Superuniti with second pair of speaker

Posted by: ernie on 30 December 2018

Hello,

similar to my question about the N-vi now it comes to se SU. I own a Superuniti as my main system in the livingroom. Now we moved an have a open kitchen and dining area around the corner. To get better sound to that area I put empty conduits in the kitchenwall to hang on wall mounted speakers. I suppose the new Dali Oberon onwall entry speaker is sufficient for that. 

But I wonder how to drive them. I could get a NAP for the SU. But the I can‘t handle the volume for the kitchen independent from the livingroom. And I would need at least a NAP 200 to have a power switch in front to switch it off e.g. for TV. A bit of a heavy solution for the Dalis and the kitchen. The advantage would be to have all signals coming to the kitchen. But maybe that doesn’t work very well with different sensitivity of speakers. 

Or I could get a small amplifier with dac like a denon pma 60 which would fit in a small bookshelf in the kitchen an wire that by the digital output of SU. Advantage: indipendent volume and on/off. Disadvantage: no transport of analog sources of the SU like a turntable.

 

I hope you have any suggestions. The Muso is not an option, as there is no good space for that. And besides Upnp I understand there is no multiroom too. 

Thanks and a good new year‘s eve. 

Posted on: 30 December 2018 by NickSeattle

NAC-N 172 and 272 are better suited to this purpose, both having analog Line Out (fixed volume) which is would feed the Denon.

I would trade the SU.

Nick

Posted on: 30 December 2018 by NickSeattle

Or you could replace the Denon with the SU for a posh zone 2, and add the 172 or 272 plus NAP 100 or better for zone 1. 

Nick

Posted on: 30 December 2018 by ernie

Thanks for your replies. I don‘t have a Denon yet. It‘s just the size which would fit in the kitchen almost hided. I want to keep the SU in the livingroom. An additional standard sized nap had also to be placed in the livingroom. As step up in sound I would prefer to a nac 272 and nap 250 but it doesn‘t justify the price premium to me. And it doesn’t make much sense until I upgrade my speakers from the Audio Physic Yara Evolutions I still have since the beginnigs with a Nait 5i. And whithin the next years I can‘t upgrade because of little childrens hands I try to avoid touching magic black circles...

For the kitchen I was looking for a rather affordable solution in combination with on wall sound. I know it’s difficult and gives not much choices. Thats why I considered something like the integrated Denon at the digital out or a nap 100 - 200 at the DIN out with the budget Dali Oberon speakers. 

Posted on: 30 December 2018 by NickSeattle

I like the Denon idea, but not with the SU.  You know what the compromizes are.  Even a Uniti2 would be better for the two-zone scenario, as it has Line Out.  Strange omission on the SU.  Maybe sound quality is better served?  

Good luck.

Nick

Posted on: 30 December 2018 by alan33

A UnitiQute would be a possibility to drive your in-wall kitchen speakers locally, having multi-room /two zone capability with the SuperUniti as well as having full stand alone streaming, etc. Price wise it would be similar or perhaps less than the Qb but I have no idea relative to the Denon amp you mention. Might be worth pricing out a used Qute while you evaluate your options?

Regards alan

Posted on: 30 December 2018 by ChrisSU

A Unitiqute or other Uniti seems like a good choice to me, the only possible issue being that some sources will not work in multiroom mode. (Unless, that is, your budget will stretch to one of the new Naim streamers such as an Atom, which will play all inputs through multiroom.)

Posted on: 30 December 2018 by Mike Sullivan

I grew with the above two posts, another Uniti and use mulitroom.

Posted on: 02 January 2019 by ernie

Thanks for your comments. With a Qute I will have the same problem to not have analogue sources via multiroom or connected to the digital out. And the unit is too deep for the kitchens cabinet. Placed near to the SU gives problems with the same remote. In the kitchen I need a device not deeper than 35cm and placed in upright position.

I think I get a used nap 200 and give it a try and hope the volume level fits. The nap I can put to the SU without any interference of remote controls and maybe I acchieve a similar sound within the whole room. If it’s annoying not to have the independent volume control to lower down than I could sell it again and think about something else. Those rather cheap speaker a/b switches not used as a switch but with volume control are probably not the best idea. 

Posted on: 04 January 2019 by ernie

The last days I was listening all the time music from different places in the open room. I just need the same signal in the Kitchen and the dining table too, to get the sound more direct and vital. So a nap would be the one I need.

But now the difficult question: the SU has an 80W amplifier running Audio Physic Evolution Floorstanders with a sensivity of 89db.

The Dali Oberon on-wall speakers have a sensivity of 86,5db which in my understanding gives a lower volume output at the same amplification and volume-knob level. But as this is no linear scale I can‘t imaging how much that would be.

And if I go for a nap 200 with 70W the volume of the Dali would be even lower? Does anybody know how I can estimate or calculate that effect? Maybe a nap 155xs would still do the job to get a little lower but still decent volume in the kitchen that could fit the soundfeeling from around the corner. A nap 200 might be wasted with the entry level of Dali. However my Audio Physics are also entry level and the difference between the nait 5i and tha SU is impessive. 

Again, thanks for your help.