Transporter/Nait 2 vs. UnitiQute

quote:

I am toying with the idea of replacing the Transporter/Nait 2 with a UnitiQute. The Mac Mini will still be optically linked so there should be no issues with playing Apple Losses (ALAC) files. I will try and set up listening this week (work permitting), but what would be the pros/cons of such a move in quality etc. I will have to get another box so I can listen to the occasional vinyl..

I owned the Nait2 ages ago, and the Transporter a few years ago. Those are two of my best hifi purchases ever and are hard to beat. I think your setup will give the qute a run for its money.

The qute setup should have a lot more power.

But as you know the Squeeze interface is one of the most mature and feature rich, I am not sure if the latest from Naim is better still.

quote:

badlyread

Neil, I believe you use Transporter as a DAC which is not optimal.
I did these experiments and I should say that TP sounds MUCH better as a streamer.
You can stream music directly from your Mac.
In terms of microdetails, soundstage, imaging and smoothness TP is a top-notch digital source with fantastic VFM. In these aspects it sounds better than for example CD5X with Hicap2.

The rest is the matter of taste as TP sounds different from Naim -- it's closer to Linn presentation in my scale. I use TP as a digital transport into nDAC/XPS.

quote:

Originally posted by AMA:
Neil, I believe you use Transporter as a DAC which is not optimal.
I did these experiments and I should say that TP sounds MUCH better as a streamer.

Indeed. I even recall there [on the Logitech-forum] being a statement from Sean Adams, saying that the digital inputs on the TP was provided only for convenience and that the implementation was rudimentary.

I've never tested myself though, and some use them in rather high-end systems as part of the digital effects loop feature of the TP.

Hi

Thanks for the replies so far. Sorry for not being clear: Music is streamed from the Mac Mini to the Transporter. The optical lead is for playing Spotify and iPlayer through the system. Sorry for any confusion.

Neil

There is now a plugin to run Spotify on your squeeze-server so you can stream it through the Transporter. It sounds very good given the limitations of the lossy psychoacoustic filtering fireworks that goes on (you can choose between 160kbps and 320kbps).

Thanks for the info but it requires a Premium account to run which I do not have at present (and not sure I ever will have, but then....)

OK. certainly packs a punch. Running Mac via optical as music ripped ALAC. Cannot find Radio Paradise on iRadio. Any ideas why not?

Thanks

Neil

Found out how to add your own stations to the list. Neat.

I have had the UnitiQute on for over 48 hours and have just boxed it up so it can be returned. The unit was only used as an internet radio and as a digital input (via Van den Hul Optocoupler) for Mac Mini (Apple Lossless). I have no ariel for FM or DAB and was not willing to play around with EyeConnect to stream music from the Mac (lots of problems being had by some).

My thoughts are these:

The unit is beautifully made and easy to set up. It found my network easily and was soon playing music via the internet. For a small box it certainly packs a punch! The sound is BIG! It is very easy to set up presets using the remote and rename the stations if you wish. I could not, however, find an easy way of changing the position (preset number) of the stations once set other than deleting and starting again (did I overlook something?). You can also disable inputs that you will not use and rename the ones you do (eg 'Digital 2' was changed to 'Mac Mini'). When the BBC stations were selected, pressing back on the circular controller opened up BBC iPlayer options which was very convenient. The Qute had a noticeable lag when changing internet stations and sometimes could not find the station at all. This is an extremely rare occurrence with the Transporter, it happened a little too often with the Qute.

The Naim logo acts as a mute and volume up/down which is very neat and easy to use. It is designed to be left on all the time. Presumably when not in use it should be muted and an input that is not playing anything selected? Would this cool it a little?

I did not try n-Stream (how much?) as I was mainly using my iPhone using the FREE Remote app to control the Mac Mini and the supplied remote for the iRadio. However, I would purchase it (how much?) if I was keeping the Qute as the display is difficult to read at any distance over 2m. However, I understand that there a few niggles with the app that need to be sorted.

Yes, I'm not keeping it as I found that I was suffering from fatigue after a time. Yes, it sounded good and tight, PRaT etc but it tired me. It felt like I owned a CDX2 again. I found this tiring and replaced it with a CD5+FC2 that I enjoyed greatly without a hint a tiredness. Before you shout at me I appreciate the little box may not have been 'run in' (it was the only one in the store and I got it cold - it does get quite warm in use) and it may not have been on song which is why I will try it again later when it is on demonstration and bedded in. Also, will Naim be able to play Apple Lossless via a firmware upgrade in the future? This would open up the Qute to a much bigger market.

And so I plugged in the Transporter and the Nait 2. God they sound good. The Qute was good but I had a new appreciation of how Naim got it right all those years ago and how good the Transporter is at streaming the 0s and 1s. It is a truly remarkable machine. Naim have done an incredible job with the Qute and I'm confident they will sell many units and be able to sort out a few 'teething' problems. I may even purchase one. But not just yet.

Regards

Neil

quote:

nd so I plugged in the Transporter and the Nait 2. God they sound good. The Qute was good but I had a new appreciation of how Naim got it right all those years ago and how good the Transporter is at streaming the 0s and 1s. It is a truly remarkable machine.

Neil, those who got TP will enjoy the unit for quite a long time.

Luckily for Naim the TP was discontinued

I doubt Logitech ever understood what they got along with Squeeze Platform when they bought Slim Devices.

quote:

Luckily for Naim the TP was discontinued

Is that true . I thought it was still listed on the Logitech site ?

James H

Just getting rid of remaining stock I believe.

quote:

Just getting rid of remaining stock I believe.

That's what I heard.

A lot of folks [including me] are saying the Transporter is EOL.

But I must admit, that the most specific and official information I have heard, is that the VFD-display(s) used in the TP are no longer in production and that the ip3k-based players, s.a. TP, will get no further enhancements to firmware. This does not apply for bug-fixes. Draw your conclusions from that...

Although they did actually implement the slow rolloff filter after this was pronounced