take too long if it is that positive. Mind you that Martin's article on the Serve SSD was never posted probably because he preferred the HDD version to the SSD and encouraged the use of a third party linear power supply.  

Chag -

Chag... posted:

Keler Pierre posted:

i received the magazine by post service. There are not a lot of reviews on their site. Reviews online are not recent.... Unfortunately you must pay around 20 GBP to have this magazine only on paper form.

Give me your mail, i will take photos of the pages of the core review and send it to you, if you want.

Thank you Pierre. I will wait until Naim posts the review on their Connection page. It shouldn't take too long if it is that positive. Mind you that Martin's article on the Serve SSD was never posted probably because he preferred the HDD version to the SSD and encouraged the use of a third party linear power supply.  

Chag -

Martin said in his core review that he always preferred the files streamed from the serve vs his nas. He uses his nas as a backup only. But i think, i don't remember, there was also another reason he preferred the hdd: you can have the free review of the hificritic hdd on hificritic site: just add to the cart, write your mail...and after download for free.

in the review of Martin Colloms, 3informations are useful to add:

1) Mr Colloms prefers hdd drive in the core as well as in the serve, he writes " with samsung ssd, the core still doesn't sound as dynamic and tightly focused as the spinning hdd alternative "

2) the conclusion on sound quality : " the core approaches the standard of the supply -augmented server" . So the serve with additional good linear ps is still a little better than the core.   I am glad to have experienced the same results when comparing core/hdd/powerline vs  serve/ uptone js2.

3) " i found the core ripping less certain than with the earlier serve", " with more metadata entry errors ":  same results found by some members.

So, my conclusion, as well as the observations by other members :  don't buy a core if you have a serve. Add just a good linear ps to the serve.

Keler Pierre posted:

in the review of Martin Colloms, 3informations are useful to add:

1) Mr Colloms prefers hdd drive in the core as well as in the serve, he writes " with samsung ssd, the core still doesn't sound as dynamic and tightly focused as the spinning hdd alternative "

2) the conclusion on sound quality : " the core approaches the standard of the supply -augmented server" . So the serve with additional good linear ps is still a little better than the core.   I am glad to have experienced the same results when comparing core/hdd/powerline vs  serve/ uptone js2.

3) " i found the core ripping less certain than with the earlier serve", " with more metadata entry errors ":  same results found by some members.

 

So, my conclusion, as well as the observations by other members :  don't buy a core if you have a serve. Add just a good linear ps to the serve.

Interesting stuff.

I definitely remember an improvement when I put an Israeli power supply on my UnitiServe. I too was under the impression this is a linear power supply, but I don't care if it is not. BTW, every photo I have seen of this device it has a decent size transformer for all to see - not sure how telling this is.

It is also interesting that MC appears to prefer the SQ from a UnitiServe (with this power supply) over the Core. I assume this comparison was done in UPnP mode. Now that is a surprise. I would have thought the SQ game would have been moved forward with the new ripper/server. 

nigelb posted:

Keler Pierre posted:

in the review of Martin Colloms, 3informations are useful to add:

1) Mr Colloms prefers hdd drive in the core as well as in the serve, he writes " with samsung ssd, the core still doesn't sound as dynamic and tightly focused as the spinning hdd alternative "

2) the conclusion on sound quality : " the core approaches the standard of the supply -augmented server" . So the serve with additional good linear ps is still a little better than the core.   I am glad to have experienced the same results when comparing core/hdd/powerline vs  serve/ uptone js2.

3) " i found the core ripping less certain than with the earlier serve", " with more metadata entry errors ":  same results found by some members.

 

So, my conclusion, as well as the observations by other members :  don't buy a core if you have a serve. Add just a good linear ps to the serve.

Interesting stuff.

I definitely remember an improvement when I put an Israeli power supply on my UnitiServe. I too was under the impression this is a linear power supply, but I don't care if it is not. BTW, every photo I have seen of this device it has a decent size transformer for all to see - not sure how telling this is.

It is also interesting that MC appears to prefer the SQ from a UnitiServe (with this power supply) over the Core. I assume this comparison was done in UPnP mode. Now that is a surprise. I would have thought the SQ game would have been moved forward with the new ripper/server. 

he doesn't use this israeli ps but a custom linear ps( he doesn't give a name to it).  There are a lot of different quality linear ps, the israeli is not the best. I had one before on the serve, and now had an uptone audio js2, which significantly improved the sound vs the israeli one. In different audio forums,  the best linear ps are: hdplex 400w, sonore signature ps, paul hynes sr7 and uptone audio js2.   

He writes in his review than the core is better in sound quality vs the serve with its stock smps . So sound quality has moved forward with the core.    But adding a high quality linear ps , mine costs around 1000GBP, puts the serve ahead a bit.  But the cost of the serve/uptone js2 is around 4500 dollars and the core with hdd is around 2500 dollars. So i think naim audio had made a good achievement with the uniticore.

Keler Pierre posted:

So, my conclusion, as well as the observations by other members :  don't buy a core if you have a serve. Add just a good linear ps to the serve.

Or... take a view that the software in Serve is unsupported both by Naim and by Microsoft (as is the client software too), that the latest emergency security patches cannot be applied to Serve because it is XP Embedded SP2 not SP3, and Naim wont/cant provide an upgrade path. 

Then you might conclude that Serve/HDX is a product with a past, and Core is a product with a future.

Can't wait for the release of Core 2 with an improved PSU.. 

Chag -

Dealers now taking deposits 

jon honeyball posted:

Keler Pierre posted:

So, my conclusion, as well as the observations by other members :  don't buy a core if you have a serve. Add just a good linear ps to the serve.

Or... take a view that the software in Serve is unsupported both by Naim and by Microsoft (as is the client software too), that the latest emergency security patches cannot be applied to Serve because it is XP Embedded SP2 not SP3, and Naim wont/cant provide an upgrade path. 

Then you might conclude that Serve/HDX is a product with a past, and Core is a product with a future.

yes, the core is the product of the future and more modern than the serve. But if someone has already the serve, i don't see great interest to buy a core and sell the serve. Just add a good ps to the serve and sound quality will be the same or better( with the best linear ps).

When my serve will die, perhaps i will take a core....