US Not working again

seems to be lots of problems with streamers. are they turning out too many different units too quick and sacrificing quality

Does make you wonder, totally fed up with it to be honest at £2000 you would expect it to last longer than 18 months or even 6 months as that was the time I had the first problem with it.

If I have to get this fixed again I think I will have it repaired and sell it on. just as a side note I also had problems with my Pre Amp at around 6 months also, that had to go back to Naim for repair too. The only good thing about it was that it was still in warranty. I have been with Naim for going on 20 years now.......Not happy 

floid: Well, as a very new Naim customer, this concerns me--especially since I have the US on my "target" list of equipment--next Naim box I was planning on, to be precise!  If it turns out this isn't something there is an easy user (i.e., you) fix for, I really would like to hear from Naim on this thread what their service experience is on the US.  There have been a whole lot of knowledgable people pointing out to me that it ain't worth 7 times the price of a Vortexbox Appliance--or, in the case of Guy, a Mac Mini.   And I have been plodding along saying, "Oh, sure, but the convenience of having Naim playing into Naim is worth it".  I am beginning to wonder.

rich: For the sake of a novice, when you say "...problems with streamers..." in this context, do you really mean "...problems with servers...?"  I am trying to keep my terminology straight, and my thinking is that a streamer is more like what a Unitiqute or a Superuniti does to its own amp or say, the function of a Squeezebox Touch. 

Russ

Russ -

Naim is not monitoring forum threads.  If you want to hear from them, then send an email to info@naimaudio.com, or give them a call (main web page, click on "Contact Us").

One of the main purposes of the forum is to give owners who are having problems a chance to broadcast for help.  As a result, if you spend a lot of time on the forum, you will eventually get to read about all sorts of errors, anomolies and edge conditions.  But try to keep in mind that these are relatively rare events, and that the vast majority of owners are not encountering them.

Hook

PS - Naim calls the US is a "Hard Disk Player / Server".  It is a hybrid device, with three main functions:  ripper, digital player and UPnP server.  Some owners use it only for ripping and UPnP serving, while others use it for ripping and hard disk digital playback.  Some use all three functions.  But you are correct, it is not a streamer (or what Naim calls a "Network Player"), and so rich46's comment was somewhat out of place.

Thanks, Hook and understood.  I had thought that a couple of the Naim Techs or Reps (other than dealers) do log on from time to time and post in response to issues.  I also understand that for every problem there are many situations that are problem free.  Nonetheless, even though everything you buy is a crap shoot (with some lines such as Naim far less so), one has to do some personal risk analysis and determine whether he or she can afford the risk involved with a high end, high dollar component such as the US.  I suppose I am especially paranoid about any piece of gear with non-electronic moving parts, such as a CD transport--commercial quality or otherwise.  With a 50 dollar Wal Mart special, if it has a problem, it is fun to see if I can hit the dumpster with it at 50 feet. Not so much with a Unitiserve.  Kind of like my GMC pickup with 180,000 miles on if the wheels fall off, I can junk it, but if I buy a new 2 million dollar Bugati, I by God better be able to afford the maintenance if a mosquito gets into the injectors. 

And thanks for the information about terminology.  I had forgotten that of course the Unitiserve can play CD s as well as rip and serve them.  Thus the term would definitely apply.

Best regards,

Russ

I had this problem with my Unitiserve it turned out to be the power supply which Naim change. You might be able to find an alternative locally, if you re reluctant to return to Naim. Have a word with HO before in case my situation was unique. I was quite pleased that it was not the main unit that was faulty.

Gerry

Update to US problem.

Looks like US will have to go back to shop. Will keep you posted on events

Russ -

Just to be clear, the US rips CD's and can play back the resulting files from its hard disk (using its S/PDIF ouput).  It cannot play CD's directly.

Also, I do understand your excitement and anticipation -- becoming a Naim owner is a very cool thing.  Just try not to drive yourself nuts over it.  Get you SU installed, burned it and working well.  There should be plenty of time and opportunity for you to evaluate US versus its competition later. For what it's worth, I agree with others who have advised you on initially putting in a low cost UPnP solution.  It can be Vortebox, or even just the basic version of dbpoweramp/asset or J River MC running on your current PC.  Either will do for a while, as your initial goal should be to get the SU up and running so you can test all of its considerable functionality.

Everything Naim makes is high quality, but there is no such thing as perfection.  Between Sound Org and A/V Options, we owners here in the states have it better than most world wide.  In my four years of ownership, and with perhaps a dozen purchases, I have not had any problems whatsoever. But I have read countless posts by domestic owners praising their dealers, Sound Org and/or Salisbury for fast, professional response if and when problems do arise. This makes me think that the odds of you having a positive owner experience are very high.

And yes, you are correct that Phil Harris and other Naim employees do occasionally contribute to threads, but they are under no obligation to do so. Often they are doing so on their own time. That is why I suggested you contact them directly.

Good luck.

Hook

floid: Asolute best of luck with your repair.

Hook: Thanks.  I am going to begin ripping and downloading via a new, cheap Windows (arghhh!) laptop and in the first few months while burning in the system, will concentrate on Internet Radio, Phono (via preamp that is onboard the TT), and CD-quality/hires files placed on USB sticks and/or a small portable hard drive--then later, as you suggest, make the decision on US or VBA. 

That should keep me off the mean, drug-infested streets for a while. 

As always, best regards,

Russ

Hi Hook,

Small correction : the US can play CDs directly, in Play mode. 

Jan

Thanks Jan.  Of course it can, and thank you for the correction!

Not sure what I was thinking of when I posted that bad info!

Hook

Hi All

An update on the US problem. As Gerry said it was a problem with the power supply which my local dealer replaced for me today, all working fine again. Happy again.