New To The Uniti - Advice Please

Posted by: ESP on 03 July 2012

Forgive me if this is covered elsewhere, but my browsing didn't turn anything up... 

 

Timing has never been my strong point.  So, to cut to the chase: just as the Uniti 2 first hits the scene, I purchased a Uniti (a 2012 model).  I am new to streaming and new to Naim.  The sound and capabilities of the Uniti were enough to win me over.  But let’s just say that I am less than impressed with the display.  Even the new Uniti 2 seems not to have moved much further forward in that area from what I see of the description.


So, having saved myself about £600 by not waiting for the Uniti 2, I availed myself of a nice new Synology DS212j NAS, a HomePlugs LAN, and a Logitech Squeezebox Touch to please the Better Half who is never, ever, going to want to use the Uniti interface as it comes!  The SBT is great – a neat little gizmo that feeds through the Uniti with no problem – it should be fine for general social gatherings and for when I’m not able to do ‘serious’ listening…or if I’m out and my Better Half wants to play a few tunes without using the Uniti’s CD (I’ve not even dared introduce her to the dreaded magnetic puck yet!)


Perhaps it’s mainly because I didn’t do all my homework beforehand, leaping in with unaccustomed enthusiasm, but there are some flies in the ointment.  Although the Synology is feature rich,and I doubt I will ever investigate its full potential, the Audio Station facility has some irritating features that I want to escape from: it doesn’t yet have gapless playback and, for some reason I have yet to fathom (probably my own fault), it is refusing to move from track to track on my selected playlists or albums.  It just insists on repeating the same track.  Very irritating.  I installed Logitech’s s/w on the NAS and, while this is very attractive and intuitive, as far as I can tell doesn’t recognise the Uniti as a media renderer, being fixed on its own precious SBT.


In effect what I am getting around to is that I am looking for a user friendly alternative to the Uniti’s own display and menu system as it comes on the beast itself.  I also want to have a viable alternative to what is on the NAS.  I don’t own an iPad or iPhone or Android device and, at this time, am not likely to buy one soon unless it is dirt cheap and comes with very good ratings for reliability and ease of use.  We both run Windows-based laptops, so no Mac-based options there.  Our Sony BDP is network-enabled, but the TV isn’t.


For both the SBT and the Uniti, what I would love to see is some form of interface to the average home TV set.  It seems to me that with a lovely big 40” screen sitting right next to both of these music boxes, I can’t use it to browse my music! At least let me control the Uniti from my trusty laptop!  Oh, if it helps, I am currently running Winamp on my laptop – any use?


Any helpful advice would be gratefully received.  Clever jibes at our failure to embrace the future in terms of iThis, iThat and iT’Other will be met with lethal force! ;-) Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Posted on: 03 July 2012 by pcstockton
Originally Posted by ESP:

 don’t own an iPad or iPhone or Android device and, at this time, am not likely to buy one soon unless it is dirt cheap and comes with very good ratings for reliability and ease of use.

Have you not heard about iOS devices?  Anyway......

 

Sell the SB and get a decent Media Player to act as interface and server.  J River comes to mind.

Posted on: 03 July 2012 by ESP

Can I include a 3rd gen iPod nano? :-)

Posted on: 03 July 2012 by engjoo

You need to enable 'Media Server' on your synology. It is the upnp s/w that should be running on your synology before youcan do gapless playback and the track sequencing.

 

The audio station is another application in synology. They work independent of each other.

Posted on: 03 July 2012 by naimUnT
ESP, do you own a iPhone or iPad? If you do, download the Naim n-stream application for free and once it connects with your Uniti, it is a diddle to use! I agree that the display in the Uniti is quite small and the green OLED does not help with legibility! The Uniti has most if not most of the features that a person would ever want or use. I felt it was quite redundant to buy the SBT (good as it is) and the other items. The beauty of the Uniti is the convenience of a one box solution with CDP. I taught my wife how to use the puck and after a few practice sessions, she and my kids have no problems using it. Relax and enjoy the music. Just be sure to set your maximum volume and there is little for the Uniti to go wrong! Then invest in a Powerline if funds permit!
Posted on: 03 July 2012 by ESP
Originally Posted by engjoo:

You need to enable 'Media Server' on your synology. It is the upnp s/w that should be running on your synology before youcan do gapless playback and the track sequencing.

 

The audio station is another application in synology. They work independent of each other.

Yep, got the Media Server running, but maybe need to look at some settings anew and get myself more properly acquainted - so thanks for the reminder/tip. 

Posted on: 03 July 2012 by ESP
Originally Posted by naimUnT:
ESP, do you own a iPhone or iPad? If you do, download the Naim n-stream application for free and once it connects with your Uniti, it is a diddle to use! I agree that the display in the Uniti is quite small and the green OLED does not help with legibility! The Uniti has most if not most of the features that a person would ever want or use. I felt it was quite redundant to buy the SBT (good as it is) and the other items. The beauty of the Uniti is the convenience of a one box solution with CDP. I taught my wife how to use the puck and after a few practice sessions, she and my kids have no problems using it. Relax and enjoy the music. Just be sure to set your maximum volume and there is little for the Uniti to go wrong! Then invest in a Powerline if funds permit!

Nope, not an iPhone or iPad person...although I have been tempted by the latter. 

I agree pretty much with everything else, although I really do like the SBT - they really ought to consider a utility to link to larger displays...as should Naim. 

Posted on: 03 July 2012 by pcstockton
Originally Posted by ESP:

Nope, not an iPhone or iPad person...although I have been tempted by the latter. 

 

Dont even hesitate.  You will LOVE it.

Posted on: 03 July 2012 by Phil Harris
Originally Posted by ESP:
 

I agree pretty much with everything else, although I really do like the SBT - they really ought to consider a utility to link to larger displays...as should Naim. 

 

 

Perhaps if I suggested that there is an optional wireless remote display available for the Uniti at £400 then that might interest you?

 

Phil

Posted on: 03 July 2012 by Pev

Why not run a cable (pref HDMI) from your laptop to your tv and use that as a display? You can then use any of the many excellent Windows media servers. That's what I do. 

PS not everybody likes iPads!

Posted on: 03 July 2012 by ESP
Originally Posted by Phil Harris:
Originally Posted by ESP:
 

I agree pretty much with everything else, although I really do like the SBT - they really ought to consider a utility to link to larger displays...as should Naim. 

 

 

Perhaps if I suggested that there is an optional wireless remote display available for the Uniti at £400 then that might interest you?

 

Phil

£400?!?!  Might as well get an iPad! 

Posted on: 03 July 2012 by Foxman50

HI ESP

 

I have the same Synolgy unit as yourself, but running through an ND5. Get the iPad with n-stream, you wont look back. Unless you have kids that is, then you'll find the battery is dead every time you pick it up

Posted on: 03 July 2012 by ESP
Originally Posted by Foxman50:

HI ESP

 

I have the same Synolgy unit as yourself, but running through an ND5. Get the iPad with n-stream, you wont look back. Unless you have kids that is, then you'll find the battery is dead every time you pick it up

Posted on: 17 July 2012 by ESP

Well, I have been experimenting a little and decided that until finances next allow serious consideration of an iPad or similar, I would try the JRiver route, as it were. I am listening through it (trial version only) as I type.

Sadly, it is not as simple and quick to set up as I had hoped (kudos to Logitech on this point!), but I am learning.  There are all kinds of settings that seem to need tweaking, so use across the network, 'straight from the box' is not as quick and easy I would have liked.  Easily attracted by bright pretty things, I spent ages establishing album art that I had expected it would pick up with ease from my files, but that's another tale. That said, playing from laptop via USB to DAC/amp and good quality earphones is pretty darned good.

Anyway, my major grouch is JRiver's responsiveness (or lack of) to network enabled devices - sloooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww!  Even in the official blurb it mentions 'a minute' to locate such items as my NAS or media Renderer.  But sometimes it seems as if it's never going to find either storage or player if external to the laptop!  If this continues to be the case I will be looking elsewhere, rather than splashing the cash.

If I have missed a setting or whatever, I would be glad to hear of it.

Yes, yes, I know...get an iPad!